National

“I Woke Up Every Morning Thinking About Gambling”

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – For more than four decades, Paula Dean has worn a nurse’s uniform and her career has been expansive stretching from pediatrics to mental health.

Published

1 year ago

April 24, 2025

Delvardo Emmanuel

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – For more than four decades, Paula Dean has worn a nurse’s uniform and her career has been expansive stretching from pediatrics to mental health.

Today, at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Center, she’s a senior nursing officer helping others find freedom from the grip of addiction.

But what many don’t see is the painful journey that led her here.

She describes it as a deeply personal battle that almost cost her everything, that’s when Dean says she got into internet gaming.

Her vice of choice? Spinning.

In her estimation, Dean says she lost over $200,000 but more importantly, she lost precious time with her family.

At one point, she lied to her own children after spending their entire vacation fund.

But Paula’s story didn’t end in defeat. It changed with faith, with family, with one pastor who didn’t give up on her when others did.

Sixteen years clean, she’s now a certified gambling addiction specialist and an international certified addiction professional, helping others walk the road she once feared she’d never escape.