Strangers in Recovery – Ep17 – Chris, part2
Chris from the UK, recovering alcoholic and compulsive gambler, Co-Host of All Bets Are Off Podcast and Trustee at Gambling Education Network is back with the second part of our discussion where he talks about his activities in recovery. He shares the journey about how he got into the podcasting field, how it allowed him to express himself and help others, and what are their plans for the future. He mentions other podcasts addressing gambling harm and talks about the Do It For Her movie that the Gambling Education Network commissioned.
We openly talk about details of gambling addiction, the various depth of it, and involved parties who suffer from its harm. His humble personality shines through in words, we can connect to his narrative and understand what helps him to be sober and bet-free these days through the various recovery activities where he’s involved.
His stories might resonate with many of us struggling with alcohol, gambling and mental health, looking for support, or feeling lost with all details of our own problems. You can follow him on Twitter @gillsy1002_, listen to the Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast called All Bets Are Off where he’s a Co-Host and the leading impact-focused UK charity Gambling Education Network dedicated to the prevention and reduction of gambling harm.
The first part of the discussion with Chris is at Strangers in Recovery episode 16!
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep16 – Chris, part1
Chris from the UK, recovering alcoholic and compulsive gambler, Co-Host of All Bets Are Off Podcast and Trustee at Gambling Education Network shares his experiences with drinking and gambling, brings us to the years when he has been addicted to both and the journey of how he found the way out of them by supporting tools such as honesty, connections, and fellowships like Alcoholics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous.
In the first part of this double episode, he shows moments of his life, how he built up his years in active addictions, and the moments that led him to utter surrender allowing him to start his recovery in 2017. He openly talks about details of his addictions, the various mental health issues, and the losses of his life. His humble personality shines through in words that are encouraging and relatable, we can connect to his narrative and understand what helps him to be sober and bet-free these days.
His stories might resonate with many of us struggling with alcohol, gambling and mental health, looking for support, or feeling lost with all details of our own problems. You can follow him on Twitter @gillsy1002_, listen to the Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast called All Bets Are Off where he’s a Co-Host and the leading impact-focused UK charity Gambling Education Network dedicated to the prevention and reduction of gambling harm.
The second part of the discussion with Chris is coming on 13 February!
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep12 – Bala with guests of 2021
Bala, the host of the show takes it over for an episode and invites you to listen to certain parts of his guests again and be with them for the last episode in 2021.
He shares about what he has learned in the last over 4 months since he hasn’t placed a bet and how he sees now his own recovery where the Strangers in Recovery podcast incorporates with its weekly guests. He established it as a format to talk safely, freely, and with full honesty which he brings now again from his own understanding.
The two poems have been published originally in Hungarian in Spanyolnátha art magazine at its latest edition: http://www.spanyolnatha.hu/uj-lapszam/szepiras/szemben-a-semmivel-nemvers-joga-definiciok-onmagamra-didergunk-a-vilagtalansagban-fonyeremeny/5500/
Now he presents two of them translated into English.
opposed to nothing
you order a drink
a spin
just a hit,
and dive into the last one.
you became a burnt tablecloth
after you pulled it by your own toes.
you have been left behind.
you were well educated
– as opposed to nothing –
now not even your own reflection is familiar anymore
myself, myself
later, you take a seat next to me
trace of coffee on the tablecloth
remembrance
jackpot
cards on doors scratched
screams pouring on woods
I let it in
it stops
cheerless island
by the pass of the morning
your hand of seconds
stems breaks off
same boat same place
in the mirror the third
cherry
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep10 – Keith, part2
Keith, the London-born and bred compulsive gambler brings us in the second part of his episode to his rehabilitation period and talks about his life in recovery.
In this second episode, he focuses on moments of his life in recovery, highlights that the consistency of attending meetings plays a key role, and helps him with identifications and realizations. He shares stories about asking for help, his struggles with asking his first sponsor to be his sponsor, difficulties of certain steps of GA/NA 12 steps programs, and various aspects of a recovering addict’s everyday life. His personality shines through his words that are relatable for all addicts at any stage of life, but in this episode, we focus mainly on challenges at recovering stage. For the first episode, please visit and give a listen to this episode.
He is currently addiction-free for over 7 years and regularly attends recovery meetings.
“At fellowships [Keith’s names Narcotics Anonymous, but it stands for most of the Anonymous fellowships], people come and share at meetings their experience, strength and hope for 20-25 minutes, and then people share back to them. So, wait until you hear somebody, similar to you, and then you’re inspired to be – when you hear their story, you think: wow, that’s where I’d like to get to! If you want to be cantankerous, miserable see-you-next-Tuesday then wait until you hear some miserable guy speaking and go ask him. I heard this guy, loved everything he said, and wanted what he had. And I went up to him, very embarrassed, I found it very hard to ask for help, and I kind of mumbled, do you think, maybe, you can kind of help me, whatever. And after me, going around the subject for 3-4 sentences, he asked me Are you asking me to be your sponsor? And I went: Yes. And he said: Ok, come outside and let’s have a coffee after this meeting.“
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep9 – Keith, part1
Keith, a London-born and bred compulsive gambler talks about his life, in a very detailed manner in the part1 episode where we can follow his journey through several major relapses, how he has gone through many businesses which were successful and then crashed, pointing him to the ultimate surrender which will be discussed at part2, next Sunday. His experiences with in-and-out of Gamblers Anonymous over decades and talking briefly about Narcotics Anonymous too shows an addict’s lifelong learning process that has several points which we can relate to and find ourselves in his shoes.
In the first episode, he focuses on moments of his life in active addictions, using a format of NA to tell his full truth which might sound intimidating. He mentions several points that will be discussed more in-depth in the second episode. His personality shines through his words that are relatable for all addicts at any stage of life (in active addiction, early recovery, in a severe relapse, back to recovery, and so on), we can easily connect to his narrative and understand how much it takes to be honest and show a full picture of addiction.
He is currently addiction-free for over 7 years and regularly attends recovery meetings.
“I kept believing in some way, that I can control it. I didn’t believe I was suffering from a sidious disease, which is incredibly patient, which will wait for as long as it needs to wait, and will as sometimes like light will go on, at the moment of weakness: this voice will tell you that you’re cured. Now I believe that I cannot be cured. My disease can be arrested. But, I will always have it. I was too arrogant. I went into meetings and by the end, asked myself: who are these people, why do I need to listen, what the f*ing hell they can tell me? I don’t need to hear their stuff anymore. I heard that, I got it, I will find another way. This is good for them, this is what these people need. And this attitude kept me in addiction. And I decided to bet again.”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep5 – Christina
Christina, a US-based recovering problem gambler talks about the years spent in casinos, how she started to realize she has a problem with gambling, and how she started her journey. The challenges that she’s faced with until she arrived at the realization that she can’t beat it alone and started her recovery in March 2021. She’s now a valued member of the recovery community, shares actively at several meetings and groups, hosts The Broke Girl Society podcast, and recently teamed up with Brian Hatch from All In: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast to co-host The Bet Free Life youtube show.
She shares moments of her life in recovery, how she handles them now by having tools to deal with that life brings. She’s humble about knowing that there are many roads that we, recovering addicts can follow and highlights that whatever works for an individual, is the right path to be in.
Her stories might resonate with many of us being compulsive gamblers, struggling with consequences from this addiction, and being early or already advanced in recovery. You can follow her on Twitter @BrokegirlCr and on Instagram @brokegirl.cr.
“I couldn’t commit to hanging out with friends, which is why I lost friendships, I couldn’t commit even to go and do a family barbeque – it was still hard to commit to these kinds of things. So rolling into recovery, it was extremely important to me to commit because at this point in recovery our actions have to be more than our words. Because our words mean nothing to anybody around us when you’ve been in addiction, you’ve lied, you’ve done all these things: our words mean nothing, it’s gonna be our actions, that are gonna prove to people that we are really working on ourselves, that we are really working to get to that next level. And it will show, through our actions what we’re doing. So it is extremely important to me: want to commit and to be there.”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep3 – Tiffany
Tiffany, a US-based recovering problem gambler and recovery advocate talks about her addiction, the challenges that she faces in her recovery, her passion for being an active member of the recovery community, and her roles in organizations helping compulsive gamblers. She’s a co-host of Gambling got the Girls podcast, where their goal is to bring awareness to the public about gambling addiction and how to seek help. She’s also a board member of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey for the second year.
She shares moments of her life when she was actively gambling and how she recognized that she has a problem with gambling. She’s open about unexpected challenges in her recovery journey that led her to experience anxiety and how she found Gamblers Anonymous and Higher Power the keys to keeping her on track.
Her stories might resonate with many of us being compulsive gamblers regardless of age, origin, or gender, struggling with mental health issues, and being early or already advanced in recovery. You can follow her on TikTok @tiffany_sherese, on Instagram @tiffany_sherese, and contact her podcast at gamblinggotthegirls@gmail.com or send your direct email to her at tsk4ga@gmail.com.
“I gambled recklessly. Because of the so many changes that happened, I couldn’t deal. I gambled a lot more, but the losses didn’t hurt me. Before and at the beginning of my addiction, I used to be mad and upset losing money, and I’ve been upset longer. It was just oh I bounce back like it’s nothing or just not feeling anything at all. And I think that’s important: the value of money. I had none at this point. I was just chasing that feeling of escape, the dopamine, and the big shot – in real life, I’m pretty conservative and relaxed, but in my addiction: I was all about it, I’m the boss, look at me. I got to the point where I started to lose the money that my parents had left me and started to feel really bad, and thought to myself, it’s the physical representation of them and I’m blowing it. That’s when I had the Higher Power moment in May 2019.”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.
Strangers in Recovery – Ep1 – Bala
Bala, the host of the show establishes his understanding of strangers and recovery by various quotes and goes into details of his gambling addiction and how he relapsed back in time. He talks about why he failed to stay abstinent and how he started his recovery on August 10, 2021.
He admits that it’s fearful to talk about his past and about his plans for the future. He presents Strangers is Recovery podcast as a format to talk safely, freely, and with full honesty.
“I have a tremendous amount of shame. But now I just want to talk about it. This shame will never go away. I will have to work with it. But I want to talk. And I want to listen.”
I appreciate you leaving your comments and thoughts on https://strangersinrecovery.club website. You can reach your host at bala@strangersinrecovery.club, follow him on twitter and instagram.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and stick with us until the next episodes! Listen to all episodes with care and empathy. We are here to show our best selves via stories from our worst periods. We are Strangers in Recovery.