An introduction

Hi guys, just signed up to the forum & looking for a bit of support/advice.

A bit of background on me - I'm Pete, 24. I've been gambling for a number of years now and would say I've had a problem for around five years. I usually gamble online - initially it was something for a bit of fun, then when it came to betting on events that I knew quite well I enjoyed a fair bit of success with it.
Whilst that success was nice, it probably was the start of my issues.

I'd never really gambled big, but one time on an online slot I accidently pressed a 'max stake' button, but ended up winning a considerable bit of money (at least to me). From then I guess it gave me a sense of 'big risk for big reward' and the amounts I started gambling increased - honestly, the feeling of 'Oh s**t, what have I done' realising I'd pressed the wrong button to the thrill of winning big was great.

Over the years it's a problem I seem to have been able to put to one side for a bit. I could lose a few hundred then stop myself gambling for a few months, thinking that a little timeout would stop any major problem forming (though looking back, it had already formed)

It wasn't until the last couple of months where I've looked at my gambling and thought I really do have a problem and I really do need to deal with it. Gambling aside, I'm good with money. I rarely spend, make sure I have a sizeable 'rainy day fund' sitting in my bank so I don't ever have to worry about having cash.
But in the last couple of months the money I've placed on stakes has increased. The time I've spent gambling has increased. I've spent thousands looking for big wins, then chasing losses.
Over two days I spent 8K. That's ridiculous for me but every depsoit I made seemed to send me deeper in a hole, thinking to myself 'If I win x amount back then it won't be so bad', then of course losing or continuing to gamble anyway.

After that I sat away from gambling for a few weeks, but then got the urges again. The last two weeks after payday I've found myself spending my weekly earnings almost instantly - I look at my bank account and think what the hell am I doing? Instead of thinking about where I want to go on holiday next I'm now worrying if I'm gonna even have enough money to pay off credit cards, bills etc. if this carries on. I can't believe how irresposnible I've been for so long.

Today I took the decision to close down all my accounts on betting sites, stop all marketing mail, stop following all betting accounts on social media etc. to help stop this.

So anyway, that's me!