The Silent Struggle with Sports Betting Addiction: A Life Story
The Hidden Ticket
[{'start': '0.160', 'end': '4.600', 'text': 'Mark was the kind of guy everyone liked.'}, {'start': '2.560', 'end': '6.480', 'text': "Quiet, dependable, worked hard, didn't"}, {'start': '4.600', 'end': '8.720', 'text': "complain. He'd been on the same"}, {'start': '6.480', 'end': '11.040', 'text': 'construction crew for nearly 6 years,'}, {'start': '8.720', 'end': '13.280', 'text': 'waking up before sunrise, throwing on'}, {'start': '11.040', 'end': '15.120', 'text': 'his boots, and heading out into the cold'}, {'start': '13.280', 'end': '17.520', 'text': 'with a thermos of black coffee and a'}, {'start': '15.120', 'end': '20.640', 'text': "mind full of routine. He wasn't rich,"}, {'start': '17.520', 'end': '23.840', 'text': 'but he was proud. He paid his bills. He'}, {'start': '20.640', 'end': '26.080', 'text': "showed up. He didn't need much. On"}, {'start': '23.840', 'end': '28.240', 'text': 'Sundays, football was his escape. It'}, {'start': '26.080', 'end': '30.240', 'text': 'always had been. the one place where the'}, {'start': '28.240', 'end': '32.000', 'text': 'chaos of life could be pushed aside for'}, {'start': '30.240', 'end': '35.200', 'text': 'a few hours of yelling at the screen'}, {'start': '32.000', 'end': '37.840', 'text': 'with a beer in hand. When fantasy'}, {'start': '35.200', 'end': '40.600', 'text': 'football became mainstream, he joined a'}, {'start': '37.840', 'end': '44.399', 'text': 'few leagues for fun. Trash talk with'}, {'start': '40.600', 'end': '46.280', 'text': 'co-workers, small bets, nothing serious,'}, {'start': '44.399', 'end': '48.600', 'text': 'just something to make the games more'}, {'start': '46.280', 'end': '50.559', 'text': 'exciting. Then came'}, {'start': '48.600', 'end': '52.640', 'text': 'DraftKings. At first, it was just'}, {'start': '50.559', 'end': '54.879', 'text': 'another app, another way to engage with'}, {'start': '52.640', 'end': '57.199', 'text': 'the game. He liked that he could pick'}, {'start': '54.879', 'end': '59.680', 'text': 'new players every week. It felt like'}, {'start': '57.199', 'end': '62.160', 'text': 'strategy, like control, like he could'}, {'start': '59.680', 'end': '65.680', 'text': 'outsmart the system. And when he won'}, {'start': '62.160', 'end': '68.720', 'text': '$180 on a $20 entry, something inside'}, {'start': '65.680', 'end': '71.280', 'text': "him clicked. He felt powerful, like he'd"}, {'start': '68.720', 'end': '73.119', 'text': 'finally found a way to beat the grind.'}, {'start': '71.280', 'end': '75.680', 'text': 'That week, he bought steak instead of'}, {'start': '73.119', 'end': '78.240', 'text': 'frozen pizza, put gas in the truck'}, {'start': '75.680', 'end': '81.520', 'text': 'without checking his balance first. It'}, {'start': '78.240', 'end': '83.600', 'text': 'felt good. It felt like freedom. He'}, {'start': '81.520', 'end': '87.439', 'text': 'started playing every Sunday, then'}, {'start': '83.600', 'end': '90.119', 'text': 'Monday nights, then Thursday, too. Soon,'}, {'start': '87.439', 'end': '92.600', 'text': "it wasn't just one lineup. It was"}, {'start': '90.119', 'end': '94.960', 'text': 'dozens. He watched player stats'}, {'start': '92.600', 'end': '97.200', 'text': 'obsessively, watched injury reports like'}, {'start': '94.960', 'end': '100.000', 'text': 'a stock broker scanning the market. He'}, {'start': '97.200', 'end': '101.520', 'text': 'told himself it was still just fun. But'}, {'start': '100.000', 'end': '105.040', 'text': 'somewhere in the middle of that first'}, {'start': '101.520', 'end': '108.000', 'text': 'NFL season, the fun stopped. He started'}, {'start': '105.040', 'end': '111.040', 'text': 'losing. lineups that looked solid fell'}, {'start': '108.000', 'end': '113.680', 'text': 'apart with one injury, one interception,'}, {'start': '111.040', 'end': '116.399', 'text': "one unexpected blowout. But he didn't"}, {'start': '113.680', 'end': '119.040', 'text': 'walk away. He doubled down, entered'}, {'start': '116.399', 'end': '120.479', 'text': 'bigger contests, started playing NBA'}, {'start': '119.040', 'end': '123.840', 'text': "fantasy, even though he didn't watch"}, {'start': '120.479', 'end': '126.159', 'text': 'basketball, then MLB, golf, anything'}, {'start': '123.840', 'end': '128.720', 'text': 'with a scoreboard. He began chasing the'}, {'start': '126.159', 'end': '131.599', 'text': 'high of that first win, and losing more'}, {'start': '128.720', 'end': '134.480', 'text': 'than he wanted to admit. Rent was late'}, {'start': '131.599', 'end': '136.920', 'text': 'twice that fall. He blamed it on payroll'}, {'start': '134.480', 'end': '139.800', 'text': 'errors. His girlfriend noticed the'}, {'start': '136.920', 'end': '143.040', 'text': 'change. He was more distant, more on'}, {'start': '139.800', 'end': '145.520', 'text': 'edge. She asked if everything was okay.'}, {'start': '143.040', 'end': '148.480', 'text': 'He said work was stressful. That was'}, {'start': '145.520', 'end': '149.760', 'text': 'true, but not in the way she thought. By'}, {'start': '148.480', 'end': '152.080', 'text': "Christmas, he'd blown through his"}, {'start': '149.760', 'end': '154.000', 'text': "savings account. By New Year's, he was"}, {'start': '152.080', 'end': '156.800', 'text': 'taking cash advances on his credit card'}, {'start': '154.000', 'end': '160.080', 'text': "to enter high stakes contests. He wasn't"}, {'start': '156.800', 'end': '162.160', 'text': 'betting anymore. He was drowning. But he'}, {'start': '160.080', 'end': '165.280', 'text': 'still told himself it was temporary,'}, {'start': '162.160', 'end': '167.480', 'text': "that he'd hit again, that he was due,"}, {'start': '165.280', 'end': '169.760', 'text': "that next week's lineup would change"}, {'start': '167.480', 'end': '171.599', 'text': "everything. It's strange how fast you"}, {'start': '169.760', 'end': '174.160', 'text': 'can lose yourself without even realizing'}, {'start': '171.599', 'end': '175.599', 'text': 'it. Mark used to come home from work and'}, {'start': '174.160', 'end': '177.519', 'text': 'sit at the kitchen table with his'}, {'start': '175.599', 'end': '179.200', 'text': 'girlfriend, sharing leftovers and'}, {'start': '177.519', 'end': '181.360', 'text': "laughing about the crew's nonsense on"}, {'start': '179.200', 'end': '184.000', 'text': 'the job site. Now he came home later'}, {'start': '181.360', 'end': '186.400', 'text': 'than usual, phone glued to his hand,'}, {'start': '184.000', 'end': '188.400', 'text': 'eyes distant, fingers twitching with the'}, {'start': '186.400', 'end': '191.200', 'text': 'muscle memory of setting fantasy lineups'}, {'start': '188.400', 'end': '193.360', 'text': 'and refreshing live stats. He stopped'}, {'start': '191.200', 'end': '195.440', 'text': 'eating with her, stopped watching shows'}, {'start': '193.360', 'end': '198.000', 'text': 'they used to binge together, stopped'}, {'start': '195.440', 'end': '200.319', 'text': 'talking, but he always had reasons. Work'}, {'start': '198.000', 'end': '202.640', 'text': 'was heavy. He was tired. He needed'}, {'start': '200.319', 'end': '204.879', 'text': "space. The truth was he couldn't sit"}, {'start': '202.640', 'end': '207.200', 'text': 'still anymore. Not while games were'}, {'start': '204.879', 'end': '209.519', 'text': 'live. Not while thousands of entries'}, {'start': '207.200', 'end': '211.720', 'text': 'were being settled and his next hit or'}, {'start': '209.519', 'end': '214.400', 'text': 'next disaster was playing out in real'}, {'start': '211.720', 'end': '218.319', 'text': "time. By mid-season, Mark wasn't just"}, {'start': '214.400', 'end': '220.799', 'text': 'chasing losses. He was chasing silence.'}, {'start': '218.319', 'end': '224.239', 'text': 'He needed the noise of the game, the'}, {'start': '220.799', 'end': '225.920', 'text': 'flood of stats, the flicker of scores.'}, {'start': '224.239', 'end': '229.200', 'text': 'Because in the silence, he had to face'}, {'start': '225.920', 'end': '231.440', 'text': 'himself. And that was too much. Every'}, {'start': '229.200', 'end': '235.200', 'text': 'Sunday, he woke up with that nod in his'}, {'start': '231.440', 'end': '237.040', 'text': 'stomach. Part excitement, part dread.'}, {'start': '235.200', 'end': '240.439', 'text': "He'd load the app before his feet hit"}, {'start': '237.040', 'end': '244.560', 'text': 'the floor. Contest entries, injury'}, {'start': '240.439', 'end': '247.360', 'text': 'updates, player values, lineup locks.'}, {'start': '244.560', 'end': '250.000', 'text': 'The ritual was no longer thrilling. It'}, {'start': '247.360', 'end': '254.000', 'text': 'was compulsive. And when his lineups'}, {'start': '250.000', 'end': '256.799', 'text': 'tanked again and again and again, he'}, {'start': '254.000', 'end': '259.040', 'text': "didn't react with anger anymore. He just"}, {'start': '256.799', 'end': '260.639', 'text': 'sat there numb, scrolling through the'}, {'start': '259.040', 'end': '263.520', 'text': 'carnage like a man reviewing the'}, {'start': '260.639', 'end': '265.919', 'text': 'wreckage of his own choices. He began'}, {'start': '263.520', 'end': '269.040', 'text': 'hiding his phone screen like a cheater,'}, {'start': '265.919', 'end': '271.040', 'text': 'clearing tabs, deleting notifications,'}, {'start': '269.040', 'end': '273.199', 'text': "turning his volume down so she wouldn't"}, {'start': '271.040', 'end': '274.639', 'text': 'hear the app sounds. One night, while'}, {'start': '273.199', 'end': '276.160', 'text': 'brushing her teeth, his girlfriend'}, {'start': '274.639', 'end': '279.199', 'text': 'noticed their internet banking app'}, {'start': '276.160', 'end': '281.759', 'text': 'showed an unusual withdrawal. $200 from'}, {'start': '279.199', 'end': '284.840', 'text': 'a PayPal account they barely used.'}, {'start': '281.759', 'end': '288.880', 'text': '"What\'s this?" she asked, holding up her'}, {'start': '284.840', 'end': '291.360', 'text': 'phone. Mark froze. For a second, he'}, {'start': '288.880', 'end': '293.919', 'text': 'considered telling the truth. the real'}, {'start': '291.360', 'end': '295.680', 'text': 'truth. But his brain jumped to excuses'}, {'start': '293.919', 'end': '299.840', 'text': 'faster than his conscience could stop'}, {'start': '295.680', 'end': '302.160', 'text': 'him. "Oh," he said. "That\'s for tires.'}, {'start': '299.840', 'end': '305.440', 'text': 'Buddy of mine was selling a set. I paid'}, {'start': '302.160', 'end': '307.600', 'text': 'him through PayPal." She nodded slowly,'}, {'start': '305.440', 'end': '309.680', 'text': 'said nothing, but he saw the look in her'}, {'start': '307.600', 'end': '311.440', 'text': 'eyes. It was the look of someone'}, {'start': '309.680', 'end': '313.600', 'text': 'clocking the first real crack in the'}, {'start': '311.440', 'end': '316.720', 'text': 'wall. The first moment where trust'}, {'start': '313.600', 'end': '318.880', 'text': 'shifts into suspicion. That night, Mark'}, {'start': '316.720', 'end': '320.720', 'text': "couldn't sleep. He stayed up in the"}, {'start': '318.880', 'end': '322.479', 'text': 'living room pretending to watch Sports'}, {'start': '320.720', 'end': '324.960', 'text': 'Center while cycling through contests'}, {'start': '322.479', 'end': '327.360', 'text': 'for the next day. His bank account was'}, {'start': '324.960', 'end': '330.080', 'text': 'almost empty, credit card balance'}, {'start': '327.360', 'end': '332.720', 'text': 'climbing fast. But he still entered a'}, {'start': '330.080', 'end': '335.280', 'text': 'dozen lineups, still clicked confirm'}, {'start': '332.720', 'end': '337.680', 'text': 'like it was a life raft. He told himself'}, {'start': '335.280', 'end': '340.560', 'text': 'he had no choice, that a win would fix'}, {'start': '337.680', 'end': '342.400', 'text': 'everything. That this was survival. But'}, {'start': '340.560', 'end': '346.240', 'text': 'deep down, a darker thought had started'}, {'start': '342.400', 'end': '347.880', 'text': 'to grow. What if I never get back? Mark'}, {'start': '346.240', 'end': '350.880', 'text': "didn't notice when his world started"}, {'start': '347.880', 'end': '352.199', 'text': "shrinking. It didn't happen all at once."}, {'start': '350.880', 'end': '354.720', 'text': 'It happened'}, {'start': '352.199', 'end': '356.960', 'text': 'quietly. He stopped showing up to poker'}, {'start': '354.720', 'end': '359.759', 'text': 'night with the guys. Stopped responding'}, {'start': '356.960', 'end': '362.400', 'text': 'to group texts. When his mother called'}, {'start': '359.759', 'end': '364.639', 'text': "on Sundays, he let it ring. He couldn't"}, {'start': '362.400', 'end': '366.800', 'text': "deal with small talk. Couldn't pretend"}, {'start': '364.639', 'end': '368.160', 'text': "things were okay. Couldn't lie to the"}, {'start': '366.800', 'end': '370.639', 'text': 'one person who always knew when'}, {'start': '368.160', 'end': '373.680', 'text': 'something was off. At work, he started'}, {'start': '370.639', 'end': '376.160', 'text': 'making mistakes. Simple ones at first.'}, {'start': '373.680', 'end': '378.199', 'text': 'measuring twice, cutting wrong,'}, {'start': '376.160', 'end': '380.560', 'text': 'forgetting which unit needed'}, {'start': '378.199', 'end': '383.680', 'text': 'drywall. His foreman pulled him aside'}, {'start': '380.560', 'end': '386.319', 'text': 'one morning and said, "You good, man?'}, {'start': '383.680', 'end': '390.400', 'text': 'You\'ve been somewhere else lately?" Mark'}, {'start': '386.319', 'end': '393.360', 'text': 'laughed it off. Just tired, he said. But'}, {'start': '390.400', 'end': '395.840', 'text': "he wasn't tired. He was unraveling."}, {'start': '393.360', 'end': '398.080', 'text': 'Every night he sat in the dark, face lit'}, {'start': '395.840', 'end': '400.479', 'text': 'by his phone screen, scrolling through'}, {'start': '398.080', 'end': '402.800', 'text': 'fantasy projections, player injuries,'}, {'start': '400.479', 'end': '404.639', 'text': 'betting advice forums, trying to find'}, {'start': '402.800', 'end': '406.960', 'text': 'the one perfect lineup that would'}, {'start': '404.639', 'end': '408.840', 'text': 'finally turn it around. And every'}, {'start': '406.960', 'end': '412.160', 'text': "morning, he'd wake up a little more"}, {'start': '408.840', 'end': '415.360', 'text': 'hollow, a little more lost. His'}, {'start': '412.160', 'end': '417.919', 'text': 'girlfriend had grown distant, too. She'}, {'start': '415.360', 'end': '420.400', 'text': 'stopped asking questions, stopped'}, {'start': '417.919', 'end': '422.000', 'text': 'sitting next to him on the couch. She'}, {'start': '420.400', 'end': '425.560', 'text': 'used to reach for his hand while they'}, {'start': '422.000', 'end': '428.160', 'text': 'watched movies. Now she watched movies'}, {'start': '425.560', 'end': '430.319', 'text': 'alone. One night while he sat silently'}, {'start': '428.160', 'end': '432.039', 'text': 'in bed with his phone, she whispered,'}, {'start': '430.319', 'end': '434.960', 'text': '"Do you even see me'}, {'start': '432.039', 'end': '437.759', 'text': 'anymore?" Mark didn\'t answer. Not'}, {'start': '434.960', 'end': '439.440', 'text': "because he didn't care, but because he"}, {'start': '437.759', 'end': '442.240', 'text': "didn't know how to explain the war"}, {'start': '439.440', 'end': '445.120', 'text': 'happening inside his chest. He hated'}, {'start': '442.240', 'end': '448.240', 'text': "himself for what he'd become, for the"}, {'start': '445.120', 'end': '450.319', 'text': "lies, for the secrecy, for the way he'd"}, {'start': '448.240', 'end': '453.280', 'text': 'traded time with her for a dopamine hit'}, {'start': '450.319', 'end': '455.360', 'text': 'from a fake roster on a screen. But the'}, {'start': '453.280', 'end': '457.919', 'text': 'shame was so heavy that he just sat'}, {'start': '455.360', 'end': '460.360', 'text': "there pretending he hadn't heard. That"}, {'start': '457.919', 'end': '463.440', 'text': 'weekend, he entered a massive $500'}, {'start': '460.360', 'end': '466.000', 'text': "contest. He didn't have $500, so he used"}, {'start': '463.440', 'end': '468.880', 'text': 'a cash advance. He told himself this was'}, {'start': '466.000', 'end': '470.880', 'text': 'the big one, the turnaround. He spent 6'}, {'start': '468.880', 'end': '473.440', 'text': 'hours analyzing matchups, weather'}, {'start': '470.880', 'end': '475.919', 'text': 'reports, betting lines. He skipped'}, {'start': '473.440', 'end': '477.639', 'text': "dinner, forgot to drink water, didn't"}, {'start': '475.919', 'end': '480.240', 'text': 'speak a word to his girlfriend all'}, {'start': '477.639', 'end': '482.240', 'text': 'night. And when his primary running back'}, {'start': '480.240', 'end': '484.960', 'text': 'got injured in the first quarter,'}, {'start': '482.240', 'end': '486.479', 'text': 'everything inside him collapsed. He'}, {'start': '484.960', 'end': '488.960', 'text': 'stared at the screen like it had'}, {'start': '486.479', 'end': '491.080', 'text': 'betrayed him, like the app owed him'}, {'start': '488.960', 'end': '494.879', 'text': 'something. But all it did was update the'}, {'start': '491.080', 'end': '497.879', 'text': 'stats brutally, unforgiving.'}, {'start': '494.879', 'end': '500.560', 'text': 'He was down again and deeper than'}, {'start': '497.879', 'end': '502.360', 'text': 'ever. That night, he punched the wall in'}, {'start': '500.560', 'end': '505.960', 'text': 'the bathroom until his knuckles split'}, {'start': '502.360', 'end': '509.240', 'text': "open. He didn't feel the pain, only the"}, {'start': '505.960', 'end': '511.599', 'text': 'silence, the familiar, suffocating'}, {'start': '509.240', 'end': '514.479', 'text': 'silence. When his girlfriend found him'}, {'start': '511.599', 'end': '517.839', 'text': 'sitting on the floor, blood on his hand,'}, {'start': '514.479', 'end': '521.200', 'text': "phone by his side, she didn't scream."}, {'start': '517.839', 'end': '522.880', 'text': "She didn't cry. She just stood there"}, {'start': '521.200', 'end': '524.720', 'text': "staring at him like she didn't recognize"}, {'start': '522.880', 'end': '527.839', 'text': 'the man in front of her.'}, {'start': '524.720', 'end': '531.279', 'text': "because she didn't and neither did he."}, {'start': '527.839', 'end': '534.839', 'text': 'She left the next morning, no screaming,'}, {'start': '531.279', 'end': '537.680', 'text': 'no long speech, no begging him to'}, {'start': '534.839', 'end': '540.080', 'text': 'change. Just a quiet, careful packing of'}, {'start': '537.680', 'end': '542.000', 'text': 'her things while Mark sat on the edge of'}, {'start': '540.080', 'end': '545.000', 'text': 'the bed, staring at the floor like if he'}, {'start': '542.000', 'end': '548.560', 'text': 'stayed still long enough, reality might'}, {'start': '545.000', 'end': '549.839', 'text': 'freeze. The last thing she said was, "I'}, {'start': '548.560', 'end': '551.440', 'text': "don't even think you know who you are"}, {'start': '549.839', 'end': '553.680', 'text': 'anymore."'}, {'start': '551.440', 'end': '555.399', 'text': 'Then she closed the door behind her and'}, {'start': '553.680', 'end': '558.920', 'text': "the silence that followed wasn't"}, {'start': '555.399', 'end': '562.399', 'text': 'peaceful. It was heavy. It was'}, {'start': '558.920', 'end': '565.080', 'text': 'final. Mark sat there for hours. Not'}, {'start': '562.399', 'end': '567.360', 'text': 'moving, not thinking, just'}, {'start': '565.080', 'end': '570.399', 'text': 'suspended. At some point, he opened the'}, {'start': '567.360', 'end': '572.839', 'text': 'DraftKings app again, not to win, not'}, {'start': '570.399', 'end': '575.200', 'text': 'even to play, just to feel something'}, {'start': '572.839', 'end': '577.040', 'text': 'familiar. Because even pain was better'}, {'start': '575.200', 'end': '578.640', 'text': 'than the emptiness now settling in his'}, {'start': '577.040', 'end': '580.880', 'text': 'chest.'}, {'start': '578.640', 'end': '583.240', 'text': 'That week, he barely showed up to work.'}, {'start': '580.880', 'end': '585.680', 'text': 'When he did, he was sloppy,'}, {'start': '583.240', 'end': '587.600', 'text': 'distracted. He dropped a drywall panel'}, {'start': '585.680', 'end': '591.200', 'text': "on his foot and didn't even curse,"}, {'start': '587.600', 'end': '593.279', 'text': "didn't flinch, didn't care. By Friday,"}, {'start': '591.200', 'end': '594.880', 'text': 'his foreman pulled him aside again.'}, {'start': '593.279', 'end': '597.040', 'text': "Whatever you've got going on, it's"}, {'start': '594.880', 'end': '599.839', 'text': 'bleeding all over your work. Either'}, {'start': '597.040', 'end': '602.800', 'text': "handle it or don't come back Monday."}, {'start': '599.839', 'end': '605.760', 'text': "Mark just nodded. Didn't fight it."}, {'start': '602.800', 'end': '607.839', 'text': "Didn't explain. How do you explain that"}, {'start': '605.760', 'end': '610.000', 'text': 'your brain is so fried from the noise in'}, {'start': '607.839', 'end': '612.399', 'text': "your own head that you can't even hold a"}, {'start': '610.000', 'end': '614.399', 'text': 'hammer straight? He went home that night'}, {'start': '612.399', 'end': '617.519', 'text': 'to an apartment that no longer felt like'}, {'start': '614.399', 'end': '620.000', 'text': 'a home. Her photos were gone. The'}, {'start': '617.519', 'end': '622.480', 'text': 'drawers she used were empty. There was a'}, {'start': '620.000', 'end': '625.120', 'text': 'note on the counter, folded once, that'}, {'start': '622.480', 'end': '627.200', 'text': "he didn't read until hours later. I love"}, {'start': '625.120', 'end': '628.600', 'text': "you, but I can't compete with something"}, {'start': '627.200', 'end': '631.680', 'text': "that's not"}, {'start': '628.600', 'end': '635.920', 'text': 'real. That was what broke him. Not the'}, {'start': '631.680', 'end': '638.399', 'text': 'money, not the app, not even the shame.'}, {'start': '635.920', 'end': '641.040', 'text': 'It was the truth in that sentence.'}, {'start': '638.399', 'end': '642.800', 'text': "Because that's exactly what it was. He"}, {'start': '641.040', 'end': '646.320', 'text': "had been chasing something that wasn't"}, {'start': '642.800', 'end': '649.880', 'text': 'real. Fake teams, fake wins, fake'}, {'start': '646.320', 'end': '652.320', 'text': 'solutions to real pain. And the cost,'}, {'start': '649.880', 'end': '655.440', 'text': 'everything. He spent that weekend in a'}, {'start': '652.320', 'end': '658.720', 'text': 'days. No more betting, no more apps, no'}, {'start': '655.440', 'end': '661.680', 'text': "more pretending, just silence. He didn't"}, {'start': '658.720', 'end': '663.360', 'text': 'eat, barely drank water, lay on the'}, {'start': '661.680', 'end': '665.360', 'text': 'floor in his workclo because crawling'}, {'start': '663.360', 'end': '668.000', 'text': "into bed felt dishonest, like he didn't"}, {'start': '665.360', 'end': '669.760', 'text': 'deserve the comfort. At one point around'}, {'start': '668.000', 'end': '671.920', 'text': '3:00 a.m. Sunday night, he opened the'}, {'start': '669.760', 'end': '674.640', 'text': 'DraftKings app out of habit and deleted'}, {'start': '671.920', 'end': '678.720', 'text': 'it. And then he cried, "Not the angry'}, {'start': '674.640', 'end': '680.480', 'text': 'kind, not the loud kind, the quiet kind,'}, {'start': '678.720', 'end': '682.600', 'text': 'the kind that leaks out of you when your'}, {'start': '680.480', 'end': '684.800', 'text': "body's too exhausted to fake strength"}, {'start': '682.600', 'end': '687.120', 'text': 'anymore." And for the first time in'}, {'start': '684.800', 'end': '689.680', 'text': "months, Mark didn't think about winning."}, {'start': '687.120', 'end': '691.680', 'text': "He thought about surviving. Mark didn't"}, {'start': '689.680', 'end': '693.920', 'text': 'get better overnight. There was no'}, {'start': '691.680', 'end': '696.800', 'text': 'breakthrough moment, no morning where he'}, {'start': '693.920', 'end': '699.440', 'text': 'woke up full of clarity and direction.'}, {'start': '696.800', 'end': '701.519', 'text': 'What came first was the need to breathe'}, {'start': '699.440', 'end': '704.000', 'text': 'to survive another day without falling'}, {'start': '701.519', 'end': '706.640', 'text': 'back into the loop. He started by'}, {'start': '704.000', 'end': '709.839', 'text': 'writing a list. Not of goals, not of'}, {'start': '706.640', 'end': '712.640', 'text': 'dreams, just facts. Total amount he'}, {'start': '709.839', 'end': '714.880', 'text': 'owed, who he had lied to, the jobs he'}, {'start': '712.640', 'end': '718.399', 'text': 'had nearly lost, the woman he had driven'}, {'start': '714.880', 'end': '719.920', 'text': 'away. It was brutal, but it was honest.'}, {'start': '718.399', 'end': '721.640', 'text': 'For the first time in months, maybe'}, {'start': '719.920', 'end': '723.959', 'text': 'years, he faced himself without a'}, {'start': '721.640', 'end': '727.200', 'text': "filter. He didn't blame"}, {'start': '723.959', 'end': '729.839', 'text': "DraftKings, didn't blame luck, didn't"}, {'start': '727.200', 'end': '732.240', 'text': 'blame the system. He blamed the part of'}, {'start': '729.839', 'end': '734.639', 'text': 'himself that wanted shortcuts, that'}, {'start': '732.240', 'end': '737.600', 'text': "couldn't sit with discomfort, that"}, {'start': '734.639', 'end': '740.079', 'text': 'chased silence through noise. The next'}, {'start': '737.600', 'end': '743.120', 'text': 'step was even harder. He called his'}, {'start': '740.079', 'end': '746.399', 'text': "mother. She didn't answer the first time"}, {'start': '743.120', 'end': '749.839', 'text': 'or the second, but on the third, her'}, {'start': '746.399', 'end': '753.360', 'text': 'voice cracked when she said, "Mark," and'}, {'start': '749.839', 'end': '756.160', 'text': 'he broke. He told her everything. How it'}, {'start': '753.360', 'end': '758.480', 'text': 'started, how bad it got, how much he had'}, {'start': '756.160', 'end': '760.880', 'text': 'lost, and how scared he was that there'}, {'start': '758.480', 'end': '764.480', 'text': "was nothing left to save. She didn't"}, {'start': '760.880', 'end': '767.360', 'text': "yell, didn't scold. She just cried and"}, {'start': '764.480', 'end': '769.920', 'text': 'told him, "You\'re still my son. You\'re'}, {'start': '767.360', 'end': '773.200', 'text': 'still here. That\'s enough."'}, {'start': '769.920', 'end': '775.440', 'text': "It wasn't a fix, but it was a beginning."}, {'start': '773.200', 'end': '777.920', 'text': 'She helped him find a support group.'}, {'start': '775.440', 'end': '780.079', 'text': 'Other men just like him, working jobs'}, {'start': '777.920', 'end': '782.000', 'text': 'like his, living lives that looked'}, {'start': '780.079', 'end': '785.360', 'text': 'normal on the outside and burned in'}, {'start': '782.000', 'end': '789.040', 'text': 'secret behind their eyes. At first, Mark'}, {'start': '785.360', 'end': '791.600', 'text': "didn't say much. He just listened to the"}, {'start': '789.040', 'end': '794.240', 'text': 'man who lost his house, to the guy who'}, {'start': '791.600', 'end': '795.600', 'text': 'pawned his tools to make a bet. To the'}, {'start': '794.240', 'end': '797.279', 'text': "father who missed his daughter's"}, {'start': '795.600', 'end': '799.040', 'text': 'graduation because he was chasing a'}, {'start': '797.279', 'end': '802.360', 'text': 'parlay.'}, {'start': '799.040', 'end': '805.120', 'text': "And slowly he realized he wasn't"}, {'start': '802.360', 'end': '808.560', 'text': 'alone. That was the biggest lie gambling'}, {'start': '805.120', 'end': '811.519', 'text': 'ever told him, that he was different,'}, {'start': '808.560', 'end': '812.519', 'text': 'that his pain was unique, that no one'}, {'start': '811.519', 'end': '816.120', 'text': 'would'}, {'start': '812.519', 'end': '819.200', 'text': 'understand. Week by week, Mark started'}, {'start': '816.120', 'end': '821.920', 'text': 'rebuilding. He set a budget. He picked'}, {'start': '819.200', 'end': '824.560', 'text': 'up extra shifts. He started showing up'}, {'start': '821.920', 'end': '826.720', 'text': 'early instead of late. Stopped hiding'}, {'start': '824.560', 'end': '830.320', 'text': 'his phone. Started making eye contact'}, {'start': '826.720', 'end': '832.079', 'text': 'again. He even sent a message to his ex.'}, {'start': '830.320', 'end': '835.519', 'text': "Didn't ask for anything. Just told her"}, {'start': '832.079', 'end': '838.279', 'text': 'the truth, that he was sorry, that he'}, {'start': '835.519', 'end': '840.639', 'text': "was healing, that she didn't owe him"}, {'start': '838.279', 'end': '844.240', 'text': "anything, but he hoped one day she'd"}, {'start': '840.639', 'end': '848.000', 'text': "forgive him. She didn't respond, not"}, {'start': '844.240', 'end': '850.880', 'text': "right away, but he didn't expect her to."}, {'start': '848.000', 'end': '853.760', 'text': "This wasn't about winning anymore. This"}, {'start': '850.880', 'end': '857.920', 'text': 'was about reclaiming pieces of himself,'}, {'start': '853.760', 'end': '859.160', 'text': 'one honest step at a time. Today, Mark'}, {'start': '857.920', 'end': '862.079', 'text': 'still works'}, {'start': '859.160', 'end': '864.320', 'text': 'construction, still wakes up early,'}, {'start': '862.079', 'end': '866.079', 'text': 'still brings his thermos of coffee. But'}, {'start': '864.320', 'end': '868.839', 'text': 'now when he looks in the mirror, he sees'}, {'start': '866.079', 'end': '871.680', 'text': 'a man trying, really trying to be whole'}, {'start': '868.839', 'end': '875.000', 'text': "again. He doesn't gamble, doesn't"}, {'start': '871.680', 'end': '878.320', 'text': "pretend he's cured. But he fights every"}, {'start': '875.000', 'end': '880.320', 'text': "day. And for now, that's enough because"}, {'start': '878.320', 'end': '882.880', 'text': 'sometimes surviving is the bravest thing'}, {'start': '880.320', 'end': '885.440', 'text': "a man can do. You never know who's"}, {'start': '882.880', 'end': '887.839', 'text': 'silently going through the same thing.'}, {'start': '885.440', 'end': '889.680', 'text': 'If this hit home, like the video, share'}, {'start': '887.839', 'end': '893.519', 'text': 'it with someone you care about, and'}, {'start': '889.680', 'end': '893.519', 'text': 'subscribe for more stories that matter.'}]