I was diagnosed with Severe Depression, probably abusing ecstacy for too long. On top of that I had self esteem issues. I was prescribed Zoloft and was a walking zombie. I didn't want to take any more mind altering drugs. I felt I was masking one problem with another problem by taking Zoloft.
Shortly after I tapered the Zoloft use, I purchased a gym membership. I found that working out gave me an all around sense of self worth and actually made me feel better. It seemed as though the depression went away just from getting regular exercise every day. After a two months I was hooked on going to the gym, it was an absolute necessity. On top of that I started seeing results. I was getting more attention and positive reinforcement from people commenting how good I look. That really helped with my self esteeem issues I have. After 3 years of really intense training I feel like a new person. It really has changed my life for the better.