Gambling Recovery: Taking Back Your Life

Today’s episode features Allen H., a man whose story of recovery spans more than thirty years. Even after more than three decades free from gambling, Allen remains deeply committed to his recovery , still attending three to four GA meetings each week and giving back through service. He’s a living example of humility, gratitude, and what it means to never forget how powerful this disease truly is....

Today I sit down with Steve Kapela, a man whose life is proof that recovery can take you further than you ever imagined. Steve has been free from gambling, alcohol, and drugs since May 12, 2008, and in the years since, he’s not only rebuilt his own life but dedicated himself to helping others do the same. He’s become a trailblazer in peer recovery, a licensed social worker, and one of the earliest...

At 23 years old, Teddy S. first walked into the rooms of Gamblers Anonymous with his mother by his side. He wouldn’t see the inside of another GA room until the age of 45. And by then, the addiction had only grown darker and more destructive. When Teddy finally made the decision to take recovery seriously, everything changed, and he has never looked back. But recovery is never a journey walked alo...

Sometimes in recovery, you meet someone whose story feels less like coincidence and more like destiny. That was the case when I first heard Adam H share his journey. On an ordinary Saturday morning, while celebrating 15 years free from gambling, Adam spoke with a depth and honesty that felt like a spiritual awakening. In that moment, it was clear his path and mine had crossed for a reason. Adam’s...

This episode is for my parents, and my brother  Today, I’m doing something I’ve been carrying in my heart since the day I entered recovery. This episode is for my parents ,the two people who stood in the storm of my addiction long before I ever saw it for what it was. My mom passed two years ago. My dad, just this past May. And as I try to make sense of life without them, I find myself reflecting...

Today’s guest is a special one, and not just because of what he does, but because of how our paths crossed. Sam Sherman isn’t just someone I admire in the mental health space, he’s the reason this podcast exists. Years ago, I met a man named Teddy in a Gamblers anonymous room who made a lasting impact on my life. I never imagined that decades later, I’d be teaming up with his nephew to launch a po...

Today’s episode is one of truth, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to begin again. My guest, Brian R is here to share the history of his gambling, his personal admission of powerlessness and the unmanageability that followed. This is more than a list of consequences. This is a look inside the life of someone who spent decades chasing bets, hiding lies, and losing pieces of himself along the...

From innocent March Madness brackets with his brothers to secret loans, mounting debts, and gambling away life’s biggest milestones. Jordan’s addiction didn’t explode overnight. It crept in quietly, tightening its grip until his world began to fall apart. For over two decades, he lived in the illusion of control, telling himself he had limits, that he could manage the chaos, that one more bet migh...

In this deeply personal episode of Gambling Recovery: Taking Back Your Life, I sit down with Mark and Julie, two parents whose story echoes the pain, fear, and hope that so many families experience when a loved one is battling gambling addiction. Their 27-year-old son, Joey, had just entered an inpatient gambling rehab program when they found their way to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. Lost and sea...

Today, we have a powerful and deeply personal story to share. My guest, Jason S, knows firsthand how gambling can take hold of a person’s life. How what starts as a thrill, a side hustle, or even just a way to pass the time can spiral into something that consumes everything: work, relationships, and even your own well-being. Jason’s journey began with poker games in high school, escalated through...

Today’s guest, Aaron Timms, is a freelance journalist from Australia, now living in New York, who has written for The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Guardian, and more.   Back in 2021, he wrote a powerful article for The Guardian about the rise of legalized sports betting in the U.S. and the marketing machine behind it . A piece that left a lasting impression on me. I remember thinking at...

Today’s guest is someone who spent 25 years living a double life, gambling from the moment he woke up until he went to bed, lying, deceiving, and destroying everything in his path, his marriage, his family, his finances, and, ultimately, himself. He was an action gambler, a stock market addict, a sports bettor, a blackjack and craps player. Anything to keep the machine going. He lied about where h...

Today, we’re stepping into the life of Bob S., a man whose journey with gambling addiction took him from the thrill of dominoes with his grandparents to a hotel room in Cleveland. A night where he hit his own rock bottom. At 37, with a new promotion in hand and a family waiting back home, Bob found himself drowning in despair, his life unraveled by a decades-long battle with a Gambling disease tha...

This is the story of my darkest days of my gambling addiction—a time when my choices weren’t just destroying my life, but my family’s too. I’ll share the raw truth about hitting my own rock bottom, including my three-month stay in county jail, and the journey that led to 13 years of sobriety. How I found hope through hopelessness.
 
But now, it’s not just about my recovery—it’s about helping other...