376 Tony V: Mob Bookies, Taking the Road to Recovery, & Becoming a Peer in Gambling Addiction Treatment

Sports cards. Trading packs. Box breaks. What was once a nostalgic hobby has quietly evolved into something far more dangerous — and few people are talking about it. In this episode, we sit down with Alyx Effron, founder of Collectors MD and one of the most important emerging voices at the intersection of collecting culture and problem gambling awareness. In this episode: How gambling-like mechanics have become deeply embedded in modern sports card collecting Why box breaks, pack openings, and hype culture trigger the same psychological responses as casino gambling The warning signs that a collecting hobby has crossed into compulsive or addictive behavior How Alyx's personal journey as a collector led him to create Collectors MD What harm-reduction in the collectibles space actually looks like How the industry can push for greater transparency, ethical marketing, and stronger consumer protections Why collectors of all ages — including kids — are vulnerable in today's market Collectors MD Website: www.collectorsmd.com [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!  

Could your child's gaming habit be a clinical disorder? In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Jennifer Jiyun Park, a postdoctoral researcher at the Yale School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, whose work sits at the intersection of gaming disorder, gambling addiction, and behavioral health in youth. Dr. Park studies how problematic gaming develops in children and adolescents — including the brain-based patterns behind compulsive play, how gaming and gambling disorders overlap, and what evidence-based treatments actually work for young people. She's published research on CBT-based interventions, the role of caffeine and sleep in gaming behavior, and how social media use connects to addictive patterns in the adolescent brain. In this episode, you'll learn: What "gaming disorder" actually means — and how it's clinically defined The neurological similarities between video game addiction and gambling addiction Why teenagers are especially vulnerable to problematic gaming The warning signs parents and clinicians should watch for What the research says about CBT and other treatments for gaming disorder in youth How gaming, caffeine use, and sleep deprivation create a dangerous cycle for teens [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!    

Before online sportsbooks and casino apps, there was a different kind of gambling world — one run by bookies, back rooms, and the kind of debt you couldn't just close a browser tab to escape. In this episode, host Brian sits down with Tony V, a man with a truly old school gambling story, whose journey from compulsive bettor to person in long-term recovery is as gripping as it gets. Tony opens up about what it was like gambling in an era before the internet changed everything — placing bets through mob-connected bookmakers, the thrill and the terror that came with it, and the slow unraveling that addiction brings to every area of life. But this isn't just a war story. Tony found recovery, and he shares what that path actually looked like. Perhaps the most powerful moment in this conversation: what happened when Tony ran into his old bookie well into his recovery AND what the Bookie SAID In this episode, you'll learn: What old school gambling culture really looked like — bookies, debts, and all How compulsive gambling escalates no matter the era or the format The role of Recovery Chat in Tony's journey and how peer connection supports sobriety What it feels like to unexpectedly cross paths with your past while in recovery How long-term recovery is built and protected over time [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!  

Brian, Jeff, and Sam DeMello, the Proprietor of Evive Sam joins us to talk about what's new with Evive, an app you can use to assist with your recovery from gambling harm. In This Episode... Who is Sam Recovery Chat What's New with Evive Check out Evive! Gambling Addiction YouTube Series The Bet Free Life Show Email [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!  

Brian & Jersey Joe Joe wrote some books about his gambling and recovery. In This Episode... Joe's Story Joe's Books- https://a.co/d/9pGTF3y - All Gamblers Suffer https://a.co/d/7VTGAWy - All Gamblers Continue to Suffer Brian's Website endgamblingharm.com Gambling Addiction Video Series The Bet Free Life Show Email [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us! Thank you to our sponsor - EPIC Global Solutions Music by T. Vance  

Most people wait months or years before they're ready to talk publicly about their gambling addiction. Dawn didn't wait. In one of the most raw and courageous episode, Brian sits down with Dawn, a woman who is just two days into her recovery from gambling addiction to have a conversation that most people wouldn't dream of having so soon. This is not a polished recovery story with a happy ending neatly tied up. This is recovery in real time unfiltered, uncertain, and extraordinarily brave. Dawn opens up about what gambling took from her, why she chose to share her story on a podcast at the most vulnerable moment of her life, and what these first 48 hours of recovery have actually felt like from the inside. In this episode What gambling addiction looked like in Dawn's life and what it ultimately cost her Why she made the remarkable decision to share her story just two days into recovery What the first 48 hours of gambling recovery actually feel like — the fear, the relief, the uncertainty How early sharing and accountability can become a powerful tool in recovery What Dawn's first steps toward healing have looked like and what she's holding onto [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!  

When someone in your family is addicted, the whole family suffers. Brian sits down with Christina, a sister whose brother's opioid addiction turned her world upside down. Christina opens up about the fear, the confusion, the exhaustion, and the grief that comes with loving someone who is deep in the grip of addiction, and how that experience rippled into every corner of her own life. She talks honestly about the impossible push and pull of wanting to help while unknowingly enabling, the moment she realized she needed to draw boundaries to protect herself, and what her own healing process has looked like, because affected family members need recovery too. In this episode What it really feels like to watch a sibling struggle with opioid addiction How a loved one's addiction affects the entire family system — emotionally, financially, and relationally The fine and painful line between helping someone and enabling their addiction How to set boundaries with a family member in active addiction without abandoning them Why affected family members often neglect their own mental health — and how Christina began to heal What support and resources exist for the families left navigating addiction from the outside [email protected] Please rate and review - It helps those still struggling to find us!

You don't lose a bet the moment you place it. You lose it the moment you give in to the craving. So what actually happens in that window and how do you survive it? In this episode, Brian sits down with DIn this episoder. Rory Reid, Research Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, one of the most respected gambling addiction researchers in the world. Dr. Reid holds a master's degree in social work and a doctorate in clinical psychology with a dual emphasis in neuropsychology and marriage and family therapy, completed his post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA, and has conducted additional research training at Harvard Medical School. His work has been featured in the New York Times, TIME magazine, and on ABC, CBS, and Fox News and today he's here to talk about cravings. This wide-ranging conversation goes far beyond gambling, touching on the surprising overlap between gambling and sex addiction, a cutting-edge treatment using magnets to rewire the brain, and what it's really like being a Canadian navigating the world's gambling capital of Las Vegas. The critical difference between a craving and an urge and why it matters for recovery Practical, research-backed strategies for coping with gambling cravings in the moment How environmental triggers set off compulsive gambling behavior and how to disarm them The surprising overlap between gambling addiction and sex addiction TMS Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation How magnets are being used to treat gambling disorder What one of the world's leading gambling researchers has learned from working with hundreds of patients [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!  

When a sitting United States Senator agrees to sit down with a gambling addiction podcast, you know the issue has reached a critical moment. In this landmark episode, Brian and Jeff are joined by US Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the most outspoken advocates in the United States Congress for gambling addiction reform, for a conversation that goes straight to the top of the political fight to protect problem gamblers in America. Senator Blumenthal has been sounding the alarm on the sports betting explosion for years. He is the author of two landmark pieces of legislation: the SAFE Bet Act, which would require sports betting companies to meet federal standards on marketing, affordability, and AI-driven targeting, and the GRIT Act, the first-ever federal funding stream dedicated to helping prevent, treat, and study gambling addiction in the United States. This is the Senator who has publicly called out FanDuel, DraftKings, MGM, Caesars, and ESPN Bet by name for exploiting problem gamblers. In this episode Why Senator Blumenthal calls sports betting one of the most severe public health problems in America today How sportsbooks use real-time data and AI to specifically target people losing money and drive them deeper into addiction What the SAFE Bet Act would do to crack down on predatory gambling marketing and advertising How the GRIT Act would create the first ever federal funding for gambling addiction treatment and research Why drugs, alcohol, & tobacco has federal funding, but gambling addiction does not and what Senator Blumenthal is doing to change that What it will take to get meaningful gambling protection legislation passed in Congress Show Email [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!  

Two of the most underreported crises in America share more in common than most people realize. In this eye-opening episode, Brian and Jeff sit down with Kristen Beall (LCSW-C, ICGC-I, CAC-AD) the Clinical Manager at the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling, to explore a topic that is rarely discussed but desperately needs to be: the dangerous intersection of gambling addiction and domestic violence. In this episode Who Kristen Beall is and why she dedicated her career to this intersection What domestic violence actually is — and why it extends far beyond physical abuse How gambling addiction and domestic violence intersect, including through economic abuse and financial control Why some people use gambling venues as a safe space to escape abusive home environments What resources exist for survivors navigating both gambling harm and domestic violence How clinicians and counselors can better identify and support people experiencing both issues simultaneously [email protected] Please Rate & Review- Helps those still struggling to find us!