e658941a54e046a8857042589c969fd9

Business Insider - Interview

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:48:43 GMT

I was addicted to day trading for 12 years and racked up 6 figures in debt.

Here were the warning signs I didn't see.

The hidden battle of executive addiction. I opened up to Business Insider about my struggle with day trading addiction and the lessons it taught me about leadership, resilience, and change.

As a coach, I work closely with executives and leaders. They are visionaries, strategists, and role models for their teams. Yet, beneath the polished exterior, some silently battle with addiction - be it to work, substances, external validation, or high-pressure environments.

Addiction doesn’t discriminate. It shows up in the boardroom as much as anywhere else.

�� My drive as a sales leader to achieving revenue targets was mirrored in my relentless pursuit of profits from day trading. The pursuit of success was the addiction.

�� For executives, these high-functioning behaviours often get rewarded. But behind the success, they can impact health, strain relationships, and damage authenticity.

Whilst coaches aren’t therapists, we are partners in self awareness. We hold space for leaders to explore what’s really driving their choices, where values may be compromised, and how to step into healthier, more sustainable patterns that reignite purpose and performance.

�� If you’re quietly resonating with this, know that you’re not alone.

�� Reaching out for support is not weakness, it is an act of leadership strength.

�� Sustainable leadership starts with caring for yourself and not just chasing results.

The good news? As I discovered change is possible. Being authentic starts with self-awareness through the courage to face your addictions.

Sometimes you just need help shifting your perspective to make things happen��

The Indicator from Planet Money - Podcast Interview

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 19:46:35 GMT

The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict.

Chris was interviewed on the Planet Money podcast in the US talking about his addiction to stock market day trading.

He talks about how he got into day trading. The highs and the lows. The addiction and how it became like gambling. The impact on him and his family. His recovery. His work raising awareness about addiction in the workplace.

Meet Your Inspiration Podcast

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 18:43:01 GMT

Full Interview with Chris Gawor The Fine Line to Gambling

Chris shares his journey from studying law to working in media sales and eventually becoming addicted to gambling. He discusses the simple questions one can ask to determine if they have a gambling problem and the shame and stigma associated with it. Chris also talks about his career in the advertising industry and his experiences with stock market trading. He highlights the addictive nature of gambling and the allure of significant wins.

He shares his own struggles with addiction and the financial consequences it had on his life. Chris shares his personal experience with gambling addiction, specifically related to trading stocks and shares. He discusses the cycle of making significant losses, trying to make the money back, and getting into debt. Chris highlights the mental challenge and addiction he faced, as well as the impact on his personal life and relationships.

He also mentions the importance of professional help and support from organizations like #GamCare and #Gamblers Anonymous. Chris emphasises the need for awareness and education around gambling addiction, including the risks associated with in-game purchases and loot boxes in video games. He uses his experience to raise awareness and help businesses address employee gambling issues.

I had a gambling addiction for 12 years… yet you may not be aware it’s gambling.

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 11:57:38 GMT

I had a gambling addiction for 12 years… yet you may not be aware it’s gambling.

I started trading the stock market as a hobby 12 years ago.

I saw trading as an intellectual challenge, focusing on day trading or short term trading on the stock market market initially. I spent hours at home in online forums and teaching myself technical analysis (stock price trends and chart patterns).

I went through several cycles of accumulating profits and losses before it became all consuming. I started to lose control of my ability to evaluate the level of risk I was taking. And stop.

The highs and lows were like a drug. I felt I could beat the stock market if I kept going. At its height, I was regularly trading tens of thousands of pounds every day, including whilst at work.

This resulted in accumulating massive debt on credit cards and emptying accounts that me and my wife were using to save.

I would make the losses back. Clear the debt. Make significant profit again. Then repeat the cycle.

I pushed the debt, taking out more credit cards and maxing them out to their limits.

At one point I was using 14 credit cards for gambling.

Then, I ran out of options. I reached breaking point both mentally and financially.

The unrelenting pressure of the debt affected every aspect of my life. I was not fully present at work or at home. I wasn’t sleeping and was drinking more alcohol to cope. My mental and physical health suffered whilst keeping the extent of what I was doing secret from those around me.

Dopamine & gambling addiction.

Incredibly I didn’t think I had a problem. Certainly not a gambling addiction despite being willing to risk everything chasing wins.

But as the realisation started to settle in that I was displaying addictive behaviours, I was afraid to confront it. I was ashamed.

The truth is, what I was calling a hobby, was triggering all the same hormonal responses that typical addiction does, especially the cycles associated with gambling.

Just the idea of winning, of placing a trade, as well as the actual winning releases dopamine. The addictive behaviour starts when this weakens our reward response over time, meaning we need more wins and potential wins to get the hit. Sound familiar?

Its only now that this particular type of addiction is getting press. Crassly named the ‘middle class gambling addiction’ more people are getting hooked on day trading including crypto currency trading, in a similar way that people get hooked on online betting and casinos.

It was this realisation that drove me to the lowest point in my life.

I was a gambling addict.

Road to recovery.

With the support of my wife, family and friends I’ve now been gambling free for 18 months.

Admitting to myself that I had a problem was hard enough, admitting to my wife that I had lost everything and lied to her was a devastating moment for us both.

The first few months of recovery were full of guilt and self-recrimination. The reality of where the addiction had taken me had started to hit home.

It took 9 months to unwire my brain from the addiction which had rooted itself in me for 12 years.

As well as the unlimited support from my wife and family, I also reached out to GamCare (gambling addiction support charity) and Gamblers Anonymous (community support network).

GamCare provided me with access to free counselling with a trained counsellor. The counsellor had been a previous gambling addict and had a similar story to myself. It was a huge support and the first steps in the process to recovery.

Gamblers Anonymous, which I still regularly attend, is a community of people from all walks of life sharing their lived experience of problem compulsive gambling. The process of listening to other individuals’ stories of addiction to online casinos, live sports betting, horse racing, slot machines, Crypto and financial trading has helped me discover that I am not alone.

As part of my personal process of recovery, I have completed educational courses in Addiction Awareness and Mental Health Advocacy. I have a greater understanding of the behaviours and causes behind gambling and addiction. And I’m now determined to use my personal experience to help others.

85% of businesses in the UK have an alcohol and substance misuse policy.

Yet less than 5% have a policy for gambling.

Though my own lived experience, I’ve researched gambling through the eyes of both an employee who gambles and an employer.

Despite a focus on wellbeing and mental health in most businesses, gambling is a genuine blind spot.

Post lockdown, the numbers of those with gambling addictions is increasing.

1 in 10 people are impacted by problem gambling
50% of adults have gambled in the last year
28% of gamblers who are employed would prefer to keep the extent of their gambling hidden from colleagues.

We have a problem.

These stats prove that the chances are high that someone in your workplace is struggling with a problem gambling addiction.

Aside from wellbeing – the impact on business performance is significant. Distracted employees in high-risk roles – such as high level decision making or working safely, can put a business at a huge risk.

So I launched Project Wellbeing to help businesses fill the gambling awareness blind spot in their wellbeing and HR activities.

I will be offering services that support policy development, training/workshops for awareness and education, and connecting employees to the right programmes.

Often described as a hidden addiction, problem gambling may go unnoticed for years. It is important to break the shame and stigma around gambling.

I’ve seen the devastating effects that a gambling addiction can have. Gambling related suicide is on rise.

Thankfully I have come out the other side.

If you’d like to know more about how I can support awareness in your business get in touch.

Sources: NHS Health Survey 2021, National Statistics / Reed in Partnership, Policy Research

e658941a54e046a8857042589c969fd9

Business Insider - Interview

I was addicted to day trading for 12 years and racked up 6 figures in debt.

﻿ Here were the warning signs I didn't see.

The Indicator from Planet Money - Podcast Interview

The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict.

Meet Your Inspiration Podcast

Full Interview with Chris Gawor The Fine Line to Gambling

I had a gambling addiction for 12 years… yet you may not be aware it’s gambling.

I had a gambling addiction for 12 years… yet you may not be aware it’s gambling.

Here were the warning signs I didn't see.