LOOK AT ME NOW WORLD!

Hey guys,
Well it's been two and a half years since I last posted on here as a miserable and lost soul.So thought I'd post a positive update.
Briefly a bit about me and my history.I'm a 29 year old guy.I've lived with mental illness for 10years starting with experiences of depression and progressing to having agorophobia and panic disorder.For 9 of those years I also battled with drug and alcohol addiction.After a complete physical and mental breakdown as a result of my alcohol abuse, I had my last drink on the morning of August 10 2009. It's been the hardest two years of my life since, but also the most rewarding.With the help of drug and alcohol counselling, medication, and love and support from friends and family, I'm a new person. I still live with mental illness and still deal with it everyday, and am by no means 'cured', but I now have hope, and an everclearing mind and spirit.
For me, two things have been a massive help in my journey-art and fitness.
Firstly, art. My creative voice is my main form of therapy, and last year I was lucky enough to be awarded a Media Grant from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.I'm nearing the completion of 15 paintings to be exhibited in November, exploring the link between alcohol abuse and experience of mental illness-you can check out them out on my blog- creationsofdylan.tumblr.com
Secondly,fitness.I was never really into physical activity growing up.By the age of 27 I was extremely unhealthy-aswell as daily heavy drinking, I was a pack a day smoker and lived on a diet of high fat/sugar foods. Luckily for me, as I began recovery, I happened to live near a small gym, so I wearily joined. I've found exercise a MASSIVE help in the management of anxiety and the feel-good endorphins are a great natural high. My addictive personality kind of found a new addiction-exercise!. So much so that I was the first New Zealander to be featured in the 'before and after' section of Australian Mens Fitness magazine last year. You can see my one of my transformation stories/pictures here http://www.formhealth.co.nz/testimonials/98-dylan-keys-transformation.html

I'm still learning everyday, but if I can do it, anybody can. Everyday we have choices and with each decision we can go one of two ways-choose the positive one as much as you can and slowly but surely it'll add up

Peace and love
Dylan Keys.