Corkman: I was a troubled addict, but now I run my own gym

Once upon a time, Mikey Power had a simple view of life. “In my 20s, I thought the universe should drop everything into my lap - money, motivation, success,” he recalls.

It’s not that simple.

He ended up taking a few wrong turns and was addicted to drink and drugs before he eventually became the best version of himself. Now Mikey owns Bfit Gym in Bandon.

Having been a functioning addict, his outlook has changed.

“If you have the ability to get out of bed unaided in the morning, breathe without effort, to have the strength to move your body out the front door and step outside; you have something to live for,” says Mikey.

Be grateful for the little things in life, and more of what you seek will come into your life.

What was Mikey’s life like before he had an epiphany that sparked the change to live better, be better, be kinder, be happier, and be more productive?

“I was bright, but I never liked school,” says Mikey, of Innishannon. “It didn’t suit me.

“I stayed the distance until 4th year because of sports, which I loved and was good at.

“When I left school I worked on building sites, on scaffolding. I liked the danger element. And I could see the results quickly.”

For a time, he was a happy chappy.

“I had friends, I was good at sports, and I lived for sports. I had a good social circle.”

But he had something else.

“I had a fascination for alcohol,” says Mikey. “I got a different vibe with alcohol. I could see how it made people enjoy themselves, how they could have the cráic. I could see all this and I got drawn into it.”

Mikey got a handle on how to get his fix.

“I began stealing cans at home. I found alcohol empowering. 

I had a self-destruct streak in me. I followed through on the negative. If I said I would do things, I always followed through. I was rebellious and I had high energy.

He admits he was the blue-eyed boy at home.

“I was caught doing everything, I was the only boy. My parents were lenient. They handled me with kid gloves.”

As Mikey got older, he drank at GAA clubs and with work-mates. Soon, drink wasn’t enough for him.

“I hated the feeling of just drink,” says Mikey. Then something tragic spurred him on the path of greater self-destruction.

“I lost my best pal, Joe,” says Mikey. “He was as close as a brother to me.

“Joe was missing for three weeks. I looked for him every day and I drank at night.”

When his friend was pronounced dead due to misadventure, Mikey went on a rampage, fuelling himself with drink and drugs to numb the pain of losing ‘a brother’.

“I was so angry,” recalls Mikey. “I was so immature.”

He was so young at the time too.

“Because I was only 17 at the time, I couldn’t be arrested. Often the guards would ring my parents to bring me home.

The loss of Joe had a massive effect on me. I drank and took drugs to escape the grief.

Mikey had no interest in talking to a counsellor.

“I switched off. My life was sports, drinking, smoking and drugging as well; the drink had no effect.”

He often spent the whole day wasted in a pub. “Starting a new job, I missed the first day scaffolding. I spent the day drinking.

Going to work, I was always hungover.

Winning a final with Valley Rovers didn’t boost Mikey’s low spirits.

“I was fed up with life. I didn’t want to live any more. I went to a night club, drank some cans, and walked to the bridge. I threw my phone away and took a last sip of the can. I was at peace. I felt numb contentment.”

The universe intervened.

“Two guards from behind me pulled me by the arms. I couldn’t speak. I was committed to ending it all.”

Why was Mikey so intent on pushing the self-destruct button?”

“I was young. I was dramatic. I was an intense young man. I had black-outs. I drank to annihilate any feelings. That was a blurry time.”

Being sent to prison at 21 after a series of arrests was a new low, but prison did present an opportunity.

“It gave me a routine,” says Mikey. “I discovered exercise. I could release all that negative energy. Discovering exercise gave me an appreciation for living and a new respect. I developed a routine. And when I was on temporary release for five months, I started going to the gym.”

His self-destruction didn’t cease.

There was no stopping me. I was committed to self-destruction. Mum and dad could do nothing. It was heart-breaking.

Mikey got a break.

“I enroled in a PT (personal trainer) course in Liverpool for eight weeks. It was quick and a pal of a pal of mine let me live with him out of kindness. He helped me study and I got a qualification.”

He was still drinking though.

“Even though I felt I was beginning to excel at life and had good momentum, I was still carrying on the same way,” says Mikey.

“Looking for jobs, it seemed my qualification was too short, and even though I wanted to work, no gym in Cork would take me on.”

The universe gave him a break.

“A gym owner let me work for free in his gym,” says Mikey. “I knew I had the potential to own my own business. I had high energy.”

Mikey had the right idea.

“I started running a boot camp in a hall in Innishannon. The hall cost €20 per night. I was making €16 a night. But I had to make it work.

“All the time, I kept drinking, I kept partying.”

He kept getting into trouble.

I spent another short spell in prison. My relationship went down the swanee. I still felt anger. I still felt grief.

But he also still felt the ambition and intensity to succeed.

“Bfit came up for sale and I managed to buy it,” says Mikey. “It was a great achievement to double it in size. I had money in my pocket, no-one could touch me. No-one could fire me.”

The stress and responsibility of owning his own business got to him.

“I had no sense of responsibility,” says Mikey. “I had no keys to the gym - I had no capability. If I worked at all, I was only waiting to get to the pub ASAP. I couldn’t pull away. Drink had a hold of me.”

Things spiralled out of control.

“Rent was late, tax was overdue. It was a struggle to pay the wages. If I had one bad month, the gym was gone.”

His mojo was gone.

“The mental frailties raised their ugly head. I didn’t want to get out of bed,” says Mikey. “I should be committed to the gym. 

When I drank, the alcohol overrode anything else. It always came first.

Mikey was two years more on the rollercoaster of self-destruction, going nowhere.

“I kept ticking over. I had great men working for me. They kept the clients happy. They took the brunt of the responsibility.

“There were some bad years. It was constant drinking, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. It could be seven days a week. I had no routine. The gym could have gone belly up.”

When Covid struck, Mikey was drinking and drugging for 12 hours day and night.

“It was a vicious circle,” he says.

His moment of realisation came in the pub one Sunday afternoon.

“I was minding my own business, drinking on my own, when I got a bit of hassle from other quarters.”

“I got a moment of clarity,” says Mikey. “I surrendered the last bit of fight. I got a light-bulb moment; I didn’t want to live my life like this any longer.”

On September 5, 2022, Mikey woke up to a new dawn.

“I was still in trouble. I moved into the gym.”

A guardian angel stopped by.

“Joe’s sister, Edel, came to me with a blanket that night. Next morning she took me to Garrettstown beach. She made me go into the water.”

He got a wake-up call.

“The first wave came over my head and I got a slap in the face.

“Edel took me to an AA meeting later that evening. I related to every word of it.

I thought. I’m exactly where I need to be. With people who had similar issues to me.

“I began running, cycling, working,” says Mikey. “I had more energy. Business picked up. October was my best month. “

The negative energy had gone.

“I turned it into positive energy,” says Mikey. “My outlook changed.”

His life changed.

At 32, I am a non-drinker.

He is his own man.

“I was committed to getting clean and sober for me. Nobody else. I was at fault. I did all the damage.”

The boy was back in the game. The game of life that offered love, friendship, loyalty, fun, fitness, and all good things.

“Life changed 100% for me,” says Mikey. “I have no anxiety. I can listen to others. I can act rationally.”

He acts with gratitude.

“Joe’s sister was the catalyst. After a run and then a swim in Dunworley beach, I often head to Timoleague to Edel later for dinner.”

It’s a whole new world for him.

If you have been affected by this article, call the Samaritans: 116 123.