i feel so down at the moment. i just turned 35 and am female and over the past year gambled away all my savings. the amount i lost is more than a years salary to most people. now i have nothing. i am overdrawn. i hate looking at my bank balance when before i used to be proud of my savings and was so close to affording a deposit to buy my first apartment. Now at this rate i will be living with my parents until i am 50. for the first time ever i have asked a few friends if i can borrow some money to stop me from being overdrawn and to start over again as i don't want to gamble anymore. but i can tell they are very reluctant to lend me anything. so i have cope with being overdrawn until my next payday
what the hell have i done?? it feels like a nightmare. i have no life. i feel so alone. i can't tell my family, no way, they are quite traditional and will never understand especially the amount i have lost. i have applied for counselling, just waiting to hear back. has anyone been in a similar situation and will it get better because it doesn't feel like it will.
Hi Smallie
If you seek help it will get better. Its a shame you cant tell your parents i get the impression you need someone to take control of your finances. Big shock to the system but thats how its got to be for me after 40 years of gambling and the debt my addiction created. Im 91 days GF and before i contacted Gamcare i felt every bit as bad as youre feeling right now.
Im glad youve applied for counselling and i would suggest you do self exclusion too. If there is a GA meeting near you i think it would help if you went along. In my experience it does get better after every gamble free day. Not waking up to thinking about how much you lost yesterday,the stress and of course the deceit that goes hand in hand with compulsive gambling.I think it might also benefit you joining the Gamcare chatline if you can where you can get help and support from both men and women with the same addiction.
Kind Regards
AL
It will stop when you really want it to stop and that in turn means stepping out of the comfort zone. Honesty with those around you relieves you of the burden of juggling the lies you've told and makes it very much harder for you to gamble in secret.
Bailouts won't help you in the long term. Take the steps to put proper blocks into place now and start addressing what's driving the compulsion. Nothing changes if nothing changes.
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