Might Bite cover art

Might Bite

The Secret Life of a Gambling Addict

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Might Bite

By: Patrick Foster
Narrated by: Ben Higgins
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.82

Buy Now for £12.82

Summary

 Bloomsbury presents Might Bite by Patrick Foster with Will Macpherson, read by Ben Higgins.

'An electrifying account of gambling addiction ... compelling' – The Times

'Searingly honest ... should be in the hands of anyone who has eyed a bet' – Daily Mail

'A remarkable piece of work' – The Cricketer

With a foreword by Marcus Trescothick.

For more than 12 years, Patrick Foster lived a double life. Turning 31, a popular and sociable young teacher and former professional cricketer, he had a lovely girlfriend and a supportive family. But he was hiding a secret and debilitating gambling addiction from even those closest to him.

Huge bets had led to huge debts, thousands of lies, and consequences for his mental health that pushed him to the edge of the platform at Slough station, where he was moments from taking his own life in March 2018.

That month Patrick had turned a £30 bet into £28,000, then lost £50,000 on a single horse, Might Bite, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, watching the race in a silent classroom as his students undertook a mock exam in front of him. In his desperation, he had taken out every possible loan, and borrowed money from family, friends and even the parents of children he taught. Although his life was unravelling around him, he could not stop.

You might think that this is just one man’s story. But problem gambling affects one in 200 people in the UK alone. Hundreds lose their lives annually as a result. The industry is worth more than £14 billion.

Might Bite is a shocking, cautionary tale of just how easy it is to fall victim to the insidious lure of ‘winning big’. And of how recovery is possible from the depths of addiction, no matter how inescapable it seems.©2022 Patrick Foster with Will Macpherson (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Addiction & Recovery Mental Health Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Health
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
A gambling addict or not, Patrick’s story can teach you a lot. Having already heard him speak at my school soon after his recovery it was great to hear the full story in this book.

Candid, powerful and honest story of addiction.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an excellent, measured, helpful story. There are too few addiction memoirs relating to gambling and I found this really interesting. It's a shame there are a few production issues, some coughs included, and a lot of audio gaps especially in chapter 6.

Useful and interesting for anyone interested in memoirs, or addiction-lit.

Great story, issues with production

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
After listening to Patrick’s talk I felt I had to listen to his story in full. I would definitely recommend this book.

What an honest account of a terrible addiction!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wish the guy who narrated it could pronounce words correctly! Really made me cringe!
Good story though, glad Patrick is contributing to the recovery of others.

Mispronounced words

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
as an ex gambler(4 years) myself this book most definitely struck a cord. Great from start to finish

inspiring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews