Tommy Furay struggled with alcohol for many years but after successfully beating his battle with drink, he substituted his addictive tendencies with fast food and takeaways.
“Alcohol was a big part of my life – it became quite serious, liver damage and things like that,” he said.
Tommy decided to deal with his addiction head on and, after going for a detox, managed to nip his drinking addiction in the bud.
“After the drink problem, I turned to eating and again, another addiction. I didn’t look on it as an addiction.”
At 5’ 7’’ tall and weighing 15 stone, Tommy’s physical health and emotional well-being was at stake and he did not want his children to be without a dad by following in his father’s footsteps with an early death.
“They saw me when I was in another world,” he said. “They didn’t want their father to die young.”
Tommy’s life-changing journey began when picking up the phone to take part in STV’s new series Make Me Happier.
“At first, it was hard to say ‘well I’m going to do this’. It was a manly thing, I thought it would be hard for a man to sit and tell Scotland his problems.
“But after the initial phone call, and I saw what kind of support is out there, I thought ‘I’m going to go for this’.”
Angus Purden, who is co-presenting the new series alongside Lorraine Kelly, explains how different issues such as stress, phobias and poor diet are dealt with over a six week period.
“We are looking at people’s emotional well being,” he explained. “I think we are all guilty of saying ‘och it will be alright, you will be alright tomorrow.’
“I think a lot of people will relate to issues we are looking at, and think ‘oh that’s me, there is a wee bit of me there’ and it will help them.”
Leaning on the support of experts in the fields of fitness, health and diet, Tommy now feels the positive effects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically.
“Losing weight has meant I don’t get breathless - I go out running now and I cycle. I have got something to get up for in the morning. It’s like going into a new world.”
As part of his journey to a healthier lifestyle, Tommy managed to cycle for 14 miles – an achievement he believed impossible prior to the show.
“My son had said to me ‘dad, you are actually going to be cycling four miles’ and I said ‘I’ll never do four miles, I’ll need help’ and then I spoke to someone else and they said it wasn’t four miles, it was 14!
“I couldn’t tell you how I felt inside but with the help and support and encouragement, I did it.”
Video: Advice on healthy eating
Video: Advice on improving your diet
Video: Advice on how to get fit for free
For more information, visit the Make me Happier site or to catch-up with the series so far, visit the STV Player.
Last updated: 11 November 2009, 11:07
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