And today it is hard to believe that Irishman Mr Fitzsimons, who in 2006 was sinking 16 pints a day, weighed 18 stone and took no exercise, is the same man behind his business, Effort Personal Training.

He had reached crisis point, but despite the physical and emotional mess he found himself in, Mr Fitzsimons, of Newton Hill, was determined to keep his family together and vowed to turn his life around.

He attended Alcoholics Anonymous, but found that running and cycling were more useful in restoring his self-esteem and keeping him off the booze.

Two years on, after a remarkable turnaround in which he gave up alcohol, lost five stone and set up his own business, his family is stronger than ever.

Mr Fitzsimons said: “When I realised I couldn’t support my wife and two young children properly for the first time, that was when I really hit rock bottom. My wife was about to leave me.

“There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to addiction, but I found that exercising was a good way of occupying my time and staying off the drink.”

Now Mr Fitzsimons wants to share his experiences of using exercise to beat the addiction.

With an exercise studio built in the garden of his Leeds Road home, the qualified personal trainer is encouraging people to sign up to exercise programmes tailored to their needs.

He said: “The training is open to anyone, but addicts can benefit from it, including people with problems like drugs or gambling.

“No-one offered me this kind of service when I was ill, so it is important people have the chance to try it.”

For more information, log on to www.effort personaltraining.co.uk