Back on the destructive road of gambling.

Hi big Al like yourself my world came crashing down on Friday with me confessing everything to my wife and also leaving us nothin for Xmas.i ve done what I should have done years ago let my wife have my debit card and she has also changed my password on the online banking account so she's in control of my finances.it was hard showing her my online bank statements because every month there was approx 50 gambling transactions from £50-600 she thought I d got it under control but this really shocked her.

Thanks for your reply.

Yeah it's hard confessing everything, but wish I'd done it earlier.

Because it was credit cards she had no idea of the transactions. Was only when I gambled £900 that was my wages for over Christmas plus what we had in our joint account that I had to confess . Obviously for the best .

Good luck with yourself though . Hope it comes good for the two of us and anyone else staying off a bet.

I think we all have endless "why?" questions and a few "if onlys" to add to them.

Have you thought about contacting an organisation like Payplan or Stepchange to help deal with your debts? You probably need some practical advice and it makes you feel better when you are doing something about it.

Hello Bigal2015

Welcome to the forum and for being so honest about your struggle with gambling.

I am wondering if you have ever considered counselling to help you to tackle your gambling problem. GamCare is able to offer free face to face counselling in some parts of the country. Counselling is a safe and confidential space for you to discuss the impacts of the gambling and to explore why it is you are doing it. The sessions would usually be once weekly, lasting just under an hour each time, at the same time and place, with the same person so that you can establish a trusting relationship with them.

You can find out which areas this is available on our website or you could talk things through with a GamCare adviser on 0808 8020 133 or on our netline. The advisers can provide emotional support and helpful information, as well as facilitate referrals to counselling appointments if you’d like to access that service.

Best wishes

Forum Admin

Thanks for the replies.

I tried contacting one of these debt agencies that do IVA's/Scottish Trust Deed but couldn't get through. I then contacted Barclaycard who I have most of the debt with and they were very helpful. I'm on a payment plan of £41 per month for the 2 cards I have with them with interest frozen and will be reviewed for 12 months. So that gives me some breathing space to pay out what I can to my other debts aswell as some of these are on 0% apr as they were balance transfers due to previous bouts of gambling.

As I said I was a member of GA for years but think I may have to go back. Anything to keep me free from gambling.

Hi bigal2015,

It GA works, you have nothing to lose by going back & everything to lose by not! Now that your wife knows, can you turn your money over to her for a while? It sucks but it works! I assume that you have excluded from that online casino? You've been to GA so no point me dishing you out advice but suffice to say, I am rooting for you! You can do this - ODAAT