Hello. First post but need to take action. Need to come to terms with some serious financial and personal problems. Been betting on ******* deluding myself I will win in the end and by laying horses I could beat average punters. I have ended up with four maxed out credit cards (12,000). Even worse I have borrowed/used 1,300 of my mums money and maxed out her credit card with a 6,000 limit. I have also used an overdraft worth 2,000. Total debt - 21,000. I was/ am supposed to be moving in with my girlfriend but not sure how I am supposed to afford it so its putting on a real strain. I earn about 25,000 a year but I lose almost all of it gambling - I live at home so its been convenient. It has made me feel worthless and useless and I am not sure where to turn to or what to do. It has caused panic attacks, a lack of appetite and a very negative disposition. I think I try to gamble due to the desperation of my position but its like a never ending spiral. My girlfriend knws the tip of the iceburg but not the full extent of my problem. My credit rating is shot due to missed payments etc and my finances are a desperate mess. I don't know how I can sort this out. I feel like my life has passed me by. I feel empty.
Hi, I read your post and I could have written it myself so close are our circumstance. I thought laying horses was a route to easy money but it has led to the brink of financial ruin and pushed my sanity to the limit. I ended up with 28k of credit card debt, the credit companies would just raise my limits every month and I always accepted their "generosity". You feel empty because you have poured all your money and emotions into something and been left with worse than nothing.
If anything I always found winning just made things worse, I would raise my stakes and ended up betting more and losing more. Losing and winning gets you in the end.
Other people with more experience will post soon with help on stopping and debt advice etc. I was able to pay of my debt off through an organisation called Payplan, there are others too. It's a long slog but instantly feel better because you are doing something about your problems even if the steps are small.
Thank you for the reply. I've just had a weeks holiday and tried to take my mind off things. I will look in to those companies and hopefully control the debts. I hope you are making good progress
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