Cryptocurrency addiction almost deprived an American of his wife, children and home

A father of two addicted to crypto trading admitted that he could have lost his family forever because of his unhealthy desire to make money on digital assets. The man currently owes $ 180,000, which he borrowed to invest in cryptocurrencies.

Posting his story on the r/relationship advice subreddit on February 21, Reddit user «Leather_Opposite2135» said that he started getting into crypto trading in 2021.

«It started as an experiment, I was very curious to learn how everything works. I joined several channels on Discord where I learned how people trade BTC and was immediately hooked,» Leather_Opposite2135 wrote.

In a year, the man spent $ 50,000 on buying cryptocurrencies, initially with funds coming from his software development business. «Another year passed, and things got really bad,» Leather said, noting that his addiction began to worsen when he started borrowing money from friends and using credit cards.

In addition to borrowing, the trader tried to make money by gambling (gambling for money). «I used to play on my phone when I went to the bathroom while the kids were sleeping. I also played on the computer when I wasn’t busy with work.»

According to Leather, about three weeks ago, he finally confessed the debt to his wife. Apparently, the woman reacted negatively to the news, threatening to leave him and sue him for the house they shared.

Since then, the user has banned himself from using cryptocurrencies, transferred control of his trading accounts to his wife, and visits a gambling addiction counselor on a weekly basis. «Emotionally, I was confused for the first 2 weeks. A voice inside me kept telling me to follow the graphs of token growth and decline,» Leather said.

At the time of writing, the user has deleted his post on Reddit. This is not the first and not the last story that draws users' attention to the dangers of crypto trading addiction and the importance of wisely distributing their investments.

Rehabilitation centers around the world are adding crypto trading addiction to the list of services for the treatment of compulsive habits, along with alcohol and drugs. According to statistics collected by professional psychiatrists dealing with crypto addiction, about 1% of traders have a serious pathological craving for daily asset purchases. Another 10%, in addition to financial losses, lose their families and friendships. Doctors emphasize that if a trader constantly checks the prices of virtual assets on the Internet, especially at night, they should immediately seek help.