The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one.
“Hello, My Name is Craig” premiered Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on WFAN, the first edition of a new weekly half-hour program presented by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of NJ/1-800-GAMBLER. On the show, Craig Carton (and weekly special guests) will drive candid conversations with listeners about different aspects of gambling, and provide resources and outlets to those seeking help or looking for ways to help their loved ones.
“The reason we named this show is ‘Hello, My Name is Craig’ is because that’s how I introduce myself every week at Gamblers Anonymous meetings,” Craig said at the open of the show. “Now, this show is not a GA show, it’s a show to discuss the signs and aspects of gambling that you may see in yourself, or in a loved one, to help you realize there’s a problem. Hopefully, this will get even just one person to pick up the phone.”
As mentioned, Craig will welcome special guests at times, and on the premiere episode, he was joined by good friend and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, as well as Danny Trolaro, the Assistant Executive Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling and someone who also once struggled with gambling addiction.
“Gambling is one of those thing that grabs a hold of you, and you don’t see it in yourself until it’s too late,” Trolaro said. “Studies show that 90 out of every 100 people can gamble responsibly, but those other 10 can experience problems all along to the continuum. But it’s very tricky to approach someone, because the gambler doesn’t know how much they’re going to win, how often they’re going to win, or when it’s going to happen – they just know it will, and that will erase all the bad memories.”
Both Christie and Trolaro relived their attempts to help Craig realize he had a gambling problem years ago, with Trolaro revealing one of the warning signs within Craig that made him worry.
“All you used to tell me was about how much money you were winning, but you would never say anything about how much you were losing,” Trolaro said. “Some of the language you were using worried me, and you love the person, but you don’t love the behavior.”
“You were reluctant, as I recall, to give me exact amounts, until I pushed you,” Christie added. “It was clearly giving you something else for your radio show. I think one of the things people discount about you at your worst times is that you were much more focused on your career than your gambling – it gave you bits, and it gave you the chance to mask it under the guise of being a bit for the show.”
Craig recalled the night he guaranteed Boomer Esiason he could turn $10,000 into $25K, and actually made over $80K, and how it affected his ego and played into his disease – and how those wins were indeed the driver for its continuance.
“I went through a period in 2016 where I won a lot, and sometimes I look back at those moments and wonder if I would have continued had I actually lost a substantial amount of money,” Craig replied. “Of course I had multi-million dollar wins, but I also had multi-million dollar losses – and who wants to talk about the losses?”
“A lot of people call our helpline and say that they started gambling at a young age, and had a big win early,” Trolaro replied. “Those are two of the biggest risk factors down the road to addiction, and at a young age, a big win doesn’t have to be a million dollars; it can be $50, or even just spending time with a loved one you don’t get much time with, but doing it in a gambling environment.”
New Jersey is now one of the many states that has legalized online gambling, and Christie explained why it was important during his tenure as Governor to make sure any entity with a casino license also contributed to responsible gambling initiatives.
“We know that with everything you do in government, there are intended results and unintended consequences,” Christie said. “Those who are participating in that industry who benefit from the good things that happen also have to help contribute to those who suffer from the collateral consequences of that industry, and we have a responsibility to help people who can’t do it responsibly.”
Craig also apologized to Christie and thanked him for sticking by his side, and the former Governor responded with a strong statement that exemplifies the best way to come to terms with trying to save a loved one from what Craig called “a terrible rabbit hole.”
“I was frustrated, and I was scared,” Christie said. “What concerned me the most was the ramifications of your conduct if you couldn’t get it under control, and we saw the beginning of that on Sept. 6, 2017. It was always a fear for my friend that I didn’t want him to go to a dark place and take away a lot of the great things in his life.”
There is help out there, although Trolaro admitted that even though his Council is thankful for Christie’s legislation funding them, help can still be hard to find if you don’t know where to look.
“We’re thankful for legislation that requires funds directed to us,” Trolaro said, “but I think we’ve started moving from ‘what can we do?’ to ‘what more can we do?’ New Jersey is looked at as a pioneer in gambling, but there needs to be more done. We have a lot of people coming into the state to generate revenue, but there are still a number of people falling by the wayside – and their families. It’s hard to combat the marketing budgets of the big entities, so that’s why we try so hard to put ourselves out there as somewhere to help. Hopefully, this show can help towards that.”
And if you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to 1-800-GAMBLER.
“We are a referral helpline available 24/7, and we field calls from all around the country. When someone calls in, the phone will be answered by a live person who will show compassion,” Trolaro said. “They will ask tough questions, but everything is confidential. We are not Gamblers Anonymous, but we will refer people to GA meetings in their area, or to a licensed clinician. We try to connect people with services that can help them best.”
Listen to the entire episode of “Hello, My Name is Craig” below.
Follow Craig Carton on Twitter: @Craigcartonlive
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch