One Man’s Story: Gambling Addiction & Recovery Journey
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Published:
Oct 2, 2024
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06:13 p.m.
ET
My name is Rob, and I’m in recovery for a gambling addiction. I made my last bet on November 12, 2022 after six years of gambling. Nowadays I create content online to help people who are struggling with gambling to avoid making the same mistakes with their lives that I made with mine.
My first foray into gambling
I first started gambling with daily fantasy sports when I was 18 years old.
I grew up near the Philadelphia area, just over the bridge in New Jersey, and we LOVE our sports teams here. When I turned 18 and my friends and I found out that we could wager money on the games that we were already watching on a nightly basis, it was a no brainer for us to get started with DFS sports gambling.
We would make our wagers on the 7pm contests when the Sixers, Eagles or Phillies would be playing, and then we'd watch the games. It was genuinely really fun at first. But after the game ended, my friends were content with the results, no matter if they had won or lost. I, on the other hand, needed to check out opportunities for the 10pm games.
Right from the start, I was always looking for more. More thrills, more money, more action. My friends were happy to just have one go at it and then move on. If I lost, I couldn't accept that. And if I won, I just wanted to enter bigger contests.
It wasn't long after that when I started with regular sports betting using a bookie and through cryptocurrency casino websites. This quickly developed into a compulsion to play casino games, as I always wanted more action and to find out the results of my wagers faster.
I never stopped to think about why I was actually gambling. Was it a fix for boredom? Was it my way to create meaning in my life? Was it my way of challenging the trajectory of my life that had been seemingly decided for me to go to a good school and get a good job? Maybe it was all of this.
When gambling became a problem
Just about a year after I made my first fantasy sports wager, I found myself in debt with a bookie to the extent that I couldn't afford to pay him off. I had to tell my family as a 19-year-old college freshman that I was struggling to control my gambling.
This pattern would play itself out for the next five years, and I found myself in debt over the time I was gambling six separate times, so badly that I had to work numerous jobs to pay off the damage.
The whole time I made excuses like "I was just unlucky" or "I'm just a bad gambler but I can get better", to keep justifying the same madness playing out over and over again in front of my eyes.
Gambling took up the entirety of my college experience, as well as a year and a half after graduating.
It wasn't until a night at a casino after an extended period of sobriety that I really decided I was going to give up gambling for good.
On November 12, 2022, I went to Parx Casino in Pennsylvania and spent 12 hours straight on a gambling and drinking binge. During that 12 hour span, I found myself taking out three separate cash advances and maxing out my credit cards. During this binge, I played every game that I could get my hands on in the casino. That included craps, blackjack, poker, roulette and of course made a bunch of sports bets as well.
That day, I found myself standing in the bathroom after destroying my financial life and realizing that I would now be spending the next 6 months working 70-80 hours per week to pay off what I had just done.
I’d finally had enough.
How I took the first step in my recovery journey
I decided to get myself some help, but – like many – I didn’t quite know what to do at first.
I was seeing a therapist, but he wasn’t quite well-versed in helping problem gamblers, so it felt like I was teaching him when I wanted him to be teaching me.
What ended up making the biggest difference for me was finding people who understood problem gambling and all of the messed-up thoughts that I had going through my mind. I gave Gamblers Anonymous meetings a try, and things really started to feel like they were getting better. Having a community that understood me changed my life.
What I needed was to feel like I was understood by those around me. The only thing that might have helped me get better sooner would have been professional help from someone who truly understood problem gambling, like the specially trained gambling addiction therapists that are now available at Birches Health.
My personal approach gambling addiction treatment
Through support groups, financial controls, self-exclusions and eventually finding a passion through the work I do now, I have officially gotten myself to 691 days clean from my last bet.
When I first quit gambling, I had my family manage my finances, and I only carried the amount of money I needed according to a weekly budget. I self-excluded from the casinos to make it as difficult as possible to place a bet. And I found a way to fill my time with something that I feel passionate about - creating content.
It changed my life.
My daily routine today as a recovered gambling addict
Nowadays I create content on YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok, sharing my experiences with my gambling addiction in hopes that someone watching will recognize some of the same signs that I was exhibiting in themselves and hopefully avoid going down the same path that I did.
The content is all about taking things one day at a time, hence the name ODAAT Recovery.
It is my belief that we can find forgiveness and peace in our lives if we are able to use the negative experiences that we have gone through in an honest effort to help others who are still going through it. I hope that my story can save you years of unnecessary pain.
Let's keep getting better together, one day at a time.
Advice for others dealing with a gambling problem
If you feel like your gambling has stopped being fun and has turned into something that is bringing negatives into your life, it could be time to seek help.
There’s no shame in making a mistake, but it’s a bigger error to continue to keep making the same mistakes. If you are not happy with how things are going, you won’t be happier continuing to go down that same path. Maybe it’s time for a change.
My recommended Gambling Addiction resources & treatment
Treatment for gambling addiction isn’t a one-size-fits-all program. Thankfully, there are multiple options available nowadays, and choosing the right one for you can depend on a number of factors. Do you prefer a private one-on-one setting or being part of a group? Is your addiction so severe that you feel the need to go to an in-patient facility with complete separation from the outside world to focus on recovery? Or would regular therapist sessions with a specialist work better? Do you want to go to an office and meet a counselor in person? Or would you prefer the ease of virtual therapy from the comfort of home? These are the types of questions you should ask yourself when considering which treatment is right for you.
There’s also nothing wrong with trying multiple options. Group meetings at Gamblers Anonymous were great for me, but they’re not the ideal choice for everyone. And my issue with therapy at the time was that my therapist wasn’t trained in or knowledgeable about gambling addiction. Nowadays, there are certified therapists who go through intense training programs specifically for treating gambling addiction.
Birches Health has a nationwide team of these licensed, specially trained counselors who offer teletherapy care for gambling addiction from the comfort of home. With the benefit of scheduling flexibility and no need to travel somewhere for a session, Birches is an appealing option for many people. Birches also aims to keep costs low by partnering with insurance companies and state organizations, so many patients pay $0 or just a small insurance co-pay.
There are many ways to connect with Birches Health, depending on how you’d personally prefer to start your recovery journey:
Or you can simply call Birches at 833-483-3838 or email hello@bircheshealth.com to get in touch right away.
