26 year old woman addicted to gambling

In desperation I started gambling on my credit card! I neglected all my bills and prioritised gambling. I didn’t make my credit card payments and just ignored the calls and letters.

The end of 2018 came and I felt so depressed I needed to make a change. I’ve signed up to Gamstop for 5 years and handed over financial responsibility to my mother. Im a grown adult and feel quite pathetic I’ve asked someone else to take care of my money. But so far it seems to be working

Well that is a brave thing to do asking family for help.

I would develop a plan, and short medium and long term goals if you want it to work. Don't just aimlessly try and stop, it won't work.

Only because the financial control thing is only a temporary measure, you can't do that forever. Look deeper into why you gamble, what triggers the urges, and how you feel while gambling. The root to these addiction is always something else... the addiction is a symptom of something.

Accept that you will sometimes slip up, and dont let it get you down. The important thing is that you are trying, and making progress. Eventually with hard wor we can all possibly beat this thing.

Good luck.

Hi Slick, I'm sure you've forgotten but I haven't. When I first joined you were the very first person to contact me. The conversation was around Gamstop and thanks to you I signed up and it's the best thing I've done as it's completely stopped me in my tracks.

Having just seen your post don't feel "pathetic" at all. It's great you have asked for help. By doing this you can't access money so you can't gamble, simple but true. Only you will know how long you need that to be in place but the longer the better if needs be. I so wish I'd seen the light at your age as it would have saved me thousands! However very well done to you and I wish you all the very best, keep going and you will win! Thank you once again for your initial response to me it's helped me so much.

Best wishes Stew

Stew wrote:

Hi Slick, I'm sure you've forgotten but I haven't. When I first joined you were the very first person to contact me. The conversation was around Gamstop and thanks to you I signed up and it's the best thing I've done as it's completely stopped me in my tracks.

Having just seen your post don't feel "pathetic" at all. It's great you have asked for help. By doing this you can't access money so you can't gamble, simple but true. Only you will know how long you need that to be in place but the longer the better if needs be. I so wish I'd seen the light at your age as it would have saved me thousands! However very well done to you and I wish you all the very best, keep going and you will win! Thank you once again for your initial response to me it's helped me so much.

Best wishes Stew

Well said Stew and well done Slick... this site will really help you, reading everyone’s posts and seeing so many people from so many backgrounds have the same addiction. You can’t beat it without support, I’ve tried to do it without blocks in place and in moments of weakness (if that’s what they are) the rug has been pulled from under my feet, too many times! I now have Gamstop in place and hope that will help. good luck and keep posting... support of each other is huge 🙂 Kaz xxx

Urgh - I used to have anorexia and that was always my coping mechanism. I no longer engage in those behaviours but replaced it with gambling!! I suspect my triggers are the same as they were back then - stress, anxiety, low mood, boredom

I can be stubborn and I hope I can put that to use in fighting the gambling urges - time will tell I guess...

Stew - I'm glad to hear your recovery is going well 🙂 Are you noticing the benefits?

Freee - What else have you found to help besides gamstop?

Thanks everyone 🙂

Hi Slick,

I agree with the others. We battle this fight day in day out and our adventures whether good or bad allow us to progress. Talking about them I feel helps with our recovery.

For me I have done the following;

1. Gamstop blocked myself for 5 years. This meant I couldn’t use online no matter if I wanted to

2. Leave my cards behind and only take a small amount of cash out with me at any time. That way I’m not tempted to spend it.

3. Talk about my issues. I have had some pretty interesting mood changes over the years. I’m sure this one you can relate to.

I also find this place is like my sanctuary. Where I am not judged nor am I any different to the rest. I try to be the best person I can be and I feel I’ve added a whole lot more since giving up gambling.

Well done also asking for help.

CJ.

Hi Slick, good to hear from you. You asked if I was seeing the benefits. Well financially things are a little better, I still owe a lot but without gambling I just about get though the month whereas previously if things went wrong which invariably they did it would be very stressful/worrying. I still think about it and would have fallen off the wagon without GAMSTOP. Overall I do feel happier in myself and enjoying life much more than previously. Slick Keep fighting and busy and taking advice and support from here and in the end you win! Positive thinking.

Best wishes Stew

Kaz thank you also for your comment about me too

Last night I really wanted to gamble. My Dad has an online account and I could have used his (with permission)

I know the trigger as to why. I am in love with someone who broke up with me a year and a half ago and I still can’t “let go”. I was thinking about it and it made me want to gamble. I didn’t gamble and instead decided to go to bed at it was gone midnight. Only when I did I cried and cried. I’m pleased with myself I didn’t give into the gambling urge but how I wish I had healthy coping skills

Hello,

I’m a year older than you and stopped gambling on 2017 after blowing a massive loss and eventually having to take out a loan to stop myself going into financial ruin. Last year I paid off my loan and was free of gambling. Sadly I started gambling a month ago and have lost all of my savings I’m behind on some bills and have now applied for another loan.

I understand when you say you feel pathetic but please dont. There are so many people in the same situation and you have taken the right steps to get help.

I wish I had gamcare of handed over financial responsibility as maybe I wouldnt have fell off the wagon so easily.

Stay strong

Kate

Also install gamban. I’ve done this on my Imac and it works a treat. My friend has put a restriction code on my iphone and i’ve blocked safari and installed ‘betfilter ‘ for my internet which blocks gambling sites. Gamban cannot block iphones on vodafone network yet until end of this month.

How do you gamble? You need to put blocks in place, I can't stress this enough. I keep very little in my bank account, so it means if I did slip up, I couldn't empty out what I don't have

I guess the long term problem for you is to look at your issues behind gambling As you said, the gambling is a sympton of something else.

I gamble online (can’t anymore because signed up to gamstop for 5 years) and also sometimes scratchcards but I’ve not been buying those either. I feel very low and sad tonight and I want to gamble. I won’t gamble but I just feel sad

Hi Slick123.

Even people gamble free can feel low from time to time.

Take my example at the moment. Ive just lost a job that was supposed to keep me ticking over while I made other plans. I may have to sign on again briefly which I will hate. I wont starve but its going to be a low period while I think of starting a business or getting another employed position. The pressure is on but gambling all my money away was just a drug fix because i couldnt face my life

You see gambling isnt the answer to these woes just as heavy drinking or smoking isnt. Gambling was my drug of escape for a short time but it only made things far worse after my fix...so I zoned out for an afternoon then all my problems were still there and my financial situation worse.

The answers are within us. I know it sounds too easy to say and life isnt fair. It seems all too obvious to say but read a book play a game, get a hobby, build relationships, go on holiday...there is loads to do thats wholesome and fun. Its also about who we are.

Its natural to think about gambling in recovery but you will start to associate it with harm then just as a waste of time. What did it ever do for you? Its not really a get it back later scheme and your mind is craving it for false reasons.

I do liken it to substance abuse. I smoked in work last year and its the same sort of craving where a smoker wont really tell you why but they just want another one. I didnt enjoy half of them even though there was a mild to strong craving for release. Gladly I dont get totally addicted and I havent smoked for two months...didnt do me any favours when smoking though

I believe we are all on the scale of addiction to various things but gambling is a deadly addiction that you can do without.

Best wishes from everyone on the forum