3 hours ago
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A former Channel 10 newsreader has bravely opened up about how his addiction issues devastated every part of his life – and how he's now reclaimed control.
Mark Aiston was a presenter on radio and TV in Australia for more than four decades, but behind the microphone and cameras, he was struggling.
'Gambling was destroying every part of my life,' he said.
'I placed my first bet at just fourteen years of age – it's a long, long time ago. And for 45 years gambling on horses, harness racing and greyhounds consumed me.
'It took my money, it took my dignity, it took my marriage. It destroyed trust with the people that mattered most to me and it affected my mental health.
'And it nearly took my life – because at my lowest point... well, you know where I'm going with that.'
Mark Aiston was a presenter on radio and TV in Australia for more than four decades, but behind the scenes was struggling with addiction issues
Aiston, who also struggled with an addiction to drugs and alcohol, quit his job at Ten in 2014 after a drunken appearance at the SA Media Awards.
He finally got clean in 2018 and is sharing his story to try and help others overcome their own struggles.
The popular presenter runs a course for gambling addicts and shares his advice with thousands of followers on TikTok.
In one video clip, he says a big sign of gambling addiction is lying to a loved one about where you've been.
'They will say "How was your afternoon, what did you do?" and might say I went to the gym and had a sauna – but I was at the TAB or the hotel and I was gambling all day,' he said.
'The number three sign that you are a gambling addict is when you say that and you don't care.'
In a video from 2023, Aiston detailed the depths of his addictions by revealing his daily drug and alcohol use when he was at his worst.
'For the last six months prior to going into rehab, this was my day. I'd go past the Arkaba (Hotel) … I'd get a little bottle of scotch, by the time I got home I'd drunk that bottle of scotch, I then had two or three glasses of red,' Aiston said.
The popular presenter says that at his lowest he thought about taking his own life
Aiston got clean in 2018 and is sharing his story to try and help others
'I'd probably been to the pub and lost $400 or $500. I then, if I had it, had a couple of lines of coke (cocaine). I'd then go to a restaurant – I'd drive, I'd f***ing drive.
'At the restaurant I'd have 3 or 4 more glasses of red, I'd go home, I'd have some more dope, I'd have some more coke, I might even sneak to the pub and lose $200 or $300.
'I loved it so much, about 11pm every night I'd throw up in the backyard, I'd collapse into my own f***ing vomit, I couldn't get up for 10 minutes.
'I'd finally get up, I'd have a shower, I'd go into bed, I wouldn't clean anything until the following morning. That's how much I f**king loved it. That's how much it f**king destroyed my life.'
If you need help, contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
