Exeter man who spiralled out of control is totally transformed

He never expected to still be alive in his 30s

We all know the benefits of fitness and healthy living but for 39-year-old Dan Holmes, it not only changed his life but saved it. A weekend partying lifestyle of drugs and alcohol gradually saw Dan's life spiral out of control.

Although he was able to function in his day-to-day life in the construction industry, his vices became addictions and he admits he never expected to still be alive to reach his 30s. Luckily he did but things came to a head just before the coronavirus pandemic.

New Year's Eve in 2019 was spent being in the midst of what he describes as a 'harrowing' detox in hospital due to the amount of alcohol he had been consuming. Dan, who was born in Torquay and lives in Exeter, managed to stay sober for a few months and then after a brief relapse, the ultimate turning point came when he saw a Facebook post recruiting for personal trainers.

He was able to gain his qualification while still working in construction and then found a full-time job working for Anytime Fitness in Exeter. Dan is the first to admit he never used to be into health and fitness and didn't step into a gym for the first time until he was in his 30s.

Now he trains four times a week and has become an inspiration to his wide variety of clients by showing that if he can turn his life around then anyone can. For the past year, Dan has worked as a personal trainer at Quay Fitness, which is now open to the general public as well as people wanting one-to-one help, but has ben qualified for four years.

Recalling how his life has transformed, Dan said: "From the age of around seven, I had an obsession with playing the guitar and whatever I did in life it was going to 100 per cent be music. But by the time I was 18, party life took over, and gradually my interest in playing the guitar dwindled.

"Drink and drugs became a way of life and I honestly thought I'd be doing all of those things until I dropped which, when I looked at the people around me, probably wouldn't have been that long.

"I have always struggled with depression and anxiety from a young age and drink and drugs were a daily requirement of getting by and functioning socially. A lot of people were also doing it at that time so I wasn't the odd one out, but there is a difference between doing it at weekends and having fun to needing to do it on a daily basis.

"It never really occurred to me I would do anything other than what I was doing until the point of breaking and I was convinced I might not make it to the age of 30. When the clubbing lifestyle depleted it really was only the drink that was left and I was drinking every day.

"But as it was in fits and starts and I could go a week or two without it, I convinced myself I was not an alcoholic. It all came to a head Christmas 2019 when I was about 35. My drinking was out of control and at my lowest point I was carried off to hospital by my mother and my closest friend. I had been drinking extremely heavily and was having seizures."

Dan spent a week in hospital on rapid detox and says it then put him on a new path to recovery.

"It was a harrowing experience that put the fear of God into me," he said. "It really was a wake-up call but my advice to others would be not to reach that point to avoid experiencing it.

"I realised there was a better ways to do things and I got back on my feet but five months later I relapsed. Alcohol managed to weasel its way in during lockdown. I had been due to go back to work as construction sites were reopening but I got very bad really quickly.

"I thought it would be different that time but before I knew it I was right back where I started again. It only lasted a few days but it scared the life out of me and made me realise the clear answer was that there is no way alcohol can be in my life other than in a destructive way.

"The addictive part of your mind will find a way to convince you it's an okay thing to do but the only option is an absolute no."

To help Dan stay mentally and physically strong, his obsession then became health and fitness. He said: "It gave me a focus and direction I never thought possible. It is not an exaggeration to say that training, health and fitness as a whole, saved my life. I became part of an amazing community that strives to help you become the best version of yourself.

"Training to become a personal trainer taught me a lot about myself and gave me an opportunity to grow and learn things. My anxiety and depression convinced me I was never good at anything and I didn't think highly of myself.

"Now, what I most like about my job is coaching people to understand and believe in themselves and seeing that transformation and become much happier in themselves. It doesn't matter how old you are or if you've never lifted weights before because if you put in the work you can make progress.

"What I have been through gets rid of a lot of barriers between me and the people I coach. People look at a personal trainer and think fitness is what you have done since you were a teenager, but as I have done a lot of wrong things in the past they feel at ease.

"I will forever live with addiction issues. In life, there are multiple different ones but learning to think positively is a skill everyone is capable of. I'm now very focused and I'm very happy, but never content because there's more to be done in a positive way.

"My goal is to share this amazing feeling with as many people as possible, and to show anyone who wants to learn that real change and progress is possible.

"Believe me, if i can do it, you have a pretty good chance too. If you believe in yourself you can always progress and do better."

For more details about Dan's personal training service please click here.