When Gary Berglund became an adult, he turned to drugs and alcohol as a social outlet.

"I grew up very sheltered, so the friends I made, well, I thought everybody did drugs and drank," said Berglund, 33. "I thought that was just what you did."

Lesley Young/Special to The Commercial Appeal

"I'm interested in sharing fitness with others the same way someone shared it with me," says Gary Berglund.

Before long, Berglund was addicted.

"I was 26, and I found myself working three jobs and selling everything I had and even things I didn't own to pawn shops so I could avoid withdrawals and so I could get high," he said.

Fortunately, Berglund's girlfriend, who is now his wife, invited him to join a gym with her.

"I immediately loved the feeling that lifting weights gave me," he said. "I automatically knew it would be a replacement for my negative behaviors."

When he started going to the gym, he was already in an addiction treatment program. Going to the gym turned into running, which turned into yoga, which eventually motivated Berglund to get three personal training certifications -- from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and from the National Federation of Professional Trainers. He uses those certifications as a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness in Collierville.

"I was at the gym so much, I lived at the gym, I thought I might as well get a job there," he said. "I'm interested in sharing fitness with others the same way someone shared it with me."

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Success Story: Gary Berglund