My gambling addiction didn’t start with losing… it started with winning. A $117,000 first-TD parlay turned into almost $450,000 in a month. I thought I was untouchable… buying gifts for everyone, covering every dinner, buying whole bars shots… I always made sure everyone else was good. But I wasn’t. When the winning stopped, I didn’t. I chased everything. And at night, while everyone I loved slept, I’d lie in the dark with my phone lighting up my face… losing money I didn’t have, feeling myself slowly disappear. The worst part wasn’t the money… it was who I became. Lying to everyone. Lying to myself. Smiling in public while I was destroying my life in private… losing the trust of the people who loved me most. Every night I’d say, “I’m done.” Every morning I’d wake up and check the lines before I checked on the people I loved…a spouse, a sick parent, a newborn child. That’s a kind of sadness I wouldn’t wish on anyone. If you’re living like that… hiding, hurting, exhausted… I see you. I was you and you are me. My DMs are open. You don’t have to go through this alone. Blaise B❤️

College football is on today. Instead of gambling on the games, get outside and go on a hike! Try something new. Find a new hobby. Spend time with people you love. When you stop gambling, you realize just how much time you get back. There’s a whole life waiting for you outside the next bet. Go live it…My DM’s are open! Blaise ❤️

A man falls into a deep hole. The walls are too steep to climb out. A doctor walks by…The man begs for help. The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down, and leaves. A priest walks by…The man begs for help. The priest offers a prayer and moves on. Then I walk by. “Blaise, it’s me! Can you help me?” I jump into the hole. “Are you stupid? Now we’re both stuck down here!” I reply, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.” I’ve been down there. I know the shame, the desperation, the lies, the chase, the sleepless nights, and the feeling that you’ve ruined your life because of gambling. But I’ve also learned there’s a way out. If you’re struggling, please reach out. You are not alone. Your life is worth more than your losses and your story isn’t over. I’ve been there before. Let me help you find the way out. My DM’s are open. Blaise ❤️

If you’ve never been to a GA meeting, please don’t be afraid to walk through those doors. I know that’s easier said than done because I was terrified myself… The first time I tried to go to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, I sat in the parking lot and never walked inside. I wish I had found the courage to walk through those doors sooner. Today, GA and the fellowship have truly saved my life. It’s a room full of love, hope, understanding, and people who know exactly what you’re going through. When we’re in the throes of compulsive gambling, it can feel like we’re surrounded by darkness. We can be sitting in a room full of people who love us and still feel completely alone. We lose hope because we can’t see a way out of the hole we’ve created for ourselves. If you’re struggling today, please walk into your first GA meeting. You don’t need to have everything figured out. You don’t need to have the perfect words. You don’t even need to know what to expect. Just walk through the door…You might be surprised by the love and hope waiting on the other side. Keep coming back. It works if you work it. One day at a time. My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to. Blaise ❤️

Today, I had a thought about gambling. I caught myself, “I wonder what the line is on the Sixers game tonight?” I’m a Philly guy. I love my sports. And just like that…my mind started going down a familiar road. Everyone in my life knows I’m a compulsive gambler. I’m open about my addiction and I’ve put safeguards in place to protect my recovery. Even when a thought pops into my head, I don’t have to act on it. I’m human. We all have thoughts and urges. Recovery doesn’t mean those thoughts will never come back. It means learning how to respond differently when they do. So today, I’m taking a deep breath and reminding myself to take it one day at a time. My recovery is too important to gamble with. Gambling almost took my life and I refuse to let it take me back to that place. As we head into another season of sports, ask yourself: What are YOU going to do differently to protect your recovery? What roadblocks can you put in place today? Who can you be honest with? What changes can you make before that next urge hits? One day at a time. One choice at a time. If you’re struggling, my DMs are always open. You don’t have to fight this alone. Blaise ❤️

May be a crazy take, but I believe 12 step programs should be taught in school. Not because everyone is an addict…but because everyone can benefit from learning accountability, honesty, humility, forgiveness, and how to ask for help. The 12 steps have been one of the greatest gifts of my life. They’ve taught me how to really live, not just how to stop gambling… We spend so much time teaching people how to make a living. We should spend more time teaching people how to live. Don’t wait until your life becomes unmanageable to start working on yourself. You don’t have to hit rock bottom to start climbing. My DM’s are open. Reach out if you need help. One day at a time. Blaise ❤️

At the West Virginia game today. 🏈 Gambling free. This time last year, I was gambling tens of thousands of dollars live on games like this. I couldn’t just watch a football game. I had to have action… Today I get to enjoy a game in person, on my own, without a single bet. Wow. The freedom is hard to put into words. I’m grateful to be here and actually be present. If gambling has a hold on you, reach out. You don’t have to do this alone. ❤️ Blaise ❤️

You must break the pattern today or the loop will begin again tomorrow. That’s how gambling gets you. It has you by the goodies until you break the pattern. You lose, chase. You win, keep going. You swear you’re done then find yourself right back where you started. Every time, you tell yourself tomorrow will be different. But tomorrow becomes next week, next month, and another year of your life gone. I couldn’t think my way out of this. I couldn’t win my way out of it. And I couldn’t make a deal with myself that I’d only gamble a little. I had to break the pattern. For me, that meant admitting I was powerless over gambling, getting into GA, being honest, and taking action today instead of waiting until tomorrow. You don’t have to fix the rest of your life today…you just have to stop feeding the cycle today.Because every day you gamble, the loop gets another chance to restart. Reach out if you’re struggling. My DM’s are open. Blaise ❤️

Today, I’m 21 months sober from drugs and alcohol. ❤️ I’m a degenerate in everything I do, so I have to work just as hard at recovery as I did at destroying myself. My program is only as good as my practice TODAY. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better. Recovery hasn’t magically fixed all my problems but it’s taught me how to face them without running to drugs or alcohol. Progress in recovery depends on my attitude and my attitude is up to me. I can’t control everything that happens to me but I can control how I respond. I used to rely on substances to escape how I felt about myself. Today, I’m learning to live life on life’s terms. I don’t have to be perfect. I just have to keep showing up, practicing the program, and taking it one day at a time. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to do this alone. My DMs are open. Blaise ❤️

Give yourself 90 days without gambling. If you still want to go back after that, feel free. I promise you won’t. My life is better in every aspect. I’m present, available, and intentional. My relationships have grown stronger. It was never just a money problem. If you are struggling, reach out. My DM’s are open. Blaise ❤️

When you think about placing just one more wager, telling yourself it won’t cause that much harm Please think again. You may have another recovery left in you…But your family might not. Maybe they stick with you through one relapse. Maybe even two. But gambling takes a toll on the people who love you, too. All those years of lies, deception, hiding money, hiding losses, and putting on fake smiles can eventually catch up with them. They get tired. They get hurt. They lose trust. And eventually, they may not have anything left to give. We like to think that one more bet is just one more bet. But for us, it rarely is. That one bet can turn into another night of chasing, another lie, another secret, and another wound for the people who have already been hurt by our gambling. Think about what you could lose before you place it. If you’re struggling, reach out. My DM’s are open. Blaise ❤️

When you’re a kid, you don’t necessarily see a sportsbook advertisement as an advertisement. You see your idol. You see the athlete you grew up watching, the person whose jersey you wear, the person you want to be like promoting a betting app and talking about how much fun gambling can be. It’s easy for a young person to think “If LeBron James is doing it, why wouldn’t I?” What gets left out of those commercials is the other side of gambling. The people losing money they can’t afford to lose. The people hiding bets from their families. The people going into debt… To clarify, I’m not saying every athlete who promotes gambling is responsible for someone else’s addiction. But I do believe professional athletes have an enormous platform, especially with younger generations, and that platform comes with some responsibility. That’s why I have so much respect for Wemby for taking a different stance. We need more professional athletes willing to recognize that their influence extends far beyond the court or field. I know firsthand how quickly something that looks harmless can become something that controls your life. If you’re struggling with gambling, reach out. My DMs are open. Recovery is possible. Blaise ❤️

I am a compulsive gambler in recovery. There’s a loneliness that comes with gambling addiction that is hard to explain. You hide the bets. You hide the losses. You lie to the people you love. Then you walk into your first Gamblers Anonymous meeting and realize you’re not the only one…its what I like to refer to as a shared loneliness in that room. Thirty people sitting together, each with their own story, their own losses, their own regrets, their own reasons for being there. But somehow, it becomes a room full of love. For the first time in my life, I can sit in a room with 30 people who are all trying to accomplish the exact same thing: One more day without gambling. My 300th day is the same as someone on Day 1…Because we’re both just trying to make it through today. I also think people misunderstand what it means to be a compulsive gambler. There’s a stigma that says, If you have a gambling problem. You’re a bad person. We aren’t bad people trying to become good people. We’re sick people trying to become well. We’re people who have hurt ourselves and the people we love, but we’re also people capable of healing, changing, making amends, and building a life we never thought was possible. I will always be a compulsive gambler…but today I’m a compulsive gambler in recovery. And I’m damn proud of that. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to be alone anymore. Reach out. Walk into a room full of love. Find your people. Join the winning team in recovery. My DMs are open. Blaise ❤️

A lot of these kids don’t see themselves as having a gambling problem. They see sports. They see TikTok videos. They see someone posting a huge win. They see their friends talking about the next bet. They don’t see the years of debt, lying, isolation, broken relationships, anxiety, depression and hopelessness that can come afterward. That is what worries me. These companies have made gambling incredibly accessible to young people. The phone in their pocket can become a sportsbook, prediction market, a casino, or a trading platform all at once. Young men in particular are being exposed to this constantly. I really hope we don’t wait until an entire generation has been financially and more importantly emotionally destroyed before we take this seriously. To any younger person reading this who is already struggling: you are not stupid, you are not weak, and you are not beyond help. You don’t have to win the money back. You don’t have to keep chasing…And you don’t have to be ashamed to ask for help. If you’ve struggled with gambling and made it out, please speak up. Your story is exactly what a kid needs to hear before their problem gets much worse. And if you’re a young person struggling with this, my DMs are always open. You don’t have to go through it alone. Blaise ❤️

When I was gambling…my brain never shut off. What am I betting? What did I lose? How do I get it back? What’s the next bet? What if I just win this one? That’s why there were so many sleepless nights. I was constantly chasing something. Even when I wasn’t physically gambling, my mind was still gambling. Following a structured program has given my life structure…It sounds simple, but it’s the little things that have made a huge difference. Going to a meeting. Getting outside. Being honest with the people around me. Even something as simple as making my bed gives me a little win to start the day. Those small wins start replacing the constant dopamine chase that gambling had created in my life. I’m learning that I don’t need a $10,000 win to feel good about myself. I can build a good life through a bunch of small wins every single day. You can change your life by not gambling. You can get out of the cycle. If you’re struggling, reach out. My DMs are always open. You don’t have to figure this out alone. One day at a time. Blaise ❤️

I’ve been thinking a lot about something important in recovery: triggers and roadblocks. For me, seeing someone post a winning bet can be enough to bring those thoughts back. Sports, stress, boredom, having a bad day, or simply having access to money can all become triggers. I can’t control every trigger that comes my way, but I can control what I do when they happen. That’s why roadblocks have been so important for me. Self exclusion. Deleting betting apps. Staying away from casinos. Having people I trust involved with my finances. Being honest when I’m struggling. Going to GA. Not putting myself in situations where I know I’m more likely to gamble. You have to make it harder to act on that impulse. And for anyone who has relapsed: there is still hope. There are better days ahead. But you have to be willing to do something differently. If you go back to the exact same environment, with the same access to money, the same secrecy, the same habits and the same thought process, nothing is going to change. Nothing changes if nothing changes. The only way to stop gambling is by not gambling. I know that sounds stupidly simple, but that has been one of the biggest things that has worked for me. One minute at a time. One hour at a time. One day at a time. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself. My DMs are always open. Blaise ❤️

Stay strong today. Make it through one minute. Then one hour. Then one day at a time. The days add up. If you gambled today, lost your entire paycheck or you’re making those credit card deposits trying to chase it back…you do not have to keep living like this. I know the thoughts. Telling yourself you’re done…Promising yourself you won’t do it again…Then finding yourself right back at it. You’re not alone, and you’re not beyond help. Stop trying to fix everything at once. Just make it through today without placing another bet. Reach out if you need help. My DMs are open. Blaise ❤️

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of meeting a lot of people who are struggling with gambling addiction. In May of this year, I received a message from Jeremiah. He was struggling and we started talking. What started as two complete strangers talking about gambling addiction turned into a friendship. We talked almost every week. I got to know him, his struggles, and the person behind the addiction. This morning, I received a message that Jeremiah took his own life last night. I keep thinking about our conversations and wondering if I could have done more. If I could have said something differently. If I could have somehow helped him one more time. I know I can’t live in those questions forever, but today, they hurt. Please, if you are struggling with gambling addiction, depression, or anything else that feels too heavy to carry by yourself, reach out to someone. Reach out to your family. Reach out to a friend. Call someone. And if you don’t know who else to call, reach out to me. Please keep Jeremiah and his family in your thoughts and prayers. I’m heartbroken for the people who loved him and for the pain his family is carrying today. It’s okay to hurt…but please don’t hurt alone. Blaise ❤️

I invited a homeless woman to eat lunch with me today. I had no idea how our conversation would affect me. She asked me about my story, so I told her I’ve been sober for some time now from gambling, drugs, and alcohol. What she said, as I understood it was that every single day is a new day of redemption. Maybe you’re struggling right now. Maybe you relapsed. Maybe you feel like you’ve completely screwed everything up. You don’t have to solve every problem in your life at once. You don’t have to figure out the rest of your life tonight. Those words hit me hard as I looked into her eyes…Then she asked if she could pray for me. I sat there listening to her with tears in my eyes. Her circumstances were difficult but her outlook was incredibly positive. That’s the kind of outlook so many of us need in recovery. Sometimes we carry so much shame from yesterday and so much fear about tomorrow that we forget we’re standing in a brand new day. A day we didn’t earn. A day we’re still here for. A day we get another chance. Never judge a book by its cover. I learned a lot from Kelly today and I was fortunate enough to be able to give back to her after she gave me some of her time and wisdom. You never know what someone is carrying, or what they might be able to teach you. If you’re struggling or need someone to talk to, reach out. My DMs are open. Blaise ❤️