Matt Cowell and James McCallion, from Basingstoke, have struggled with the consequences of addiction, experiencing the mental, physical and social repercussions that can come from it. Matt is a recovering gambling addict, while James is in recovery for drug addiction.
Matt, a 41-year-old personal trainer, hopes that by sharing his story, he can help to inspire others to make the difficult but necessary changes to improve their lives. Details about how to book a ticket can be found by visiting: uk.movember.com/en/events/view/id/KoZL
He said: “I started playing on fruit machines when I was a very young age, at 16 or 17, when I was legally not allowed.
Matt Cowell is giving a talk about gambling addiction with James McCallion on November 26 (Image: Matt Cowell)
“As I got older, it became easier to gamble. It was a combination of my love of sport and my gambling addiction that created a perfect storm, and I fell into the trap of gambling online.
“In 2021, I was diagnosed with ADHD and it all made sense, it explained why I was addicted to those little dopamine hits you get but I’m happy to say that now it has been well over one year since I placed a bet or participated in any form of gambling.”
Both Matt and James want to use their stories to help others who may be falling into the trap of addiction to overcome this.
They are hosting an event at the Apollo Hotel on November 26, from 6pm to 8pm, with 100 per cent of money made going to the men’s mental health charity, Movember.
Mr Cowell, who has built up an online following on TikTok where he shares videos hoping to inspire others, said that this community has helped to spur on his recovery.
He added: “I get multiple messages a day on TikTok from people who said that they had never heard addiction explained like this.
“I present it in my own outside-of-the-box, neurodivergent way of thinking, and that seems to resonate with people.
“I’m a massive fan of accountability, and I’ve grown a bit of an army, so I now feel a bit like the Commander in Chief, and because of that, I know I can’t mess up.”
A study in 2022 revealed that a big rise in gambling addiction has led to an increase in young men attempting suicide.
Matt believes that talking about the issue can help to break the stigma and reduce shame.
He said: “You can’t avoid gambling these days, there is a real perfect storm of smartphones with access to gambling football shirt sponsors, adverts, you can’t get away from it.
“We’ll talk about how we fell into it and how bad it was, and how we were able to recover and turn our lives around.
“James is very, very brave. It’s quite funny because I’ve never done drugs and he’s never gambled. I feel resistance even talking about it, but I have to because this is a cause close to my heart.
“The main goal is to raise awareness and realise you are not alone in your struggle, help is out there and recovery is possible.”