Angus Reid says the competitiveness that made him an all-star football player is the same thing that shaped his gambling addiction.
“Hyper competitiveness, stubbornness and delusional belief can become a problem once you lose focus on what matters,” said Reid.
The former BC Lions centre spoke to a crowd at a Kamloops Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Sandman Signature on Tuesday afternoon.
The Grey Cup Champion spoke about the struggles of an undersized offensive lineman overcoming the odds to become an all-star player.
He said hyper competitiveness, stubbornness and delusional belief and having a proper support system allowed him to achieve his dream.
“I had those laser focused on my football career. It served me well throughout all of those obstacles,” said Reid. “But I fell into a trap of being a hyper competitive person, extremely stubborn with the delusional belief that I could win alone at a casino.”
During his career which spanned over 13 years, Reid began attending the casino on a regular basis. He said he remembers being in casino’s for 20 hours at a time, often losing an entire pay cheque.
“All of a sudden that became the focus of that mind set. When you’re built like that and you’re trying to deal with problems at a table, it gets bad fast. All of a sudden that became my life and not football,” he said. “In the span of two years I spent all of the money I ever made and plus any credit I could get my hands on. I was a shell of what I was proud of before,” he explained.
“You forget to ask for help, and days and weeks and months go by and everything starts to unravel,” he said.
After experiencing a season-ending injury, Reid came to a realization and began looking for help.
Reid emphasized the importance of not being afraid to ask for help. With help from his family and friends, he registered for the voluntary self-exclusion program, helping him control his gambling addiction problem and refocus on his football career.
“I refocused on what mattered. I reached out for help, and you got to do the steps necessary,” he said.
Reid’s talk is in association with Responsible Gambling Awareness Week in Kamloops.
