Hello,
So I have just come to the realisation that I have a gambling addiction.
I struggle a lot with anxiety and always found that gambling whether it be bets online, or slots it would give me a buzz and take the anxiety away until I had lost it all and it would get worse. It started off with just ВЈ20 then increased to £100. I would win large amounts of money and put it all back on bets rather then cashing out.
It hit me this weekend that I had built up around 10k worth of debt and I had no way out, I had been lying to my fiance and my family and I just couldn't live with it anymore.
I went into work and had to leave, I couldn't focus and I had to go and be truthful, I went home and I told my fiance everything, to my surprise she is supporting me and want to help, I haven't gambled since Sunday and I just want to know what people have done to keep focused?
I don't want to let her or my family down and I wanna beat this.
Thanks
Matt
Welcome to the forum. It's great that you've shared your problem with your fiance and family. That breaks the secrecy that addiction thrives on.
You need to put barriers in place to help remove the temptation in the short term. See Gamstop.co. uk to exclude automatically from most UK casinos. Good luck and keep posting.
Thank you for the comments. I find it so hard first thing when I wake up in the morning it's the first thing I think about, and I feel sick to my stomach. I'm not going to let this beat me!!!
Hi Matyob5,
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your story with us.
You seemed to have been struggling with your gambling problem in secrecy and shouldering it all alone.
It was a step in the right direction when you decided to share your gambling problem with your fiancГ© and family as it felt overwhelming and affected your focus, and thus you have to leave work and go home and break the ice.
To your surprise your fiancГ© was very supportive, and that encouraged you to do something about your gambling problem.
This shows that you don’t have to carry all this problem by yourself, and it’s only by sharing that you’re able to get the help and support that you need to overcome your situation.
How about contacting our free phone Helpline on: 0808 8020 133, and speak to one of our advisers on 1 to 1 basis?
An adviser can refer you for counselling if that will help with your recovery.
Also all our services are free and confidential, and our lines are open everyday from 8.00am to midnight.
I wish you the best in your journey to recovery, and please keep posting!
Kind regards,
Beatrice
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