From the age of 14 I have always been obsessed with earning money and so managed to run my own online business and save an awful lot of money for a teenager. As I got nearer to the age of 18, I began to open gambling accounts under my parents names however due to sharing the same initials to my father, I was able to deposit using my own card and my own money - money which in time i came to lose.
Before I turned 18 however this problem was managable and wasnt occuring daily due to the fact that I wasn't yet 18. Upon turning 18 i came to realise that I was a problem gambler, I could never accept wins as wins, I would always seek to win more to chase money I had previously lost. This became a vicous cycle of me spending my savings on gambling and nothing else. I believe that online gambling has fully taken over my life, when I make money I always feel temptation to gamble and if I dont gamble money it is only because I know I really need it for something else. I have spent all the money that I had saved and I am £200 into my overdraft. The amount of money I have allowed myself to lose is ridiculous however I am no longer concerned with this, I am concerned with my future and ensuring that I never gamble again.
Online gambling leads me to make irrational decisions due to the feeling that the money is not real but instead a number on the screen however the consequences of my gambling are all too real and at this point I have given up on the thought of me earning more money through my business, which has slowed down due to lack of motivation by me, due to the fact that I just feel any money I spend will inevitably be lost to gambling.
I need to quit today whilst I am young and do not have responsibilities as I worry for my future if I allow online gambling to be a part of it.
Hello Time2Kwit,
Well done for joining the forum and thanks for sharing your story.
Our forum members often suggest recovery tools and methods, like self-exclusion, blocking software/parental controls, allowing a parent to supervise your finances or to hold your money, scheduling your time with other interests as a way of displacing the gambling preoccupation. Perhaps you have some ideas on which relapse-prevention arrangements would be more useful for you, and this is something you can discuss with forum members here on the forum or in our live group chatrooms.
If you like the idea of having some free 1-2-1 counselling appointments in your area, you can call us on 0808 8020 133 for more information. GamCare also offers online therapy sessions by videolink.
Take care,
Forum admin.
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