BUFFALO, N.Y. — For someone struggling with gambling addiction, there may be no obvious warning signs from the outside. You can have a job, a family, and friends and still fight a battle nobody sees.

For a 32-year-old New Yorker who is sharing his story anonymously due to the sensitivity of the topic and guidelines around Gamblers Anonymous, gambling started innocently enough as scratch-offs and small bets with friends.

“Gambling becomes normalized for a lot of people at a young age,” he said. “It’s a bonding experience between friends and family.”

But those small bets eventually became something much bigger. With mobile sports betting, Western Problem Gambling Resource Center program manager Shanley Olszowy said you don’t even have to leave your home.

“It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across all areas of New York. You don’t have to go to the store. You don’t have to go to the casino. You don’t have to leave your house to do this,” he said.

The Gamblers Anonymous member said that, at his worst, gambling consumed nearly every waking moment.

“My phone was going off nonstop,” he said. “I was calling people. People were calling me. I was out of control. I did not answer my friends, my family. Gambling was my best friend. It was my spouse. It was all that mattered to me in the world.”

Olszowy said she’s seeing more young people struggling, including parents calling on behalf of their young adult children.

“The average age has been ticking down, which is surprising and also worrying,” said Olszowy.

According to Western Problem Gambling Resource Center peer advocate Maureen Holleran, the damage isn’t always measured in dollars.

“It’s the time that you lose with your friends and your family,” said Holleran. “It’s the relationships that you destroy that you might never be able to repair again.”

The GA member said his addiction eventually left him lying to family, borrowing money and stealing from his employer. Then came a moment he says he still remembers.

“I remember lying in bed every night staring at the ceiling, thinking, ‘well, there’s always one way out,'” he said.

He said those thoughts of suicide became part of his daily life for about a year. But eventually, he asked for help.

“Gamblers Anonymous saved my life,” he said.

He walked into a meeting in May 2024. More than two years later, he said recovery has given him something gambling never could.

“Now my peace of mind is lying in bed knowing that I have a great job,” he said. “I have a nice apartment. I have a car. I have friends and family relationships where they should be.”

As someone who’s been on both sides, Holleran said asking for help doesn’t have to mean knowing exactly what comes next.

“The first step is to reach out for help,” said Holleran. “And then we can direct you.”

For the GA member, the message is simple: If you recognize yourself in his story, you’re not alone.

“Those thoughts that you have in your head, you are not alone in that feeling,” he said.

He said he still attends Gamblers Anonymous meetings every Monday and credits that support system with helping him rebuild relationships and regain his peace of mind. The Western Problem Gambling Resource Center also said people don’t need to wait until they’ve lost everything to ask for help.