Miner digs deep to solve gambling addiction_美文

Miner digs deep to solve gambling addiction

"Although I no longer made business trips, gambling friends were still making their phone calls, and I found their requests hard to refuse," Zhang said.

But he was already determined to quit gambling.

Zhang said he seriously considered moving his family to a neighboring province to keep himself away from gambling.

In September 2009, Zhang decided to become a miner in the Fengchun Coal Mine.

"I noticed the miners that passed by my grocery shops every day after work. Their lives seemed easy and pure to me," Zhang said. "More important, I have reasons to turn down gambling calls as I have a regular job to do."

But when Zhang announced his decision to his family, it came as a shock.

"They thought I was crazy. My parents said they would never let me do it. But I said I had already decided."

However, when Zhang started his job as a miner and was responsible for the gas emissions at the pits, he found the miner's job was not as easy as he had imagined.

His initial days were difficult and he got no respect from his superiors and co-workers due to his lack of skills and the fact he wasn't forced to be a miner.

Due to his inexperience, Zhang's life was endangered on several occasions.

However, over the past three years, Zhang went from a fresh hand to one of the most experienced workers in the mine.

He has developed a reputation among the miners for his endurance and courage, and is now the best-paid miner on his team and has been entrusted with difficult and dangerous missions.