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@dylan11 Sounds like you don't think you have a choice.

Can't stop because you might win and get yourself out of your situation but you lose anyway and make it worse.

Can't stop because if you pay out everything you'll have nothing left but if you gamble any money you have on you isn't yours anyway, it's a loan or the banks or it's gambling money and gambling money can't be used for real life things.

Ok, let me give you some choices.

Firstly, accept that any money you've lost before is gone and it's staying gone. It's fairly irrelevant how much you have lost, unless you've hit a point of rock bottom and you say enough is enough. I'm not belittling your lost money, but it's not important in this instance.

Your debts. You can talk to any companies that you owe money to and put a repayment plan in place. You can get the interest frozen or just pay less so that you can afford to live. You could go bankrupt and start afresh. It might take a few years but if it gets your life back on track it could be worth it.

If you owe money to individuals, you'll need to talk to them. No way around it, but better than doing nothing about it and getting more into debt.

Find a GA meeting. Start getting help for your gambling, not just the debts. You'll be surprised how quickly you'll start seeing things differently. 

Lots of choices there for you. Now tell me why you can't start today and start making a difference to your life.

Chris.

Hi.

There is always a choice and there is always something more you can do. The only blocks you have been put up by your own mind. See at this stage you can choose to take different steps for yourself and your life. Just being here is a new step. Asking for some help and advice. Both are available to be had. Contact GA as Chris recommends. Call the helpline here. Talk to people who have been where you are now. They have worked those choices you now are looking for and they can help you forward.  

Best

C

Good Morning Dylan,

Chris and C43 have provided good solid advice. I won’t add to that. 

I will point to the fact that gambling has put you in a hole. These guys, like myself, were once down that hole. Once the gambling stops you get to start to climb out of the hole one day at a time and build a new, better life. Only continuing to gamble keeps you down that hole. Once stopped, you get to rebuild. Although hard at the start just like giving up anything it eventually gets easier. 

My life today is completely different to how it was last year which was a time of hell when I thought I couldn’t take any more. The more time off a bet the better your life becomes. You become happy again. You become content.

I still have debt but it reduces every month. I couldn’t think of anything other than debt just over a year ago. I worried about it constantly but eventually it becomes something on the side that you chip away at. It doesn’t stop me enjoying life. One day the debt will be gone. I simply don’t focus on it now. I focus on my life, setting challenges and goals and then get to work accomplishing the goals I set. I have the time to do this now whereas before I spent every day gambling or thinking about gambling or worrying about money. Today, I am healthier, fitter, financially better off and I’m happier.

This doesn’t need to be a difficult decision for you. Are you happy? Is gambling destroying your motivation for life? Has your life become unmanageable? Then change today. Take advice. Contact the necessary people/groups, put the correct blocks in place, start doing new things, get fit, get healthy in body and mind and start to change your life.

This forum is full of people who were once where you are and now they’re not. I, like you, posted on here a broken, desperate man seeking advice. Someone said go to a GA meeting so I did. Life changed. Of course I didnt want to go. I didnt want to be the guy who needed to go but I went. And life changed.

I wish you well. 

RR

Thank you so much all I cant believe I'm in this situation. I have asked for debts to freeze plus with stepchange too but all priority Bill's etc eats up alot of my outgoings as I've always gambled everything. I could have had 200k plus... most recently last week I got paid and lost my full wages in 3 hours online playing roulette.  I felt sick but again this has happened loads.. I need to stop I know it's the only way. I owe 3 friends money again I lied why I need the money and they think I will pay them in the next 5 weeks.. that's about 6k which I cant get 600 let alone 6k. The depressing part is I will now work to pay Bill's and people only... I hate gambling it's taken everything. I have a 3 year old daughter who I dont even give much attention too as I am so down.. my wife also knows my situation but doesnt know I lost all my wages last week 

@dylan11 it's time to start being honest with everyone. You'll get a lot of support. Obviously there's no guarantee that everyone will be on board(most will) but the sooner you can unburden yourself the easier it becomes.

Again, I'll reiterate. Try to find a GA room. They should still be open even during this lockdown period.

If it's any consolation, you do have a wife, a daughter, a home, a job and an opportunity. I lost all of mine as well as having the debts. Forget what you don't have, think what you could still lose.

good luck,

Chris.

Forget the money right now. Look at it like this you are sitting in a car and you are putting one foot on the gas and one on the break. The car is not going anywhere but your engine is burning up. You need to step out of that car so you can move forward. Yes, you have debt you can not handle. Yes you owe money. But continuing this revving is just not getting that car anywhere. The only way is to turn off the ignition and start walking. You will move forward. And frankly, I think you will eventually embrace that walk. You just need to give it some time. This mad ride will eventually stop for you but your responsibility is to make this stop well. You owe that to everyone and yourself. Just take the steps now. The sooner you do it the faster things will turn around.

Best

C

Thank you ALL so much...I have read your messages over and over..today I have self excluded online... wow 200k later of gambling losses and penniless I have done it... feel weird already.. one part of me thought well how am I ever gonna recoup that if I lose but the other part of me thought well if I carry on I will prob lose another 50k in 5-10years... any more replies would be great.  Feel so weird right now