Ed worked in
sales and had a lot of free time. He began going to the
dog tracks to unwind and take a break from the realities
of family life. A few years later, he took an extra job
working part time at the dog track on nights and
weekends. That is when his problem worsened. Every spare
moment he had, Ed spent at the track. He couldn’t stop
gambling. He began borrowing money, lying to cover it
up, and was feeling like he had no way out of his debt.
He felt he had no choice but to keep gambling and, “hit
that big one.”
Ed had what he
thought was a terrible money management problem, a
problem that took its toll on his family not only
financially, but also emotionally. He was lying to cover
for missing money, dodging calls from bill collectors,
and in all reality… missing his daughter’s childhood. “I
missed her gymnastics routines. I missed her birthdays.
I was always too busy,” said Ed. He recalls both he and
his wife telling their daughter “Don’t bother daddy.
He’s studying for the track.”