A bodybuilder who suffered from a drug addiction was left fighting for his life after he was put in a coma.
Zak Wilkinson, an avid gym goer, endured a strict diet of six high protein meals a day to get in shape for various bodybuilding competitions.
The 32-year-old would eat clean by consuming just five foods - broccoli, chicken, rice, egg whites and steak.
Along with his weight training, matched with at least 45 minutes of cardio a day, the father-of-one used steroids that he'd inject in himself up to three times a day.
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From June 2009 to December 2022, he said he spent at least £100-a-month on steroids.
Then from January 2023 until March 2025, his usage went up to over £750-a-month.
The gruelling routine eventually caught up with him after he started suffering seizures and vomiting.
On 23 March, Zak was rushed to the ICU unit at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, after his sister called an ambulance.
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The bodybuilder was put in a coma for seven days and doctors' diagnosis suggests there was 'likely provoked seizures in context of multiple drugs'.
Although he was non-verbal for three days, medics said they witnessed a 'miracle recovery' when Zak started to learn to walk again.
"That two-year period was when it really started to spiral," the scaffolder from Middlesbrough admitted.
"I just thought if I was going to take things I would do it properly. I put 100 percent into it - diet, training, drugs - and I didn't even drink alcohol for a year and a half.
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"It was an all or nothing approach - it's frightening. It just gets hold of you. I thought I was the fittest, strongest, healthiest person, but on the inside I wasn't."
However, Zak acknowledged that 'a lot of young lads becoming affected by it and that's why a lot of the bodybuilders are dying prematurely, because it's not healthy'.
"I thought I'd never be able to play with my son again, that I'd never see him again," the father to a three-year-old said.
"I now have PTSD, body dysmorphia, a diagnosed eating disorder, regular flashbacks, and I'm having rehabilitation for trauma. I've also now become epileptic due to the coma," he warned.
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Professor Adam Taylor, an expert in anatomy at Lancaster University, told the Daily Mail that anabolic-androgenic steroids happen to be most common type of 'image and performance enhancing drug'.
He explained: "The growth in people self prescribing steroids for performance reasons is of real concern.
"There is a danger of suffering serious side effects if you are using these drugs, from heart attacks, and brain damage to long term mobility issues.
"Cases like this show the danger of anabolic steroids, and people need to be aware of the consequences when they see people promoting the drugs on their social media feeds."
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Anish Vij