I’m a psychiatrist and treat a lottery winner – she’s lost and confused, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be
A TOP British psychiatrist has spoken out about how winning the lottery could change your life - for the worse.
Dr Max Pemberton warned Brits today about the devastating consequences the lottery had on one of his patients.
He described how the sudden wealth wrecked her relationships and ruined her routine, spiralling her into depression and alcoholism.
In a column for the , he wrote: "Divorce, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction and family squabbles abound."
The doc realised by listening to his patient that winning money is very different to earning it.
He explained how the winner didn't feel she deserved all her new cash - a view many of her family and friends bitterly shared.
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He said: "It creates a division between you and your existing friends and family.
"Those around you feel you don’t really deserve it any more than they do and they feel emboldened to ask you to shell out on things for them."
He wrote that his patient was bombarded with requests to fork out money and would be berated if she refused.
Another big problem the anonymous winner faced was how to fill her free time after quitting her job - a dream for many which soon became a nightmare.
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He said: "She packed it in and quickly found she didn’t know what to do with her time. She had no routine or structure."
Dr Max added how eventually his patient wasted the majority of her winnings.
He said: "My patient felt so confused and lost with her newfound wealth that she began drinking.
"She made silly investments and gave much of it away.
"Within a few years she found herself pretty much back to where she was before — only she had lost a few friends along the way and ended up depressed and suffering from a drinking problem."
Dr Max also spoke out about pressure the recent EuroMillions jackpot winner will have to cope with.
The eye-watering £184million prize was won by a lucky Brit who is now the UK's biggest ever National Lottery winner.
He said: "They are richer than Adele, for goodness’ sake."
The Sun Online has reported on many weird and whacky ways previous winners have splashed their cash.
Laura Hoyle and Kirk Stevens have been splashing their jackpot on "bucket list" ghosthunting trips, after winning £10k every month for 30 years.
In contrast, Frances and Patrick Connolly decided to give over half of their winnings to 175 people.
Meanwhile, Neil Trotter, a mechanic from Coulsdon scooped a whopping £107.9m in 2014 after telling all his friends and family that he would win big.
He spent his enormous EuroMillions win on a racecar and a mansion with a lake.
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However, his win was also tainted by jealous relationships.
A single mum demanded £100,000 of his cash claiming he fathered her child and challenging him to take a paternity test.