Recovering gambling addict shares moment that made him realise he had a problem

Warning: This article contains discussion of gambling addiction which some readers may find distressing.

Addiction can take a horrific toll on a person's life, no matter what it is that they're suffering from.

Although TV shows such as My Strange Addiction can often make light of the strange things that some people find themselves addicted to, the signs of reliance on a substance, person or thing aren't always clear, and often when they do appear it can be too late.

There is a lot of talk about drug addiction in the media, particularly in the world of ketamine, which is more popular than ever among the younger demographic, despite the shocking health problems it can lead to.

But one thing which perhaps isn't discussed as much is gambling addiction, although the Premier League's recent voluntary ban on betting sponsors and logos suggests that it's coming more into the public eye.

We always hear about the big gambling wins but never the losses, and the reality is that the experts you might follow online are probably losing far more than they are winning.

Gambling addiction can come in many different forms (Getty Stock)

Now, Patrick Foster, former professional cricketer and recovering gambling addict has revealed the moment he realised he was addicted, having accrued around half a million pounds of gambling debt.

Speaking on LADbible's Honesty Box, he said: "I realised pretty quickly that my relationship with gambling was unhealthy. I guess I always thought I could just stop when I needed to, that I was strong enough to deal with it. The defining moment came in 2010 when I won and lost a life-changing sum of money. I won the best part of £35,000 in one night. I then lost that in a matter of weeks. From that moment onwards my relationship changed completely. As soon as the money was gone I wanted it back. I tried to win it back I then started to lose even more and reality to set in. It was at that point that gambling started to really completely consume me. Financially, emotionally, professionally, I was affected in every way you could imagine."

Patrick went on to suggest that it many ways, gambling is a 'drug' for competitive people who are obsessed with winning and losing and unfortunately for him, he would build up a huge debt of around half a million pounds at one point.

He explained the devastating impact it had on his finances, career, relationships and mental health, which eventually saw him rock bottom.

However, he was able to build himself back up again and founded Reclaim, a platform tackling harms linked to gambling, social media, video games, and trading apps.

Please gamble responsibly. For help, support and advice about problem gambling, contact the National Gambling Helpline anytime on 0808 8020 133