Tom Boggins stood at the bar, saw the horse betting on the surge at the last turn, and realized he was going to win. But Dublin doesn’t remember seeing the end of the race. “The next thing I knew was that the bartender was standing on top of me and asking what happened. He said I was just hooked, I blacked out of all adrenaline. It’s like a skydiver jumping off an airplane, and the danger and excitement closes my heart. “
In 2018, Tom saved money for Epsom Derby that year and made a “lucky 15” bet — 15 bets worth the choice of four events. He won a big win — the cumulative amount he pulled in was five digits. But that was his urge, and quitting while he was ahead was not his option. By the end of the day, all the money was gone. Tom put the prize money in various races and lost. The come-down from the previous euphoria was intense. “That night I was a man’s shell,” he says. “It was like knowing what it was like to be dead, but by then I was so absorbed in everything that I couldn’t feel it at all.”
Tom’s gambling problem dates back to his childhood. Growing up with four brothers in Clondalkin, he remembers watching a spectacular poker game that lasted for days. He made his first bet on the Grand National at the age of eight. In the area, it was common for children to be sent to bookmakers as docket runners. “So I would have seen it quite early in my life. And the horse racing was massive.” This is what we are trying to do today. We all get together and go to the pub. Go and gamble on a horse. “And that was normal. “
Tom’s family life was difficult and he was sexually abused by his deceased neighbor. Tom remained at his parents’ home with his father when his parents separated. “At that time, I was about 14 years old. And then things got worse. I didn’t give af ** k anymore. I took drugs, drinks, robbers, steals, really anything on a roller coaster. I went. “
Youth service tried to help him, he says. I was so stubborn, selfish and confused that I couldn’t accept the help. “
At the age of 15, he lived on the street. It was a terrifying time. Seeing “daily violence,” he says, “I started taking all the medicines, but it was mainly cocaine that had my nails.” He used a variety of homeless services in the city, where Irish merchant pier workers set up permanent beds in the Christ Church building to serve homeless young people.
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Tom Boggins is currently involved in landscaping and construction.Photo: Mark Condren
Tom Boggins is currently involved in landscaping and construction.Photo: Mark Condren
“It was a bed every night. I could go there, eat three times a day, wash my clothes, take a shower, and stay hygienic.” He eventually lived in Slygo with his brother for a while, but shortly after his 24th birthday he decided to move to England. “I was spending my life from the problems I needed to deal with. And instead of dealing with them, I lifted the ship and went on. It’s okay for a while, but the problem is final. It returned to 10 times and got worse and worse. “
At West Sussex, he worked as a chef and had a girlfriend and a child at the time. But the financial problems associated with his gambling addiction put a strain on the relationship. The day he lost his five-digit amount, he stepped into the apartment where he lived and knelt down.
“I couldn’t see the floor at that place. I didn’t have the motivation to get up at midnight and go to the bathroom, so I had scratch cards, gambling votes, feces, and bottled urine in every corner. I just gambled. Was, it was just a terrifying, terrifying being. “He quit his job and was isolated at home alone. “I’ve had two life attempts in the last 10 days. I don’t know how much prescription drug I took, how much alcohol I took, or what drug I took. I didn’t eat. Basically I just died. “
He contacted his brother from Ireland and brought him home. He spent 10 days trying to detoxify from drinks and drugs at Mayo’s brother’s house, during which time he made another attempt in his life. “There was a hole in the nose and a hole in the back. I was basically corrupt from substance abuse. Obviously it was physically painful, but more psychological and emotional than I experienced. The pain is [was] From the financial problems I left in the UK. I left a serious debt to my son’s mother. “
Eventually he was put on the waiting list to enter the Cuan Muhuire Addiction Treatment Center in Athy, Kildare. He spent 11 months there when he was finally hospitalized. “They are pushing for (12) steps, but the other really important thing they’re trying to do is take you to a balanced routine. Get up in the morning, brush your teeth, and a little Wash, have breakfast, go to work and go home.
“As an addict, you’re not used to taking care of yourself, and they also introduce fellowship meetings.” When Tom left Quan Mwaia, “it’s hard to find a balance in life.” I felt it. ” He got a sponsor (a recovered addict who guides him to recover through 12 steps), but it didn’t work with that person, and Tom relapsed by sucking weeds. did.
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Tom Boggins believes that gambling is as prevalent in women as it is in men.Photo: Mark Condren
Tom Boggins believes that gambling is as prevalent in women as it is in men.Photo: Mark Condren
But he then recovered, gained new sponsors, and is now completely abstinent from all processes and substances. He left the food industry and is now involved in landscaping and construction — after we talk he set out to work in Donnybrook, Dublin. He also embraces his creative side and loves to take pictures and paint.
Some of the balances he finds are rekindling the old flames that have become seriously related. “My gambling and narcotics eventually ended the relationship. One day, when I contacted her, it was like,” Would you like to come to her brother’s wedding? ” She jumped out and came there and we are now back together. “
He says the perception that gambling affects men disproportionately is wrong. “I don’t think it affects men more than it affects women. Yes, I think more men are gambling in sports. But go to the casino and stall for the day. More women will tend to enter, and they will spend as much. “
He is 28 years old now, but says he feels “at least twice”. “But I am grateful that I am 28 years old, and I am grateful that I am ahead of everything in my life. I was given out and did everything I could. Now I don’t have to worry about where my next salary will come from and my life is much better. I can’t believe I came from the dark place I spent in the UK to today’s place. “
See gamingcare.ie for information and help on gambling.
