Born to Lose

"My history of gambling really began before I was born." So opens Bill Lee's self-told story of gambling addiction, which is set in San Francisco's Chinatown and steeped in a culture where it is not unheard of for gamblers to lose their children to a bet. From wagering away his beloved baseball card collection in third grade to forfeiting everything he owned at blackjack tables in Las Vegas, every new and terrifying loss validated Lee's feelings of worthlessness. With gritty honesty and true humility, Lee describes what gambling addiction feels like and looks like from the inside. "Everything was a blur to me," Lee writes about a gambling jag that brought him to financial ruin. "I was in such a reckless and self-destructive frame of mind that I would have bet my life if required. In a way, that's what I was doing. I was that far gone from reality." In the end, however, Born to Lose is a memoir of hope as Lee reveals how recovery from his gambling addiction has been possible through the Twelve Step program.

First sentence: I could barely keep my eyes open as I gently shook the tiny handbell at 8:03 P.M. to officially start the meeting.

Year

2005

Language

English

Publisher

Hazelden

Editions

3

Pages

256

ISBN

9781592851539

Data source: Wikidata