I need help

Hello and thank you for posting. Thank you for sharing how difficult life is for you at the moment. 

It would be great if you called our Help Line to talk about your gambling. They are there 24/7, 365 days a year They will be able to listen to what’s going on for you, and can talk you through all of the options available to you for support in your local area. The telephone number is 0808 80 20 133. You can also contact our Live Chat at any time so please do not feel alone.  

Keep posting and take care of yourself.

Elaine

Forum Admin

Hi, I have felt exactly the same, I even contemplated suicide a while ago but you can get off this destructive path.  I have lost thousands I am a 60 year old middle class grandmother with a good respectable job, no one would imagine me being a suicidal gambler but the addiction gets you and it’s hard to escape but not impossible.  Put a block on your accounts, use gamstop it’s worked for me.  I have had loads of relapses but none since I used gamstop and in the last 22 days I haven’t gambled once, I don’t even feel like gambling maybe it’s because I am blocked.  But stay on this site, it really helps, stay strong, make a plan to save and pay off debts.  You can recover. 

Hi feelingdownandunder, 

well done on coming here and sharing, its not easy and as a compulsive gambler I know exactly how you feel right now, its not nice. The good news is there is help to be found. 

I am last bet in May 2019 and I will give any advice I can. I tried counselling and cold turkey to varying degrees of success but it was not until I started to go to GA meetings and made them the main part of my recovery that the penny really dropped for me. The reason it helped was that I had a support group of fellow CG's who understood the situation. I knew once I was totally honest I could start to change and turn my life around. I have cleared most of my debt now and got a new job, my relationship is much better and Im back enjoying life again.

Like beating any addiction you have to really want to stop, as it takes serious effort. Also secrecy and lies have to stop as they are the lifeblood for any addiction. I came clean to my family and close friends and although it was difficult it was one of the best things I could have done. I thought they thought a certain way about be but it was mostly in my head. Once they could see I was being honest and really working on my recovery they could gradually see changes in my behaviour and the relationships continue to improve. 

Look up your nearest GA meeting and start attending regularly, seek help from loved ones (emotional, not financial), put up the barriers to prevent yourself from gambling, register with Gamstop, self exclude from the local bookies etc and put the time and effort you spent gambling into your recovery and you will be well on the way to turning your life around.

I wish you all the best in your journey.

Thank you very much for your advice. 

I came out clean to my partner yesterday and have submitted all my cards to her. I have also requested for my employer to send my wages to her directly. I think being accountable to her will help me. I will attend the meetings as well and find one around my area. I need to find a way to ban myself from the bookies and also online. I appreciate the advice 

Great news mate, coming clean is such a good start. Between your partner and GA meetings you wil have lots of support to draw upon (once your honest with both). For self exclusion register with GamStop asap and for betting shops use https://self-exclusion.co.uk/

Keep posting here also mate. I know its a slow process but take it one day at a time and you can do it.