Andy's Story

Thanks Steve and Emily. The only way to beat this is to stop gambling. No If's No But's just stop

Andy

Well said Andy & congratulations on finding the strength you have needed along your journey. I sought an online site, to try & help me control my gambling, when I was @ rock bottom & found an American one called Daily Strength. Instead of help to control it, I found that I needed to quit & gained the inspiration to do so. I continue to find this in posts such as yours.

Here's to a happy ever after - gamble free of course 🙂

Excellent post Andy. What an inspiration you are! I have literally just joined the site hoping to find my way to stopping. Here is my story...my name is Pat, I am female 60 years old. I have been gambling for 18 months and I have just had the night you had when you phoned the advisor at the bus stop, it is 4.45am, my husband is in bed and doesn't know how bad things are as I hide it from him, i am in floods of tears, depressed and ilI, I know I have to do something...this is my first step. Right now I don't know which way to turn. We moved house 4 years ago to be near our son and grandkids. Things have not worked out as I'd hoped. My son and his wife got divorced and I now haven't seen my grandkids for 3 years, it breaks my heart. My friends and the rest of my family are in another part of the country 800 miles away. We live in a rural area village, and I have not been able to make any friends, not that I am unsociable...I am the very opposite, I love meeting people and making friends, the problem is we are retired and everyone we have met still work, they have their own families and friends here, so they have their own lives. I became very ill 18 months ago. I went into hospital with an asthma attack, while I was in they found a problem with my heart, so they decided to do an angiogram...the procedure is an everyday one, and I had one a couple of years ago so I wasn't worried...but it all went wrong and I nearly died there and then. A bit of my artery broke of and it started to multiply into blood clots killing my organs of. I had to have emergency surgery...I lost half my stomach, one of my bowels and a kidney...but I am still alive and I thank god for that. I was in hospital for 2 months. I think this had a big effect on my life. I couldn't do anything when I came home, I was bedridden for months, we had to cancel our holidays, I just felt like I was a burden. My husband bought me an iPad to use when I was in bed to help with the boredom, I loved it, I could chat to my family and friends on Skype, keep up with everything. I was getting better, but still not mobile or strong enough to get out and about.

AI hit the wrong button and posted to soon!

Excellent post Andy. What an inspiration you are! I have literally just joined the site hoping to find my way to stopping. Here is my story...my name is Pat, I am female 60 years old. I have been gambling for 18 months and I have just had the night you had when you phoned the advisor at the bus stop, it is 4.45am, my husband is in bed and doesn't know how bad things are as I hide it from him, i am in floods of tears, depressed and ilI, I know I have to do something...this is my first step. Right now I don't know which way to turn. We moved house 4 years ago to be near our son and grandkids. Things have not worked out as I'd hoped. My son and his wife got divorced and I now haven't seen my grandkids for 3 years, it breaks my heart. My friends and the rest of my family are in another part of the country 800 miles away. We live in a rural area village, and I have not been able to make any friends, not that I am unsociable...I am the very opposite, I love meeting people and making friends, the problem is we are retired and everyone we have met still work, they have their own families and friends here, so they have their own lives. I became very ill 18 months ago. I went into hospital with an asthma attack, while I was in they found a problem with my heart, so they decided to do an angiogram...the procedure is an everyday one, and I had one a couple of years ago so I wasn't worried...but it all went wrong and I nearly died there and then. A bit of my artery broke of and it started to multiply into blood clots killing my organs of. I had to have emergency surgery...I lost half my stomach, one of my bowels and a kidney...but I am still alive and I thank god for that. I was in hospital for 2 months. I think this had a big effect on my life. I couldn't do anything when I came home, I was bedridden for months, we had to cancel our holidays, I just felt like I was a burden. My husband bought me an iPad to use when I was in bed to help with the boredom, I loved it, I could chat to my family and friends on Skype, keep up with everything. I was getting better, but still not mobile or strong enough to get out and about. So I started online gambling with the iPad. It started through boredom and depression, because I couldn't do anything. It was the turning point of my life for the very worst. What started as something for fun gradually creeped up on me and has now completely taken over my life. I am lying to everyone, trying to carry on as normal, putting on brave faces, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and am now in debt. I am also finding it difficult to do this post...I just can't stop crying...everything seems to have come to a head and I don't know where to turn. I have gambled most of our life savings and money for a rainy day, my husband knows nothing about it, he put our savings in my name a long time ago because I "am good with money". I am constantly in unplanned overdraft charges,but when I am on a slot this doesn't seem to matter. Tonight was the last straw. I had a good win yesterday...it was enough to pay my debt of and pay all my bills up to date...I was over the moon and vowed to stop there and then. But I lost the lot tonight and am now back in unplanned overdraft. I am disgusted with myself. I need help. I wasn't sure about the site, but after reading your very open and honest post Andy, it gave me hope. Thank you for that. I am now going to take the first step and block the site from my iPad and all other devices while I am in this frame of mind. Tomorrow I will phone a councillor...and just take it one day at a time. Well done on your achievement Andy, and I wish you all the very best for your future.

Hi Pat, Thanks for the post, Good idea to phone that Councllor hope you did. Life is so much easier without that curse of Gambling. Take Care

Andy xx

Hi All

Just joined tonight and been reading thru the posts. My gambling started when my marriage broke up 13 years ago. I managed to rake up £25000 debt on online slots which resulted in my nearly losing the house. I was lucky i addressed the debt and got myself on a debt management programme...but not until after the Sherriff Officers came knocking....the humiliation should have been enough to stop me in my tracks but instead I took a second job in order to carry on gambling. Had a few big wins but always put it all back that is what has brought me here...final straw being having wasted £2000 IN THE LAST 7 DAYS. Came online looking for help and read a few of the posts on the forum. Someone had put the link to a blocking website which i have now installed so here is hoping that my recovery begins right now. I prefer the thought of seeking this means of help rather than going to GA so hopefully this will work for me as it has for so many of you 🙂