Good morning,
Addiction doesn’t discriminate.
In 2019, around 20 million Americans, roughly 6 percent of the population, had at least one substance use disorder, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. More often than not, genetics plays a large role. Yet addiction is especially common in the startup world, with its adrenalized culture of high-stakes gambles. Entrepreneurs are three times more likely to struggle with substance abuse, according to research conducted by Michael Freeman, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine who studies entrepreneurs' mental health.
There are plenty of potential reasons why. Entrepreneurs are already apt to behave in ways that isolate them, and the very traits that impel someone to gamble on startups are also part of the picture. Just ask Stephen Hays. The Dallas area-based startup investor placed his first bet on a sports gambling website during his senior year at West Point, losing $10 on a football game. Over the next two decades, Hays became increasingly hooked on gambling, drugs, women, and work. By the time his jaunts to Las Vegas took over his life in 2018, he was visiting The Strip up to twice per week.
That year, one final, terrifying trip gave him some much-needed clarity. But getting free of his addictions and the reputation they gave him? That’s been the toughest play of all.
Read our story about to one man’s harrowing journey into and out of addiction, and how it reflects the highs and lows of the startup world. |
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