Phil Mickelson has opened up about his gambling addiction, saying on Monday that it was like a \u201churricane\u201d which \u201ccaused a lot of damage\u201d in his life. <\/p>\n
Mickelson, who has previously talked about his struggles with sports gambling, posted on X \u2013 formerly known as Twitter \u2013 about his journey with his addiction in reference to the beginning of the NFL season. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost of you will enjoy this football season with moderation while having lots of fun and entertainment,\u201d the six-time major winner wrote. \u201cThe fantasy leagues will provide banter amongst friends and money won or lost betting won\u2019t affect you.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mickelson explained that he has chosen to not bet on the NFL this season given how it previously affected his life and relationships. He described the issue as slipping past moderation and into addiction, \u201cwhich isn\u2019t any fun at all.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe money wasn\u2019t ever the issue since our financial security has never been threatened, but I was so distracted I wasn\u2019t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm,\u201d Mickelson added. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis lack of presence has been so hurtful. \u2018You\u2019re here but you\u2019re not with us,\u2019 is something I\u2019ve been told often throughout my addiction. It affected those I care about in ways I wasn\u2019t aware or could fully understand. It\u2019s like a hurricane is going on outside and I\u2019m isolated in a shelter oblivious to what was happening. When I came out there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it.\u201d <\/p>\n
The 53-year-old paid specific tribute to his wife Amy for helping him through his \u201cdarkest and most difficult times.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t have gotten through this without her,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for her strength in helping us get through the many challenges I\u2019ve created for us. Because of her love, support, and commitment, I\u2019m back on track to being the person I want to be.\u201d <\/p>\n
Last month, Mickelson denied claims that he considered betting on the 2012 Ryder Cup \u2013 in which he was participating. <\/p>\n
According to a book released by professional gambler Billy Walters, Walters alleges that Mickelson\u2019s gambling losses were close to $100 million and he wagered \u201ca total of more than $1 billion during the past three decades.\u201d Walters also alleges that he made over 7,000 wagers between 2010 and 2014. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it is well known that I always enjoy a friendly wager on the course, I would never undermine the integrity of the game,\u201d he wrote on X. <\/p>\n
In his post on Monday, Mickelson said that, thanks to the professional help he has received over the years for his addiction, he is \u201cnow able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I\u2019m doing it slowly and as best I can,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Mickelson went on to give his advice to others that might be struggling with gambling problems. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis football season and beyond, enjoy yourself with moderation so it doesn\u2019t detract from your ability to be present,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my experience, the moments with the ones you love will be far more remembered than any bet you win or fantasy league triumph.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mickelson did not qualify for the US team competing against Europe at the Ryder Cup in Rome later this month, and was also not selected as a captain\u2019s pick by Zach Johnson. <\/p>\n
Mickelson was one of the first of golf\u2019s superstars to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour in 2022, causing controversy at the time after choosing to join the breakaway venture rather than staying with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. <\/p>\n\n
Phil Mickelson has opened up about his gambling addiction, saying on Monday that it was like a \u201churricane\u201d which \u201ccaused a lot of damage\u201d in his life. Mickelson, who has previously talked about his struggles with sports gambling, posted on X \u2013 formerly known as Twitter \u2013 about his journey with his addiction in reference <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}