Recovering alcoholic who used 20 beers per day has shared his amazing transformation and celebrated five years of sobriety.
Kenny Dunn, 39 years old, is from Vancouver, Washington. He shared a throwback picture of himself on Wednesday, along with some recent images, via Instagram.
The collage featured a photo of him in the mirror five years back and one of him in the mirror today. He also flexed his back and arms without a shirt on, showing off his newly chiseled frame.
‘It’s that time of year again! Five glorious years of sobriety! He captioned his post.
“I would like to thank my family and friends for all their support this year!” I also want to thank everyone on IG for inspiring me to live life beyond my wildest dreams.
Then and Now: Kenny Dunn (39), from Vancouver, Washington shared a collage with photos of himself 24 hours after quitting drinking (left) as well as five years later (right).
He was pictured in August showing off his newly chiseled frame
New man: This father-of-one is pictured in April. He started a 12-step program that changed his life and made him passionate about working out.
He likes to document his success online so that he can ‘share the message of hope to addicts all over the world’ He is pictured in April
The father-of-1 has been taking photos every year to mark his sobriety milestones. He posts them every year for a very good reason.
He explained that since he started sharing his online journey, he has been “flooded” with messages from people in need of help getting sober. He explained that he enjoys sharing his success online in order to spread the message of hope to addicts around the world.
Bored Panda was informed that he had made a decision to not show his own recovery, but to share the message about hope with addicts around the world.
“People see my photos or read my interviews, and they decide that they want to stop.
‘As always, I simply tell them that I don’t have all of the answers, but I can connect them with people like me in their own community. It’s kind of exciting, making calls and writing emails to connect people with others in recovery.
“A few months ago, I even helped connect an addict living in Liberia to recovering alcoholics from South Africa!”
Kenny shared his advice to people in trouble: “If you feel like your rock bottom is reaching, and you can’t go on living with addiction any longer, please reach out.
“A friend, a relative, a coworker, or anyone else.” Just tell them that you need their help and let’s get the ball rolling.
“It is my experience, that the best way for someone to get sober is to reach out and help them.
The beginning: Kenny, who used nearly 20 beers per night, quit drinking in November 2016. He is pictured 24 hours into sobriety
One day at the time: Kenny has been documenting his sobriety milestones through photos. He is shown at 30 days sober (left), and 60 days sober.
“I tried to stop on myself, but it was futile. And if you want to stop and you don’t know who to reach out to, you can even reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram.
‘I’ll help connect you to people who can help you, no matter where you are there is help for you nearby. But you have to be willing to reach out.
Kenny lost a lot weight when he switched from a low-carb, high-fat diet to ketogenic. He has since included healthy carbs back in his meals, but he only eats lean protein or vegetables.
He joined the DDP Yoga Community just recently. He is also a member of the DDP Yoga community. Three days a week, lifts weights and rides an exercise bicycle.
He added, ‘If you had told me five years ago that my life would have this much joy and meaning as it does today, I wouldn’t have believed you.
“I was just waiting to die as I drank. [The]My attitude is the biggest difference between me and that man five years ago.
“I wake up every day excited about the future. Even in the seemingly mundane parts of my life, I can find satisfaction in what I do, that’s the real gift that’s been given to me.’
He described his exercise journey as one of the most spiritually profound experiences of his adult life in a 2012 interview with the publication.
He stated that his journey with exercise in the past year was one of the most spiritually enriching experiences of his entire life.
‘I once was a man who couldn’t do more than a single push-up let alone a pull-up. I pulled out 1,500 pullups and 7,000 pushups during October 2020. I did 575 pull-ups and 7,000 push-ups on Halloween!
“I remember being able do five push-ups at a time and believing it was magic. I could never have gotten into the best shape of my life at 38 years old if I hadn’t been consistent.’
Kenny, pictured at 90 days sober, says that he has become a better father/husband since quitting drinking
Progress: Kenny (pictured six months sober) lost a lot of weight when he switched to a ketogenic high-fat, low carb diet
Kenny started to drink heavily as a 350lb college student. But, because of his weight, he didn’t feel the effects. This all changed when he lost nearly half his body weight, a total of 147lbs.
Kenny began to drink two years after he met Julie in December 2007. Julie begged him to stop.
Every day, the railway engineer would drink at least 20 beers per day. Sometimes, he would even hide boxes full of wine in his bathroom and lock himself in there to consume it.
After waking up from another drunken night, Kenny decided to change his ways in November 2016.
He said, “I kept drinking without intending that I get drunk.” ‘It was a goal to have one or two drinks, but I ended up with more than 20. I would have to go out every day to get more.
“I felt compelled to drink and had no control over it.
“I can recall having 19 beers in a single night, but I didn’t intend to drink that many. It was almost like someone was driving my actions. I realized then that I had no control over my life and that I needed to get help.
On his final drunken night, Kenny filmed himself vowing that he would stop drinking, saying he had a ‘sickness’ that was stopping him from being a good father and husband. He The footage was kept secret until two years ago.
He said, “I sometimes still go back to that video, and it is hard to look at,”
“Now, I’m the father/husband I always wanted to be. My family isn’t afraid of me as they used to be.
‘I was unpredictable and I would have a temper when I was drunk — I would yell and black out.
“That was the hardest thing I had to deal with because I didn’t have any control over myself, but I was still responsible.
Transformation: Kenny is shown in the left image two years sober (left), and three years sober on the right (right).
He described his experience with exercise as “one of the most spiritually enlightening experiences” in his life. He is pictured here four years after he was sober.
‘I never got into trouble with the police but I would wake up from an electrical blackout to my wife crying. I would wake up in the toilet, on the floor or stairs and not know what happened. It was terrible.
Kenny reached out to a friend who was an alcoholic and enrolled in a 12-step program that continues to be attended today.
Kenny stated that he is a better father than he was before, and that he feels and looks different. He also saved more money than he would have spent on alcohol.
He stated, “It is completely different now, and I’m completely different person.” “The recovery has changed the course of my life.
“My relationship with my son has improved tremendously and I am so proud of him. He is so talented at everything he does, and everything he tries. He does all these things, and if he were still drinking, I wouldn’t be able support him.
He said, “I will never drink again, but we take each day as it comes.” “My whole life revolves around recovery, and because of this I believe that I won’t do so again.”
“I still cannot believe the transformation in myself. It was the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life, but it is also the most rewarding.