A podcast for anyone who has suffered from gambling related harm. 'Hold or Fold' explores the 'hidden addiction' that is gambling with a keen eye on how this affects those with experience of the Criminal Justice System.Your hosts Ben & Steve both spent time in prison as a direct result of their gambling addiction - On Hold or Fold they share the stories of people who, like them, have been taken to the brink by gambling. You'll hear how gambling took a hold of people's lives, the dark places this led them to and how they were able to embark on the road to recovery.This is part of the 'Life After Prison' podcast network from the multi-award winning 'National Prison Radio'
In the series finale we hear Tracy’s incredible story. Tracy suffered breakdowns and strokes as a result of her gambling but doesn’t have any regrets as she is now at peace and most importantly….Happy!
Tracy now goes into prisons to run GA groups and provide prisoners with a safe space to talk about their addiction. She gets just as much out of it as those attending the sessions
Ben & Steve also pick their series highlights which includes a previously unheard clip from Ben’s chat with David Navarro
A huge thank you to all of our guests on this series and the fantastic organisations that have supported us too. We’d love to hear from you ahead of the next series, contact details are below…
9. Cryptocurrency with Tony Marini (Castle Craig Hospital) & Stewart
mardi 8 octobre 2024 • Durée 44:31
One in 10 people in Britain now hold cryptocurrency but what is it? How does it work? and could it be linked to gambling?
Hold or Fold are investigating another gambling grey area as Steve & Ben explore their thoughts around crypto and welcome Tony & Stewart on to the show. Tony has had his own battles with addiction and now works as senior specialist therapist at Castle Craig Hospital in Scotland. Tony helps support people with more ‘modern’ addictions including cryptocurrency and Stewart has himself had a cryptocurrency addiction.
Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133
If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
Introducing Hold or Fold
jeudi 1 août 2024 • Durée 02:30
A podcast for anyone who has suffered from gambling related harm.
'Hold or Fold' explores the 'hidden addiction' that is gambling with a keen eye on how this affects those with experience of the Criminal Justice System.
Your hosts Ben & Steve both spent time in prison as a direct result of their gambling addiction - On Hold or Fold they share the stories of people who, like them, have been taken to the brink by gambling. You'll hear how gambling took a hold of people's lives, the dark places this led them to and how they were able to embark on the road to recovery.
This is part of the 'Life After Prison' podcast network from the multi-award winning 'National Prison Radio'
8. Betting Shops with David Navarro & Lady Unchained
mardi 1 octobre 2024 • Durée 37:18
In this episode we’re looking at betting shops and the role they play in the wider gambling culture. Ben & Steve let us know if betting shops played a part within their own journeys and we hear from two people who were impacted by betting shops for very different reasons…
David lost a large amount in a betting shop and fell into a cycle of robbing them, to claim ‘revenge’ - He ended up serving a 10 year prison sentence as a result of this. Meanwhile, Lady Unchained experienced this from the other side of the counter, working in a well-known betting shop for 5 years.
Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133
If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
7. Spotlight On: Reframe Coaching + Paula from Mindfulness Space
mardi 24 septembre 2024 • Durée 59:08
Hold or Fold's very own Steve founded 'Reframe Coaching' alongside his wife in 2020. They had spotted a need for gambling support after treatment and now offer bespoke coaching services to those with direct experience of gambling harm as well as affected others, using the power of lived experience
This episode focuses on the journey of Reframe, how it came to be, the services offered and how you can get involved.
Reframe’s vision is for ‘Everyone to be present in their lives’ and one way of doing this is through practising mindfulness. Paula Vale began doing exactly this to help her in a battle against anxiety and depression, she now runs ‘Mindfulness Space’ and joins us on this episode to share her story, explain the many benefits of mindfulness and to lead a quick mindfulness session that you can follow along with.
Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133
6. Worldwide: Patrick Chester
mardi 17 septembre 2024 • Durée 46:45
On this episode of Hold or Fold: Worldwide, Ben has a chat with Patrick Chester from the USA
Ben quickly realises that he and Patrick have many similarities in their stories. From knee injuries ending their sporting careers and leading to gambling to their partners suspecting infidelity due to their secretive behaviour.
What follows is a fascinating conversation between two people, who live thousands of miles apart in countries with entirely different gambling cultures, and find so much common ground. They share stories of growing up, trying to forge a bond with parents, how gambling impacted so drastically on their lives and how they’ve been able to come through that and turn their lives around. Patrick also shares his incredible Superbowl story which you absolutely have to hear
Patrick is another guest who represents the amazing ‘Epic Global Solutions’ - Epic have continually offered their support to ‘Hold or Fold’ and are doing amazing things to educate people and organisations on the potential dangers of gambling.
The gaming industry has exploded in recent years and is now worth over $270 billion worldwide. However, the improvement in graphics, depth, playability and connectivity has also seen a shift in the way we consume games but also how we pay for them and the content within them.
Some games are now ‘Freemium’ (Cost nothing to download) and offer ‘In-game purchases’ while others employ a mechanic known as ‘loot boxes’ - A chance based gameplay element which typically cost you money. Could these loot boxes become addictive? Could they result in you over-spending? and, are they classed as gambling?
One person who believes this to be the case is Dave - Dave became hooked on mobile gaming loot boxes and soon saw things spiral out of control. His addiction impacted his home life, his work life and his own personal mental health. He is joined on the show by Pavlos who works to support people with their gaming based addictions. Pavlos sets out why games are addictive and the potential issues that can arise as a result of this.
Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133
If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
4. Road to Recovery: Professor David Best
mardi 3 septembre 2024 • Durée 57:01
In our inaugural Recovery special we’ll be hearing from the world’s first professor of addiction recovery, David Best
David has a degree in psychology with philosophy, a masters in Criminology and a PhD in the psychology of addictions. He has also authored 3 books on addiction recovery and has written more than 170 peer-reviewed publications so it was a great honour to have him on the show. He tells us what Recovery means, how to give yourself the best chance of a successful recovery and how this might be made more difficult by being in prison.
Ben & Steve were fascinated by David’s thoughts and share their own opinions on recovery as they reflect and react throughout
Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133
If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
3. Spotlight On: Gordon Moody
mardi 27 août 2024 • Durée 53:03
Gordon Moody is an organisation that provides advice, counselling, online support and a structured residential treatment course to help you overcome problems caused by gambling.
Having heard the name ‘Gordon Moody’ crop up in many of the conversations we’ve had around gambling addiction in the past, we decided to pay them a visit. Co-Host Ben travelled to both the Women’s and the Men’s residential treatment centres in the Midlands where he met with Jemma, Lisa and Andy. All of whom have had their own brushes with the criminal justice system as a result of their gambling and completed the residential programmes at Gordon Moody
Ben got a full tour of the both centres and was incredibly impressed with the work that goes on there, he later reflects on how useful it could have been during his own recovery.
A huge thank you to Gordon Moody for opening their doors to us and also to Jemma, Lisa, Andy, Harp & Hodan for sharing their stories and to Alyson and Sam for arranging the visit
Professional footballer Steven Caulker has had quite the career. Since signing his first professional contract at Tottenham Hotspur he has played for the likes of Liverpool, Southampton, Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic & Malaga City. A promising start to his career led to him being selected for the England national side as well as the Great Britain Olympic team.
Steven’s competitive edge and addictive personality eventually led him down some dark paths and before long gambling, alcohol and depression were major factors in his life.
On this episode of ‘Hold or Fold’ Steven talks candidly about how he first got into football, signing that first contract, scoring on his England debut and the issues his gambling addiction caused him. Steven has now turned a corner in his life and is able to reflect on how his addictions stifled his career progression and what he learned on his road to recovery.
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