Ep. 110 - The Geographic Cure: Why Moving Never Fixed My Gambling

Ep. 116 - He Turned Himself In | Paul Buck, EPIC Global Solutions (Part 2)

When we left Paul Buck, the real number had just come into focus, and the obvious question was: how did he get caught? He didn't.  In Part 2, Paul picks up at the night everything came apart, and the unlikely thing that finally made him stop after seventeen years: not a confrontation, not getting found out, but a newspaper article about a complete stranger. He's honest about the hardest day of his life, the conversations he had to have afterward, and what it actually takes to turn yourself in when no one is coming for you.  He also tells the story of EPIC Global Solutions, the company he founded to stop gambling harm before it starts. What began as one man's second chance now works in 38 countries.  Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide and mental health, which may be distressing for some listeners. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider seeking support. Help is available. In the U.S., you can contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 — available 24/7. For more information about Paul and EPIC: epicglobalsolutions.com If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone. Email me anytime at modernmeetingpod@gmail.com The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are.  Download Evive today or visit www.getevive.com

Ep. 115 - Every Day for 17 Years | Paul Buck, EPIC Global Solutions (Part 1)

Before founding one of the world's leading gambling harm prevention consultancies, Paul Buck placed his first bet in October 1994. It was a £10 each-way on a 33-to-1 horse, chosen for no reason other than the jockey wearing his football team's blue and white. He walked up to the window thinking it was a mug's game. The horse won. And for the next 17 years, not a day went by that he didn't gamble. In Part 1 of this conversation, Paul takes us from that bookie's shop in Leeds through a decade he kept completely hidden — a high-performing finance career, a wife and three kids, and a third world nobody around him could see. His wife lived with him for ten years without knowing. For three of those years, she thought he was having an affair, because there was no other explanation that made sense. For more information about Paul and EPIC: epicglobalsolutions.com If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone. Email me anytime at modernmeetingpod@gmail.com The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are.  Download Evive today or visit www.getevive.com

Ep. 114 - Going Back to Springfield, Six Years Later

I went back to Springfield, MA for the first time in over six years. I went for a conference, and I ended up walking through the casino for the first time since I entered recovery. In this episode I break down the top five things I noticed walking through MGM Springfield as a compulsive gambler in recovery — the dead-eyed slot machine players, the guys with a hop in their step, the craps tables packed to the railing, and the woman who hit $1,800 and couldn't have cared less. I also get into what happened on the way out — five beers in, casino all around me — and what that told me about my own overconfidence in recovery. I also have something to say about what MGM Springfield put in their employee break room next to a zero-fee ATM. I promised myself I'd stay calm about it. If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone. Email me anytime at modernmeetingpod@gmail.com The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are.  Download Evive today or visit www.getevive.com

Ep. 113 - Bookmaking in The Berkshires with Brian Dolan

Brian Dolan grew up in The Berkshires, won $500 in a March Madness pool in fourth grade, and spent the next 15 years chasing that feeling. By his freshman year of college he was dealing drugs to cover gambling debts. By his mid-20s he had $80,000 cash in a shoebox from a "hot streak," and lost it all, plus more, within months. Three treatment centers. Multiple relapses. A night he thought about jumping off a bridge. And then, five years to the day before Adam's own sobriety date, Brian surrendered. He's now a master's level counselor, recovery coach, and board member of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling — with nine years away from a bet and a practice built entirely around helping others find their way out. Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide and mental health, which may be distressing for some listeners. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider seeking support. Help is available. In the U.S., you can contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 — available 24/7. For more information on Brian:  www.briandolancounseling.com Brian Dolan MHC, CRC | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-dolan-mhc-crc-4330854b/] If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone. Email me anytime at modernmeetingpod@gmail.com The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are.  Download Evive today or visit www.getevive.com

Ep. 112 - We Cannot Do This Alone | Gambling Recovery in Real Time

I still have zero urge to gamble, but in the last few months I went from one meeting a week to four. And it's been awesome. This week I share not just what I've been learning in those rooms, but what I've been contributing — including a different way to look at ego in recovery, how to navigate the early days, and how one person's energy can completely change the course of a meeting. I also took a break mid-record to take a phone call from someone who slipped as they were closing in on a milestone.  If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone. Email me anytime at modernmeetingpod@gmail.com The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are.  Download Evive today or visit www.getevive.com