Hi! Im new :)

Hi Birdy

Well done for admitting you have a problem and finding your way to this forum.

You sound in a positive frame of mind at the moment and have the support of your family so I would suggest you put blocks on to your PC or whatever so that you cannot gamble. Also see if one of your family members can take control of your finances to give you some breathing space. Without the temptation there you can get to grips with your recovery whilst your mind is focused.

You will find a lot of support and encouragement on here so read the posts and if you want to, start a recovery diary of your own.

I am sure you will get through this and wish you well in your recovery.

Elfie x

Hi birdyst,

Welcome to the forum, and well done for posting here.

It seems like you’re really struggling with your gambling problem, and even though you are aware of yourself, you find it difficult to stop. I commend you for being honest to your boyfriend and yourself about your situation, and for seeking help from here too.

With gambling addiction, it definitely gets worse if you don’t do anything about it, and it can get out of control very easily. I think it would be advisable if you could fill in your spare time with some other activities/hobbies to distract yourself from gambling.

With your post, you’ll find a lot of support and advice in terms of strategies and boundaries to help you to overcome your addiction from other forum users. You’ll also learn from others’ experiences by reading from the postings here. Feel free to open your own recovery diary here, and monitor your progress.

It is also encouraging for you that you have a supportive boyfriend and family; that is something to strengthen and help you to do more for your recovery. I think it will be advisable to do all you can to focus on your recovery process.

Also, I do agree with Elfie that you consider handing over all your finances to a trusted member of your family until such time that you’ve recovered enough to manage your finances again. At age 20, you hopefully have many more years ahead of you where you can become a gamble free person, lead a normal life, and enjoy your hard earned money for things that matter and are important to you.

Perhaps you’ll like to contact our free phone Helpline on 0808 8020 133, and speak to one of advisers. An adviser will be able to refer you for 12 sessions of free counselling, and nearest to where you live if you think that can help you to overcome your gambling addiction problem.

Thanks once again for your post, and please keep posting.

Kind regards,

Beatrice

Hi guys. I'm Stephen.

I've just got home from putting 400 through a fixed odds betting terminal. I done thee exact same last Thursday.

I've had a problem for years, I need to do something about it. I called the free phone number and I'm going to my first meeting at 7 tomorrow evening. If I'm honest I'm a little scared, maybe even ashamed.

Has anyone been to a meeting before ? If so what can I expect ?

Thanks for listening. Stephen.