There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Phil Mickelson and his addiction to gambling and now he is finally addressing the issue.
In a recent interview, Mickelson talked about how gambling almost destroyed his life.
He opened up on social media about his struggles.
“Most of you will enjoy this football season with moderation while having lots of fun and entertainment,” the six-time major winner wrote. “The fantasy leagues will provide banter amongst friends and money won or lost betting won’t affect you.”
Mickelson said his addiction is so strong he decided not to even take a chance and bet on pro football this year.
He said what used to be fun for him turned into an addiction which really wasn’t fun for him anymore.
“The money wasn’t ever the issue,” he explained Since our financial security has never been threatened, but I was so distracted I wasn’t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm.”
“This lack of presence has been so hurtful. ‘You’re here but you’re not with us,’ is something I’ve been told often throughout my addiction. It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand. It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m 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,” Mickelson added.
Mickelson also praised his wife Amy for helping him get through his darkest hour.
“I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can,” he said.
