David's story

I was brought up in gambling in a family that all gambled and where all successful gamblers. They were very disciplined gamblers and gambling was a way of life and a very social way of life and our holiday were spent in Killarney, a week in Listowel, and Galway — all around horse-racing.

At the age of 25, I happened to be invited into a card room, a live casino with roulette and blackjack. I wasn’t drinking at the time and it was just a natural rush or complete and utter ecstasy. I loved it. I loved playing blackjack, when the first shoot of card came out I was smitten by it. And then I got invited into a game of poker, I didn’t even know how to play poker.

I fancied myself as a poker player and thought this was how I was going to get recognition. My identity was going to be a professional poker player, travel the world, go the Las Vegas and win the World Series of Poker, buy a multiple of houses and cars and live the lifestyle of the high roller. I got consumed by it. I got absolutely consumed by it. I went from playing poker in Cork, Galway, and Dublin to playing online 24/7. It erased everything good in my life. It erased all my finances, it erased all my relationships. I basically isolated myself.

I moved out of Cork so that my family couldn’t hassle me so they wouldn’t know that I was in total isolation because of gambling. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. With gambling, I could gamble my whole life in one night. People say to me now “do you want to get involved in a buster in the lottery?” but I can’t. For anyone else who is normal they can leave it that, but something happens with me, it’s like a switch goes on.

I don’t need to lie today. I don’t need to cheat people or hustle them. I don’t need to lie or go into banks and credit unions and lie to people to obtain money to gamble.

If I was still gambling I would have absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing. It prevents you from living, when you’re trapped in your mind, a compulsive thinking disorder which is compulsive gambling.

* Source: Gamblers Anonymous

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