Hello All
I Have just discovered this site, I have finally admitted to myself that i have a gambling problem. None of my close family know about this, i now find myself in debt and i am panicing on how to pay my sons nursey fees this month. What a complete Mess!!!! I feel so ashamed and down but i got to keep being myself as i dont want anyone to know. I used to gamble online before i become addicted but i knew when to stop, if i deposited a certain amount and didnt win anything then id stop, but its got out of hand now. After a extremly hard year i found online slots to be an escape away from reality and when i was wining it was great, then when i started lossing i kept going to win the money back, its a stupid visious circle, now its come to a head as im in debt with it. now i feel so low, i feel i have let my son down as now ive got to sort this mess out.
Hi Evie123
Don't beat yourself up over everything as this is something us CG do very well, yes we have a serious addiction/illness and this has made our lives unmanageable. You have made a big first step in finding this forum and even posting on here. Like all CG you have found yourself in debt and unfortunately the money you have lost has gone and you need to forget about this, yes it's a vicious circle but you are wanting to beat this addiction/illness. You will feel like you have let your son and everyone else down but it's an addiction and you need help. I would try to let people know of your situation as I'm finding this is helping me at this moment on my road to recovery. I would even ring your sons nursery and explain your situation even though you will find this very embarrassing but being honest from now on will help you in your recovery. Have you tried ringing the gamcare help for advice as I would recommend if you haven't already. Hope you can get sorted and look forward to future posts.
All the Best
Darren
The first real step is actually getting that strength to come here and want to quit. You will be able to get out of this mess, but it requires a lot of determination and strength.
For the short term, I'd recommend getting some blocks in place to stop you from gambling in the future. Such as self-exclusion, blocking software and finance restrictions such as getting a cash card you cannot use online and chopping up any other cards you have.
From my experience dealing with creditors, it's always a lot worse in your head than it is in reality. My advice would be to just ring them up, explain you are struggling this month. Maybe even draw up a budget and say you can provide this and are confident next month will be payment as usual.
Good luck
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