Hello all I need your help. I know I have a gambling problem with slot machines and I 100% want to face up to this and have a better future for myself and my family. I have a good job am married and have 2 children. I have been going to bingo since the age of 18 which although I was going too frequently when I was younger but I was able to cut this down to once a week. My issue is the slot machines I know I am no longer having fun and chasing money I know that I will not win back. My OH has nothing to do with our money and therefore I have full control. Yesterday I had to go to town to the bank but unfortunately I got the urge to gamble and then went and wasted £250 on a slot machine! I cut my loses and thought it would be ok. I then decided to waste £110 online on bingo. Thinking I could try and win some back I have spent another 160 on a slot machine today. I am so ashamed of myself I want to stop I can pay my bills and should have a really comfortable life what can I do!
Hello gr2018,
Well done for joining the forum, and for posting your story here.
Some of our forum members allow their partner to oversee their finances, as a way to create more transparency, accountability and inhibition of spending on gambling. You mentioned that you look after your own finances, perhaps allowing your partner to supervise the finances could help to create a context where your gambling cannot persist quite so easily in secrecy.
Additional possible ways forward could be to self-exclude from your usual gambling haunts, and to schedule other activities to settle your attention on other interests. You can read about these approaches here: http://www.gamcare.org.uk/get-advice/what-can-you-do
If you want to talk with us, you can call our freephone 0808 8020 133. We can put you in touch with free local counselling services, if you would like us to do that for you. You can also continue to use the forum for peer-to-peer support, perhaps you would like to join one of the 'Challenge' threads in the 'Overcoming' section.
Take care,
Forum admin.
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