We recently connected with David Leong and have shared our conversation below.
David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Risk taking- something as a problem gambler that I was EXCELLENT at doing. I used to tell myself,” No risk, no reward,” just to justify my gambling behavior as I put in a ridiculous 5-team parlay on Saturday afternoon while watching College Football. I believe the chances of getting struck by lightning were higher, than me winning that bet. Today with almost 8 years of abstinence from my last bet, I still weigh out benefits and risks of my choices. Everything is a risk. Being vulnerable in this news article is a risk, but at what expense? If one person can learn/benefit from my story, it is a chance I am willing to take.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is David Leong and I am a compulsive gambler. I also am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and International Gambling Counselor, a multicultural twin brother, an ultra endurance athlete, and an imperfect human being. I suppose you can say I talk to people for a living and help them quit gambling at its core. I knew as I was overcoming my gambling addiction in an in-patient rehab- a social worker by the name of Dan Field saved my life from my addiction. I knew that is exactly what I wanted to do with my life after I had some time in recovery. I took a chance and applied to graduate school at Cal State Northridge, with the sole intention of helping other problem gamblers like myself. The thing I am most proud of is being a living example of how recovery does work. I dont like to tell people to do things, I like to show. Anytime a client or family sits in a session with me, I am living proof that recovery happens! Not to people who need it, but to those who truly want it. Those are my ideal clients. Ive worked with many husbands and sons whose loved ones have ” forced” them into treatment and Ive worked with individuals and families who have alot of intrinsic motivation to quit. I combine my personal experience and clinical expertise of gambling addiction to help people quit for good.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I believe that you can put all the barriers in place to prevent a compulsive gambler from relapsing, but us addicts will always find a way. I will never forget the day before I got sober from drugs and quit gambling. Once again, my mom had finished yelling at me for my wrong doings as she found my credit card statements with newly acquired balances again which had meant I was gambling. I knew I was in big shit and I went to dispose of the little sack of cocaine I had left, before my mom came to raid my room and give me the ultimatum to check in to rehab. I remember throwing the little sack of cocaine in a trashcan a few blocks away from my house so she would not find it. After I took the yelling, wrath, and belittling of my mom- my first instinct was to get high. I had no more money left to place a bet, after all I had used all my credit and burned every bridge with every bookie I knew. Of course, I could not sit with my feelings, so I walked back to that trashcan and dug out the little sack of cocaine I threw away the night before.
I remember how resilient I was to get high in those moments before checking myself into the Beit Tshuvah Right Action Gambling Program and I remember that in my everyday pursuits of life. Be obtaining almost 8 years of abstinence and sobriety is by far the greatest accomplishment I have ever achieved. Today I participate in Ultra endurance sports like Ironman Triathlon and Ultra Mountain Trail running, and hell yes I do need to channel alot of resilience for that. Quitting and staying abstinent from gambling has given the strength and confidence in myself that I can do anything and I have channeled that into challenging myself physical and mentally. This April, I cant wait to toe the line at the Arizona Monster 300- a 500km footrace across the southern part of Arizona. I still believe staying abstinent from gambling is harder than any ultra I have ever done. If thats not resilience, I dont know what is!
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Being Real. I think being a Therapist could be extremely difficult at times. Sometimes I have my doubts, such as, ” How will I be able to help these people?”. I have to recognize that I am not here to solve peoples problems, I am here to help people solve their problems. Telling myself to do the best I can, in whatever I am pursuing has been vital to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.westsidegamblingtreatment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultrasocialworker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.leong.9655/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-leong-0023a4ba/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-n3DIEQKFUHeolZfkaCZOA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stop-betting-sports-los-angeles