Final episode of our August run for The Gambling Harm Podcast
The fifth and final episode of The Gambling Harm Podcast’s August run is now live, with Scott Davies and Alan Smart reflecting on the effect that their actions had on those close to them.
‘The Effect On Loved Ones’ is the latest release from EPIC’s inaugural venture into the podcast scene and features two incredibly frank and honest contributors, who engage in healthy debate about the way they retrospectively see their problem gambling.
Among the various topics covered, the two EPIC employees deliberate over their personal experiences of gambling harm, how they affected those closest to them through their problem gambling, the process of re-building trust, why speaking to those closest to you can be the hardest thing to do, and why it feels strange being applauded for telling the story of their gambling addiction.
The pair take very interesting opposing stand points on whether they consider gambling harm to be an illness, with Davies tending to oppose the notion.
“My mum says to me all the time ‘Scott, you were ill’ and I don’t accept it, because I don’t see it as an illness,” he explained.
“I think every single person that I’ve ever come across in recovery calls it an illness, and I’m probably the only one that has a different opinion on it.
“People do have illnesses that they can’t shake off and can’t get rid of, and I think with gambling, I wasn’t ill, because I’ve got a choice and I can get out the other side of this.”
Smart, taking the more commonly held opinion on problem gambling, replied:
“I see it as a mental illness because I can tell you how mental it made me. My partner used to work at a contact centre and she used to have to take a pound every day for a locker.
“I remember was dipping her purse and taking the money out, day after day after day, and she would say to me ‘have you been in my purse?’.
“It was four or five days of this, and this is how sick I was at the time… I turned around and said to her ‘you need to go and see a doctor – you’re saying that there’s been money in your purse that went missing’.
“That is just being mentally sick. I’m not mentally sick now. I’m in recovery every day.
“I don’t think I’m mentally ill and I don’t think I’ve got an out and out illness today – I’m a ‘glass half full’ type of guy; I’m an optimist.”
To check in on this and the other nuanced discussion points of the episode, head to all the major podcast platforms now to tune in to The Gambling Harm Podcast…
• Spotify
• YouTube (video format)
Trigger warning: This episode includes a mentions of a suicide attempt.
If you’ve not yet listened through to the series in full, every episode remains available via the podcast providers above, with plans to release new episodes in the months ahead.
