WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.060 You know, these platforms use the same psychological 00:00:02.060 --> 00:00:06.059 tactics and triggers as gambling apps and casinos 00:00:06.059 --> 00:00:07.839 do. You know, for a lot of people, it's just 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:09.859 not a hobby anymore. It's become a high -speed 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:13.099 cycle of chasing, spending, justifying, and regretting. 00:00:13.140 --> 00:00:14.960 I had all these cards and all of these sneakers, 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:17.980 too. For some sick reason, I felt like I had 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:20.100 earned those. To get from Jersey City to Staten 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.420 Island and back on a Friday night, I had lost, 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:26.440 like, $10 ,000. It's... disgusting to think back. 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.559 Today's podcast guest is Alyx Effron, and he shares 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:31.839 his story of gambling addiction, but also specifically 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:34.079 his story of getting addicted to collecting, 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:36.679 whether that be trading cards or other things. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:38.899 But before we dive into his story, I have just 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:41.780 one favor to ask from you. There's so many of 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:43.979 you that watch this channel regularly, but aren't 00:00:43.979 --> 00:00:46.200 yet subscribed. If you would do me the honor 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.539 of hitting that subscribe button, then my promise 00:00:48.539 --> 00:00:50.359 to you is that I'm going to continue to work 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:52.539 hard each and every day to spread the message 00:00:52.539 --> 00:00:55.390 that gambling addiction is real. You ended up 00:00:55.390 --> 00:00:57.310 with a gambling addiction, a gambling problem. 00:00:57.469 --> 00:00:59.710 Do you want to tell us kind of how it reached 00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:06.189 that point? Yeah, absolutely. So I'm 35. I have 00:01:06.189 --> 00:01:10.569 been a sports fan my entire life, and gambling 00:01:10.569 --> 00:01:14.530 has become mainstream, right? So we see it everywhere. 00:01:14.730 --> 00:01:19.510 It's sort of baked into our day -to -day, our 00:01:19.510 --> 00:01:23.019 lifestyles, especially as sports fans. casino 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:25.980 and sportsbooks ads everywhere you go. Friends 00:01:25.980 --> 00:01:29.219 talking about it. Fellow fans talking about it. 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.239 You even hear it in the workplace. And it's just 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:35.879 become more and more popular and mainstream. 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:39.840 And so probably date back to, I don't know, 2016, 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:44.459 2017, when apps like DraftKings and FanDuel started 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:50.969 to become more popular amongst... sports fans, 00:01:51.189 --> 00:01:55.829 I was kind of dipping my toe and just exploring 00:01:55.829 --> 00:02:00.290 what it was like to place a bet on a game. I 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:02.930 enjoyed it. It made watching the game that much 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:04.849 more exciting when you had some stake in it. 00:02:05.530 --> 00:02:09.069 And so what started as something that was really 00:02:09.069 --> 00:02:13.169 lighthearted and not that serious started to 00:02:13.169 --> 00:02:15.889 spiral. I've been a collector my whole life. 00:02:16.250 --> 00:02:19.389 I collect sneakers, sports cards, memorabilia, 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:23.530 you name it. I've been involved in it in some 00:02:23.530 --> 00:02:28.590 capacity. And so that paired with the option 00:02:28.590 --> 00:02:32.150 of being able to make money through, you know, 00:02:32.169 --> 00:02:35.650 basically your knowledge in sports, just it was 00:02:35.650 --> 00:02:39.580 very attractive to me. something I got heavily 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:42.300 involved in. And as time went on, I got more 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:45.539 and more sucked in and, you know, was making 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:48.319 money from bets and then taking that money and 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:50.780 spending it on a pair of sneakers or a box of 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:54.080 sports cards. And this sort of vicious cycle 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:59.180 started to really spiral. And, you know, fast 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:02.680 forward to the pandemic, I got really involved 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:06.479 in the sports card hobby and community. I started 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.610 breaking. If you're not familiar with breaking, 00:03:09.849 --> 00:03:14.169 it's this concept of community opening up a box 00:03:14.169 --> 00:03:16.169 of cards so that everybody can get a little piece. 00:03:16.449 --> 00:03:20.990 The prices of a box of cards is absolutely astronomical 00:03:20.990 --> 00:03:23.669 compared to what it used to be. And so in order 00:03:23.669 --> 00:03:27.550 to be involved, in order to maybe hit a card 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:30.310 that you're looking for, you can participate 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:33.800 in. Again, what's called a card break where you're 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:37.819 assigned a specific team or a player or a parallel 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:43.759 or something of that nature where you could obtain 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:47.620 one of or a handful of cards from a box amongst 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:50.580 other people that are also participating. And 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:54.740 so I was introduced to that. I was actually breaking. 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:57.699 I was on the breaking side and I got. really 00:03:57.699 --> 00:04:00.800 into it, you know, really enjoyed the whole experience 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.099 and the community and meeting new people and, 00:04:03.139 --> 00:04:07.800 you know, being involved with, you know, an experience 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:09.979 that was rooted in nostalgia, something that 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:13.319 I enjoyed as a kid, grew up in the 90s. So, of 00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:15.599 course, you know, sports cards and Pokemon and 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:17.660 things of that nature were always really, really 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:23.680 exciting for me. And so, you know, it just kind 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:27.930 of became more and more. of an addiction over 00:04:27.930 --> 00:04:31.129 a relatively short period of time. And fast forward 00:04:31.129 --> 00:04:33.509 a year, year and a half, I was spending so much 00:04:33.509 --> 00:04:37.649 money on cards and breaks and the chase, the 00:04:37.649 --> 00:04:39.970 dopamine rush, which is ultimately what I was 00:04:39.970 --> 00:04:42.870 subconsciously after. And so that paired with 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:46.370 the gambling, I started to play blackjack, specifically 00:04:46.370 --> 00:04:50.629 live blackjack, live casinos within apps on your 00:04:50.629 --> 00:04:53.430 phone. And again, it was this vicious cycle where 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:56.639 I needed that immediate fix. I needed that you 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.660 know that that quick hit uh and i would join 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:02.399 a break you know these breaks again astronomical 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:04.660 you can join high -end breaks that cost thousands 00:05:04.660 --> 00:05:08.560 of dollars i'd be after you know a card and whether 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.779 or not i hit or not i still wanted to recoup 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:14.699 the money so i would hop on the blackjack and 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:18.139 uh try to win it back and uh at one point i thought 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:20.730 i was this you know expert blackjack player and 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:24.009 um it just it got ugly really really quickly 00:05:24.009 --> 00:05:26.490 uh you know i found myself going down a very 00:05:26.490 --> 00:05:28.810 dark path it was a very slippery slope obviously 00:05:28.810 --> 00:05:31.189 there are ebbs and flows to addiction and there 00:05:31.189 --> 00:05:33.430 were times where i was up a lot of money there 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:35.689 were other times where i was down a lot of money 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:38.629 and i felt like i had hit rock bottom and so 00:05:38.629 --> 00:05:41.329 there were a few instances in particular that 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:44.730 i can recall that led me to acknowledging that 00:05:44.730 --> 00:05:47.050 i had a problem and so i started to go to gamblers 00:05:47.050 --> 00:05:50.839 anonymous meetings I also sought outpatient treatment 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:54.100 through a recovery program that I know you know 00:05:54.100 --> 00:05:57.040 very well, Right Choice Recovery, led by Rob 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:01.019 Sackowitz. I did that for several months, along 00:06:01.019 --> 00:06:04.800 with the Gamblers Anonymous meetings. I attended 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:08.300 therapy. I had a psychiatrist, therapist, all 00:06:08.300 --> 00:06:11.399 these things to try to rewire my brain and figure 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:14.069 out the root cause of all of this. A huge part 00:06:14.069 --> 00:06:17.089 of the problem for me was that it wasn't necessarily 00:06:17.089 --> 00:06:19.750 the gambling that I was addicted to. It was really 00:06:19.750 --> 00:06:23.470 just the chase. I just, you know, had this inherent 00:06:23.470 --> 00:06:28.430 desire to obtain something that was hard to obtain. 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:33.459 uh hard to sort of articulate but um it was always 00:06:33.459 --> 00:06:36.139 about like the exclusive pair of sneakers or 00:06:36.139 --> 00:06:38.579 that card that everybody's talking about whether 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:40.980 it be an athlete like cooper flag or caitlin 00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:43.220 clark or victor webbing yama that's like really 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:47.120 uh hyped and everybody's excited about you know 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:49.319 i always wanted to sort of be at the center of 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.980 that conversation and be involved in some capacity 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:54.800 and so there's a lot of fomo sort of baked into 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.720 this and the hype and the Again, the dopamine 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:00.740 and the chase, the rush, all of these things 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:04.120 like, you know, just made my brain go nuts. And 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:09.720 that's what led me to, you know, the place I'm 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.220 in today, which is a recovering gambling addict. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:17.399 And ultimately led me to found a mission based 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:20.040 platform called Collectors MD. And that's what 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:22.569 I'm excited to talk about today with you. just 00:07:22.569 --> 00:07:24.230 before we dive into what collectors md is all 00:07:24.230 --> 00:07:26.529 about you had mentioned that there was a couple 00:07:26.529 --> 00:07:28.810 of instances that you can remember that really 00:07:28.810 --> 00:07:32.110 got you to wake up and pursue recovery would 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:33.850 you be comfortable sharing one of them just to 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:35.410 kind of illustrate it for the audience like what 00:07:35.410 --> 00:07:38.009 was it that got you to realize that this chase 00:07:38.009 --> 00:07:40.990 for the big hit this chase for the next rare 00:07:40.990 --> 00:07:43.850 item was actually leading you down a bad path 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:46.930 yeah absolutely so i would say in the first couple 00:07:46.930 --> 00:07:50.420 of years uh of of being involved with the sports 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:53.680 cards and really really just kind of spiraling 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:56.259 with the blackjack and the and the gambling um 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:00.800 i was spending an extremely high volume on the 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:03.860 sports cards to the point where i had these cases 00:08:03.860 --> 00:08:07.339 filled to the brim of just high -end cards i'm 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:09.660 not talking about just base cards i'm talking 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:13.839 about autographs one of ones just ultra -modern 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:16.500 high -end cards that were each individually worth 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:19.519 a ton of money and so in order to obtain them 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.300 i was you know not just working my full -time 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:25.019 job which you know all in all was pretty successful 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:27.920 in but i was also gambling so i could earn this 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.480 sort of uh additional disposable income that 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:33.240 i can then spend on on the cards and so um i 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:35.279 was doing pretty well for for quite some time 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:37.539 at one point you know i know we always talk about 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:40.240 that the amount of money is is relative everybody's 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:43.080 situation is unique and so a hundred thousand 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:46.379 dollars to one person uh might not be the same 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:49.620 to another right uh but at one point i was i 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:52.700 was up six figures just from gambling and was 00:08:52.700 --> 00:08:54.779 collecting and was enjoying myself and was just 00:08:54.779 --> 00:08:57.240 sort of living life in the flat fast lane this 00:08:57.240 --> 00:08:59.899 was actually the summer of 2022 right before 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:03.059 i got married i got married in november of 2022 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:06.059 and so that summer i was just cruising i was 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:08.950 winning I was buying whatever I wanted and it 00:09:08.950 --> 00:09:11.210 was great. I was enjoying myself. And so fast 00:09:11.210 --> 00:09:12.629 forward to the end of that summer, I would say 00:09:12.629 --> 00:09:15.830 around September, I started to hit a wall and 00:09:15.830 --> 00:09:19.429 I would lose quite a bit, you know, that those 00:09:19.429 --> 00:09:22.309 losses started to really accumulate. And I ended 00:09:22.309 --> 00:09:24.590 up losing everything I had won that summer and 00:09:24.590 --> 00:09:26.850 then some, and I started to spend money that 00:09:26.850 --> 00:09:29.370 I couldn't afford to spend. I had been saving 00:09:29.370 --> 00:09:31.710 up for my wedding. You know, I had my portion 00:09:31.710 --> 00:09:33.929 to contribute and I started to dip into that. 00:09:34.049 --> 00:09:36.659 It got to a point where. All of the money I had 00:09:36.659 --> 00:09:40.240 saved for this wedding was depleted. And the 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:43.860 wedding was like a month away. And I was at a 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:46.720 loss. I was just beside myself. I didn't know 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:48.059 what to do. I didn't know how to handle it. And 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:50.940 so I went to my parents and explained to them 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:52.679 the situation. This was the first time I had 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:54.659 ever admitted to them that I had a gambling problem. 00:09:55.019 --> 00:09:57.559 I was afraid to talk to my wife about it. I was 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:00.320 afraid to acknowledge that I had a problem and 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.250 that we were... in a dark place and my parents 00:10:03.250 --> 00:10:04.850 basically told me they were like look you know 00:10:04.850 --> 00:10:08.309 uh we'll help you but you also have to figure 00:10:08.309 --> 00:10:11.870 out a solution here and so they were they were 00:10:11.870 --> 00:10:13.669 getting ready to like pull from their retirement 00:10:13.669 --> 00:10:16.009 savings and make sure that this wedding happened 00:10:16.009 --> 00:10:17.490 because there was a lot on the line we had a 00:10:17.490 --> 00:10:20.470 lot of guests coming and um they obviously you 00:10:20.470 --> 00:10:22.610 know wanted to help as much as they could my 00:10:22.610 --> 00:10:25.669 in -laws were already helping more than i could 00:10:25.669 --> 00:10:28.850 ever have asked i mean they were basically covering 00:10:28.850 --> 00:10:31.750 the majority of the funds for the wedding the 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.250 cost of the wedding and so um i couldn't bring 00:10:34.250 --> 00:10:36.190 myself to go to them and so i asked my parents 00:10:36.190 --> 00:10:38.690 to sort of cover what i had owed you know it 00:10:38.690 --> 00:10:41.250 was a rock bottom moment i just felt so pathetic 00:10:41.250 --> 00:10:45.029 i felt like a loser i felt like you know a failure 00:10:45.029 --> 00:10:48.429 and so um i had all these cards and all these 00:10:48.429 --> 00:10:51.870 sneakers too and like it didn't sort of dawn 00:10:51.870 --> 00:10:54.169 on me that i could just go ahead and sell those 00:10:54.169 --> 00:10:56.029 in order to recoup a lot of my losses because 00:10:56.029 --> 00:10:59.309 for some sick reason i felt like i had earned 00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:01.840 those and those were mine and i could never touch 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:04.279 them right because they were like my my tangible 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:07.740 investments of sorts for like my alternate assets 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:10.620 and i also had like you know i think a subconscious 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:12.879 attachment to them and so it was really really 00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:15.259 hard for me to let go of those and so after speaking 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:17.700 with my parents i think uh something sort of 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:19.779 sparked and i realized i can't make my parents 00:11:19.779 --> 00:11:21.940 touch their retirement funds i need to sell some 00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:26.299 cards and so i ended up finding uh a buyer who 00:11:26.299 --> 00:11:29.460 was willing to uh take a large portion of my 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:32.759 collection in bulk and and pay me a nice chunk 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:36.840 of change these folks came to my apartment building 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:40.279 assessed my collection basically appraised it 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:42.539 which was really hard to do because i had a lot 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:45.240 of cards and one of the challenges i felt was 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:46.779 going to be having to sell each card individually 00:11:46.779 --> 00:11:50.879 but when you can find a bulk buyer you know changes 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:55.289 uh circumstances and so I remember vividly them 00:11:55.289 --> 00:11:57.429 coming over that Friday night. I was so nervous. 00:11:57.490 --> 00:12:01.190 I didn't know how that whole process would go. 00:12:01.269 --> 00:12:03.529 It was my first time making like a major deal 00:12:03.529 --> 00:12:07.149 like that. And so they came by and assessed the 00:12:07.149 --> 00:12:09.129 collection. It was a Friday night. They were 00:12:09.129 --> 00:12:11.769 like, well, you know, we have a show this weekend. 00:12:11.870 --> 00:12:13.309 They basically, their plan was to take those 00:12:13.309 --> 00:12:17.639 cards and run them in a. a live show on an app 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.200 called Whatnot to basically sell them as repacks 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:22.379 and so they were like you know we need to bring 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:24.740 the cards back to you know our office so that 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:27.279 we can get the show started but we can't pay 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:29.600 you in full until next week and so they ended 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:33.559 up uh going back to their office or home or wherever 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:35.820 they came from in staten island i was in jersey 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:38.580 city at the time uh to go get some some cash 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:41.470 they gave me some collateral to hold on to And 00:12:41.470 --> 00:12:44.409 they brought back the cash. And all in the meanwhile, 00:12:44.549 --> 00:12:47.950 I'm sitting there nervously playing live blackjack 00:12:47.950 --> 00:12:50.389 because that's what I did. I'm telling myself, 00:12:50.490 --> 00:12:52.250 oh, yeah, I just made back this chunk of change. 00:12:52.470 --> 00:12:54.490 It was like basically everything I lost and then 00:12:54.490 --> 00:12:57.570 some. I can afford to play blackjack right now. 00:12:57.690 --> 00:13:01.090 Wow. That's right before the wedding. Right before 00:13:01.090 --> 00:13:04.049 the wedding. While these guys are going to fetch 00:13:04.049 --> 00:13:06.070 the cash for me, I'm sitting there on my phone 00:13:06.070 --> 00:13:09.240 playing blackjack. Before they could get back, 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:10.840 which, you know, took about an hour, hour and 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:13.179 a half to get from Jersey City to Staten Island 00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:15.799 and back on a Friday night, I had lost like 10 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:19.139 grand playing blackjack. And it's just, it's 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:22.779 disgusting to think back that, you know, that's 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:27.379 how my mind worked. It just worked in such disillusioned, 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:30.899 insidious ways that didn't make sense. I had 00:13:30.899 --> 00:13:33.139 a problem, a real addiction. Fast forward to 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:36.549 the wedding. It happened. I took care of it and 00:13:36.549 --> 00:13:40.850 I was still gambling, making money back. And, 00:13:40.970 --> 00:13:44.269 you know, we went on our little mini moon and 00:13:44.269 --> 00:13:46.789 had a great time and I came back and I think 00:13:46.789 --> 00:13:49.110 it was the weekend after where at this point 00:13:49.110 --> 00:13:52.509 we had received a lot of money as gifts right 00:13:52.509 --> 00:13:55.169 from the wedding. And I had that set aside in 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:57.409 the same account and I was gambling again and 00:13:57.409 --> 00:14:02.269 I ended up. touching that i something that i 00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:03.929 never thought a million years i would do but 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:08.429 in that sort of crisis mode when you're on tilt 00:14:08.429 --> 00:14:11.129 losing money at a rapid pace your mind doesn't 00:14:11.129 --> 00:14:14.649 work as it should and i started to take money 00:14:14.649 --> 00:14:17.330 out of that account and before i knew it you 00:14:17.330 --> 00:14:20.990 know the most of it was gambled away and at that 00:14:20.990 --> 00:14:24.590 point it was like i gotta do something here this 00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:28.539 is not okay And I went to my in -laws and had 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:30.460 a really hard conversation with them about everything 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.740 I had been doing. Obviously, I had, you know, 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:36.519 basically come clean to my wife and she obviously 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:38.980 wasn't happy. We were married all of a month. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.879 And at that point, you know, my father -in -law 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.759 was willing to basically float me some money 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.740 to bail me out of this situation that I got myself 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:51.799 in. And I had agreed with. them and my family 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:53.440 that I would start going to Gamblers Anonymous 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.960 meetings. This was in December of 2022. And so 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:00.940 I found a room in Jersey City, started attending 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:03.399 on a weekly basis, but just really wasn't taking 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:06.299 it seriously. I was still gambling. I was still 00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:09.000 buying the cards. I was still actively, you know, 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.820 just seeking that chase, that high. And it really 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:16.730 didn't. Last very long I was winning winning 00:15:16.730 --> 00:15:19.409 winning and then boom April came and I hit another 00:15:19.409 --> 00:15:21.769 wall and lost a whole ton of money in a very 00:15:21.769 --> 00:15:24.950 short stint and This was this was the worst one 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:29.509 yet. And I remember my wife was away on a Bachelorette 00:15:29.509 --> 00:15:32.570 trip for one of her closest friends and I had 00:15:32.570 --> 00:15:36.200 lost the most money I'd ever lost in like a 48 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:39.120 hour window and uh i thought it was all over 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.679 i really did i didn't know what to do with myself 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:45.879 i called my dad just in like an absolute state 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:48.220 of disarray and told him what i had happened 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:50.600 he came and picked me up from my apartment i 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:52.600 went to my parents house that weekend i was just 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:55.360 paralyzed i remember being paralyzed all weekend 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:57.299 i didn't know what to do i didn't know how to 00:15:57.299 --> 00:16:00.259 operate and uh i knew my wife was going to come 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:03.769 back that monday and you know Frankly, I was 00:16:03.769 --> 00:16:06.370 going to have to tell her everything and come 00:16:06.370 --> 00:16:09.269 clean again. And that was the first time that 00:16:09.269 --> 00:16:12.409 I self -excluded. I self -excluded from the gambling 00:16:12.409 --> 00:16:15.230 and from the apps. I couldn't access them anymore. 00:16:16.470 --> 00:16:19.870 And that's when I pursued Right Choice. And so 00:16:19.870 --> 00:16:22.350 I started to go to those meetings in addition 00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:25.009 to the GA. And things started to improve. But, 00:16:25.009 --> 00:16:28.110 you know, obviously, the road to recovery. It 00:16:28.110 --> 00:16:30.210 doesn't end. And there were a lot of ups and 00:16:30.210 --> 00:16:33.029 downs between now and then. But those were the 00:16:33.029 --> 00:16:35.570 three moments I would say right before the wedding, 00:16:35.690 --> 00:16:37.850 right after the wedding. And then in April of 00:16:37.850 --> 00:16:43.309 2023, that really, really were probably the toughest 00:16:43.309 --> 00:16:45.629 times for me in my journey. Struggling with an 00:16:45.629 --> 00:16:47.809 addiction can make you feel like you're all alone. 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.419 But trust me, it doesn't have to be that way. 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:52.799 At Right Choice Recovery, a family -owned and 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.320 operated treatment center in New Jersey, we are 00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:57.259 here for you. And we're dedicated to helping 00:16:57.259 --> 00:16:59.740 you break free from addiction and change your 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:01.340 life for the better. Whether you're struggling 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:03.960 with substances or a gambling addiction, this 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:06.619 is the spot for you. With personalized care, 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.579 real support, and a team that understands exactly 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:11.500 what you're going through, we're here to walk 00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:13.779 with you on your journey to recovery. Because 00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:17.119 recovery is possible. And it all starts with 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:19.359 the right choice. Check the description of this 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:21.900 video today for more information. Yeah, I think 00:17:21.900 --> 00:17:24.779 that the story that you tell resembles the experience 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:28.480 of the gambling addict. And it's one that I went 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:30.759 through similar types of experiences, as have 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:32.400 many of the people that are probably listening 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.720 to this. What's unique about your story is the 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:38.180 way that you continue collecting throughout. 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.339 And even to this day, you still continue to collect, 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.539 but it's in kind of a different format maybe 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:46.349 than it was back then. Could you talk to the 00:17:46.349 --> 00:17:49.289 similarities between collecting and traditional 00:17:49.289 --> 00:17:52.329 forms of gambling and maybe also the differences? 00:17:53.089 --> 00:17:55.349 Absolutely. So when people ask how are sports 00:17:55.349 --> 00:17:58.470 cards or trading cards like gambling, it's totally 00:17:58.470 --> 00:18:00.930 a valid question, especially if you haven't been 00:18:00.930 --> 00:18:03.720 immersed in the modern hobby. right by the way 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:07.180 we call this sports card hobby the hobby uh but 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:09.380 once you peel back the layers the overlap becomes 00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:11.519 pretty clear so let's start with breaking and 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:13.440 i brought that up before which is one of the 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:15.960 most popular formats in the hobby today so in 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:18.259 a typical break you pay money up front for a 00:18:18.259 --> 00:18:20.099 randomized chance to get cards from a sealed 00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:23.359 box or case okay you don't know what team you'll 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.539 get or what players uh or cards are inside and 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:29.779 the vast majority of participants walk away with 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:33.000 cards that are far worth far less than what they 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:35.299 actually paid and so that's almost identical 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:37.240 to like buying a lottery ticket or playing a 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:39.700 slot machine right you're chasing a hit that 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:41.640 one big card that might make it all worth it 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:44.200 but just like in gambling the odds are stacked 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:46.839 up against you even more so actually you know 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:48.460 whereas like when you sit down to play blackjack 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:50.500 there's generally a 50 50 chance that you're 00:18:50.500 --> 00:18:52.279 gonna either double your money or lose all your 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:55.160 money but in this case uh the the odds are stacked 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:57.799 up against you even more so and the house the 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:01.140 breaker or the platform always wins 100 of the 00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:04.930 time Then you've got things like fillers, razzes, 00:19:04.930 --> 00:19:09.390 and minis and micros, they call them, which are 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:12.089 just more layers of gambling. You might pay $10 00:19:12.089 --> 00:19:14.509 for a one in 10 chance at getting into a break. 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:17.970 That itself is a gamble, right? It's a gamble 00:19:17.970 --> 00:19:20.789 within a gamble. It's just risk layered on risk. 00:19:20.970 --> 00:19:23.170 And the mechanics are designed to keep you hooked. 00:19:23.660 --> 00:19:25.599 There are things all across these platforms like 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:28.420 Whatnot, Fanatics Live, Loupe, eBay Live, even 00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:31.660 on Instagram and TikTok and Facebook, YouTube, 00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:33.960 other platforms where people are opening the 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:36.799 cards. But they have things like countdowns, 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:40.539 spinning wheels, randomizers. These are all dopamine 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:43.700 triggers. You know, there are things like hit 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:46.759 bells and flashing animations and deck of cards 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:49.000 where you're basically asking the breaker, which 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.500 is essentially the dealer, to pull a card out 00:19:51.500 --> 00:19:53.500 of the deck and that'll be your assigned team. 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:56.279 So even the language in the hobby mirrors gambling. 00:19:56.359 --> 00:20:00.359 You have hit and chase and rip. and jackpot and 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.480 skunked and it's not subtle at all you know there's 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.180 the psychological loop as well which is the tilt 00:20:06.180 --> 00:20:09.359 uh the sunk cost uh fallacy the just one more 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.180 mentality so you spend more trying to win back 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:15.160 what you've lost or to justify previous losses 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:17.779 so in that in that case it's it's really no different 00:20:17.779 --> 00:20:20.000 from what we see in casinos or online sports 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:22.539 betting and the scariest part of it all is that 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:25.940 you know it's being marketed as a childhood hobby 00:20:26.410 --> 00:20:29.109 you know wrapped in nostalgia and pushed heavily 00:20:29.109 --> 00:20:31.569 to younger audiences and this next generation 00:20:31.569 --> 00:20:34.809 of collectors but again make no mistake these 00:20:34.809 --> 00:20:37.950 are gambling like mechanics and for people like 00:20:37.950 --> 00:20:40.589 myself who are vulnerable to addiction it can 00:20:40.589 --> 00:20:44.809 spiral fast so that's what led me to this movement 00:20:44.809 --> 00:20:47.730 called Collectors MD uh you know ultimately it's 00:20:47.730 --> 00:20:50.410 really to call out raise awareness and help people 00:20:50.410 --> 00:20:53.299 navigate it and navigate their collecting journey, 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:56.279 their hobby with intention, support, and honesty. 00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:01.079 Yeah, I think it's very needed, especially hearing 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:04.619 this idea about younger audiences. Because we 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:06.700 know that younger people, like people that shouldn't 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:08.839 be gambling, are gambling, right? They're getting 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:11.200 their accounts from their families. They're using 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:13.359 VPNs. There's a plethora of ways that people 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:16.900 are gambling. Sure. But when it comes to cards... 00:21:17.569 --> 00:21:20.069 Is there even a minimum age? I mean, there might 00:21:20.069 --> 00:21:22.829 be a recommended age of, I don't know, 12, but 00:21:22.829 --> 00:21:25.369 there's no minimum, right? There are no age gates, 00:21:25.450 --> 00:21:27.970 and that's the biggest problem that we see in 00:21:27.970 --> 00:21:31.230 the hobby today. Anyone, including a 10 -year 00:21:31.230 --> 00:21:33.950 -old or 12 -year -old, can download an app on 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:36.910 their phone, their parent's phone, link a credit 00:21:36.910 --> 00:21:40.190 card, sign up for an account, and buy and sell 00:21:40.190 --> 00:21:45.009 cards and boxes on their own. We see it all the 00:21:45.009 --> 00:21:46.990 time. We see these clips, these highlights of 00:21:46.990 --> 00:21:52.670 people, their kids, you know, on these apps. 00:21:52.849 --> 00:21:56.069 They shouldn't be, but they are. And they're 00:21:56.069 --> 00:21:59.789 buying just as much as adults are. I mean, there 00:21:59.789 --> 00:22:03.569 are also these in -person card shows that happen. 00:22:03.710 --> 00:22:05.630 Actually, this week is the biggest one of the 00:22:05.630 --> 00:22:09.309 year. It's called the National in Chicago. And 00:22:09.309 --> 00:22:12.589 you see these. These young kids, again, I'm talking 00:22:12.589 --> 00:22:15.150 about like nine, 10, 11, 12 year olds walking 00:22:15.150 --> 00:22:18.549 the showroom floors with tens of thousands of 00:22:18.549 --> 00:22:21.789 dollars worth of cards, wheeling and dealing 00:22:21.789 --> 00:22:26.269 them to adult distributors and traders like these 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:28.890 people are buying and selling cards full time. 00:22:29.009 --> 00:22:31.970 You see these kids interacting with them and 00:22:31.970 --> 00:22:34.769 transacting with them as if they're, you know, 00:22:34.809 --> 00:22:39.380 right, right at that same. playing field as the 00:22:39.380 --> 00:22:41.859 adults. It's crazy. I mean, a lot of them, I 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:44.779 have to hand it to them, are savvy and know their 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:47.880 way around a business conversation or transaction. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.759 And I think in some ways, maybe it's beneficial 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:53.460 that kids are learning how to transact, how to 00:22:53.460 --> 00:22:55.920 do business at a younger age, but there are just 00:22:55.920 --> 00:23:01.420 too many sort of slippery slopes within this 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:05.519 hobby, layers within layers, that are just too 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:08.559 dangerous, not just for adults, but especially 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.000 for kids. And there's no sense of education. 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:14.779 The parents don't get it. They don't understand 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:16.940 what's going on behind the scenes. They just 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:20.680 sort of see their kid, you know, opening Pokemon 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:23.019 cards or sports cards as any other kid would, 00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:26.160 but they're not truly wrapping their heads around 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:28.960 the fact that there are all of these gambling 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:31.940 like mechanics that are tied to it. And on top 00:23:31.940 --> 00:23:34.720 of that, they're vulnerable. They're impressionable. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:38.950 And these platforms and manufacturers, unapologetically 00:23:38.950 --> 00:23:42.009 target these young kids. They don't care that 00:23:42.009 --> 00:23:44.650 these kids shouldn't be participating in these 00:23:44.650 --> 00:23:47.269 sort of activities. They just want the money 00:23:47.269 --> 00:23:49.170 at the end of the day. And it doesn't matter 00:23:49.170 --> 00:23:51.549 if it's coming from a 12 -year -old or 40 -year 00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:54.410 -old at the end of the day. If they're bringing 00:23:54.410 --> 00:23:57.970 in the paycheck or if they're bringing in the 00:23:57.970 --> 00:24:01.069 dollars, it doesn't matter. It makes no difference. 00:24:01.289 --> 00:24:06.460 And so it's very, very scary. Yeah. if like practically 00:24:06.460 --> 00:24:09.099 at a high level if i'm a parent and i see my 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:12.740 kid uh interested in this kind of stuff how do 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:15.480 i know what the difference is between the gambling 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:20.299 and just collecting yeah um that's that's the 00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:22.359 the hard part and that's where Collectors MD 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:25.059 comes in we're trying to educate people not just 00:24:25.059 --> 00:24:27.599 collectors not just people who are buying the 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:31.960 cards but parents and um family members so that 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:34.019 they can see the warning signs, so they can see 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:38.819 the triggers and the red flags that pop up from 00:24:38.819 --> 00:24:42.660 time to time to truly understand if somebody 00:24:42.660 --> 00:24:47.200 is collecting with intention or buying with compulsion 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:52.460 or impulsive spending. And so it's tough. It's 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:55.880 tough to really see the difference. But I think 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:59.480 a huge part of it is the break culture that exists 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:03.039 in today's modern hobby. Um, if somebody is buying 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:06.480 into a break on a regular basis, uh, where, you 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:08.180 know, they're just doing it for the chase, they're 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:11.319 doing it for the rush and there's really no, 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:14.980 um, end in sight, then it's clearly gambling. 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:17.519 But if, you know, somebody is being more thoughtful 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:20.460 and mindful with their purchases, they're spending 00:25:20.460 --> 00:25:22.400 within their means, they're spending within their 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:25.910 budget. uh they're buying singles on eBay or 00:25:25.910 --> 00:25:28.609 card show or something like that stepping into 00:25:28.609 --> 00:25:30.529 their local card shop and just buying you know 00:25:30.529 --> 00:25:32.509 a few packs of cards or even a box of cards and 00:25:32.509 --> 00:25:35.509 it's just once in a while and they're not spiraling 00:25:35.509 --> 00:25:38.569 every time they do and get skunked then you know 00:25:38.569 --> 00:25:41.369 it's a different conversation but the lines between 00:25:42.350 --> 00:25:44.430 collecting and gambling are so incredibly blurry. 00:25:44.670 --> 00:25:46.650 So again, it's just really, really important 00:25:46.650 --> 00:25:49.170 that we educate folks so that they understand 00:25:49.170 --> 00:25:52.470 the nuances and the differences and can spot 00:25:52.470 --> 00:25:54.710 them, you know, from a mile away when they need 00:25:54.710 --> 00:25:57.750 to. Sure. Well, take me through it. How's Collectors MD 00:25:57.750 --> 00:25:59.710 going to accomplish that? What are you all about? 00:25:59.730 --> 00:26:01.589 Yeah. So, yeah. So I want to take a step back 00:26:01.589 --> 00:26:03.289 and just talk a little bit about Collectors MD 00:26:03.289 --> 00:26:06.950 and, you know, what we are, what we do. And so, 00:26:06.970 --> 00:26:12.190 yeah, I am the founder of Collectors MD. I started 00:26:12.190 --> 00:26:15.990 it in March of 2025, so this year, just four 00:26:15.990 --> 00:26:19.130 months ago. Collectors MD is a peer -led support 00:26:19.130 --> 00:26:21.569 community focused on the mental, emotional, and 00:26:21.569 --> 00:26:24.150 financial side of collecting. And we're working 00:26:24.150 --> 00:26:26.549 with people who love the hobby, but who have 00:26:26.549 --> 00:26:28.450 also found themselves struggling with things 00:26:28.450 --> 00:26:31.589 like compulsive spending, chasing, or even addiction 00:26:31.589 --> 00:26:34.609 -like behaviors, especially in the areas of sports 00:26:34.609 --> 00:26:39.109 cards, memorabilia, sneakers, TCG. TCG stands 00:26:39.109 --> 00:26:42.799 for trading card games. Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:45.720 things like that, and live breaks. So it really 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:48.579 started from my own experience that we just talked 00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:51.000 about and what I was seeing in this community, 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:53.859 in this hobby. And there was sort of this growing 00:26:53.859 --> 00:26:56.579 overlap between collecting and gambling psychology. 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:59.920 And a lot of people were just quietly feeling 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:03.160 overwhelmed or out of control or ashamed. And 00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:05.559 there was really just no safe space to talk about 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:08.710 it. right so many people just felt isolated or 00:27:08.710 --> 00:27:11.630 like they uh you know didn't have any anywhere 00:27:11.630 --> 00:27:14.789 to go and so i launched Collectors MD to change 00:27:14.789 --> 00:27:17.269 that to build a place where people can support 00:27:17.269 --> 00:27:20.309 one another share openly and start collecting 00:27:20.309 --> 00:27:23.769 more intentionally so we host weekly meetings 00:27:23.769 --> 00:27:26.369 um they're anonymous peer support meetings very 00:27:26.369 --> 00:27:29.259 similar to Gamblers Anonymous We put out daily 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:31.799 content that includes things like Daily Reflections, 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:34.920 Collector Spotlight. We have a podcast called 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:37.140 The Collector's Compass. I just launched a new 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:39.480 video series called Behind the Breaks last week, 00:27:39.579 --> 00:27:42.019 which I'm really excited about. And we also put 00:27:42.019 --> 00:27:44.859 out educational content. We started partnering 00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:47.519 with organizations like Birches Health and Gamban 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:50.400 to help people access professional resources 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:54.049 when they need it. And at the core, our mission 00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:56.390 is really simple. It's to help people collect 00:27:56.390 --> 00:28:00.390 with intention instead of compulsion. We're not 00:28:00.390 --> 00:28:03.029 anti -hobby. We always preach that. We're just 00:28:03.029 --> 00:28:05.009 trying to create a healthier, more supportive 00:28:05.009 --> 00:28:08.069 culture where people can still enjoy what they 00:28:08.069 --> 00:28:11.029 love without losing themselves in the process. 00:28:11.329 --> 00:28:14.369 And it's grown extremely fast in just a short 00:28:14.369 --> 00:28:16.910 four months. We've had hundreds of people reach 00:28:16.910 --> 00:28:19.650 out, join our meetings, share their stories. 00:28:19.710 --> 00:28:24.180 And it's been... so powerful to watch. So whether 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:26.380 someone needs to completely step away from collecting, 00:28:26.619 --> 00:28:29.500 abstain completely, or just needs help creating 00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:32.039 better boundaries around it, we're here to walk 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:34.799 that path with them with no judgment and just 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:36.900 support. That's awesome, man. And I always love 00:28:36.900 --> 00:28:39.039 when people create something that's rooted in 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:40.839 their own experience, because I feel like we're 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:42.619 always the most qualified to help the person 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:44.859 that we used to be. To someone that's watching 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:47.200 this and feeling like... hey, maybe they're on 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.640 that border of collecting is pretty fun, but 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:51.660 I'm starting to have some problems. What would 00:28:51.660 --> 00:28:54.039 you say to them? So if you're watching this and 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:58.480 thinking, you know, this might be me or I'm starting 00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:01.480 to spiral or experience something similar. A 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:03.180 lot of this happens subconsciously. People don't 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:05.319 even realize that they have a problem until it's 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:08.220 too late. We just want people to know that they're 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:10.160 not alone. You're not weak. You're not broken. 00:29:10.420 --> 00:29:13.019 You're human. And you're reacting to a system 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:16.210 that is literally. engineered to keep you hooked 00:29:16.210 --> 00:29:19.609 so whether it's sports cards breaks or even online 00:29:19.609 --> 00:29:22.349 shopping you know these platforms use the same 00:29:22.349 --> 00:29:25.730 psychological tactics and triggers as gambling 00:29:25.730 --> 00:29:28.750 apps and casinos do so you know for a lot of 00:29:28.750 --> 00:29:30.809 people it's just not a hobby anymore it's become 00:29:30.809 --> 00:29:34.009 a high speed cycle of chasing spending justifying 00:29:34.009 --> 00:29:36.390 and regretting so if you've ever felt that gut 00:29:36.390 --> 00:29:40.079 punch when the mail comes As a reminder that, 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:43.400 you know, you went on a bender two weeks ago 00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:46.420 at 2 a .m. on a Tuesday, or if you've lied to 00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:49.140 a loved one about how much you spent or you're 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:51.839 hiding packages, or if you've told yourself this 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:53.799 is the last break or this is the last purchase 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:56.539 more times than you can count. We understand 00:29:56.539 --> 00:29:59.119 what you're going through. We get it. And a lot 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:01.400 of us have been there. You know, some of us still 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:03.799 are. Some of us are still recovering. And frankly, 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:07.099 it's a lifelong commitment, just like. gambling 00:30:07.099 --> 00:30:12.960 addiction and recovery to more mainstream things 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:17.440 like alcohol and drugs and gambling it is a lifelong 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:20.119 commitment no i'm not recovered by any means 00:30:20.119 --> 00:30:24.180 i'm still you know on my journey and so you know 00:30:24.180 --> 00:30:26.819 this is all sort of why we started collectors 00:30:26.819 --> 00:30:29.160 md we're not here to shame you or tell you to 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:31.339 quit collecting altogether unless that's what 00:30:31.339 --> 00:30:33.140 you want you know what you want to do or what 00:30:33.140 --> 00:30:35.779 you need we fully support you either way but 00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:37.940 we're really just here to offer support resources 00:30:37.940 --> 00:30:40.859 and community for people navigating compulsive 00:30:40.859 --> 00:30:44.000 collecting gambling like behaviors and the blurry 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:47.799 lines between passion and addiction. So if this 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:49.460 is resonating with you, if this is hitting home 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:53.000 in any capacity, please reach out. Join one of 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.220 our weekly support meetings. We have a daily 00:30:55.220 --> 00:30:59.279 group chat that has been incredibly active and 00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:02.140 just so positive so that people can stay connected 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:04.900 in between these weekly meetings. Or if you just 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:07.069 want to listen in. We are open to that, too. 00:31:07.130 --> 00:31:09.089 You can keep your camera off and just listen. 00:31:09.170 --> 00:31:12.069 We feel like that is just as powerful. So there's 00:31:12.069 --> 00:31:14.789 no pressure. It's just, you know, we're just 00:31:14.789 --> 00:31:17.150 trying to spread awareness and let people know 00:31:17.150 --> 00:31:20.210 that this space exists for you. It's completely 00:31:20.210 --> 00:31:23.089 free. There's no strings attached. If you want 00:31:23.089 --> 00:31:24.950 to just come to a meeting just to check it out, 00:31:25.029 --> 00:31:27.309 that's totally fine. If you feel like it's not 00:31:27.309 --> 00:31:31.460 for you, you're not. you know, obligated to attend 00:31:31.460 --> 00:31:34.279 another meeting after that. We just want to be 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:37.420 there for people who are also struggling and 00:31:37.420 --> 00:31:39.519 let people know that they don't have to figure 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:42.160 this out alone. So thanks so much, Alyx, for 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:43.740 coming on and sharing your story and talking 00:31:43.740 --> 00:31:45.960 about Collectors MD. If you in the audience want 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:47.799 to find out more about what they do, check the 00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:49.660 description of this video for links to them. 00:31:49.799 --> 00:31:51.579 And if you want to see another story of someone 00:31:51.579 --> 00:31:53.579 in recovery from a gambling addiction, check 00:31:53.579 --> 00:31:55.940 out this video next. Let's keep getting better 00:31:55.940 --> 00:31:57.559 together one day at a time.