Hello my name is Anjelica, I am 20 years old.
I feel that I have an extremely addictive personality, two years ago when my mother was ill and I was struck with my alcoholic father I began taken a copious amount of drugs on a daily basis, stole money and just became an ****, I somehow overcome that. Howeve I have been gambling since I was 17/18, some months it's only a fed hundred other months it's more like a thousand. Now to me I feel silly even writing this as what's a few hundred pounds here and there, but I don't earn enough to be wasting it. Right now I have just lost yet again more money and I'm getting fed up of it now as it affects my moods and relationships with people. I'm at a bit of a loss right now as to where to go from here, do I seek help before it gets worse?
Hello Angelica and welcome to the forum. You ask whether you have a gambling problem? The short and direct answer is yes you do, most definitely. From what you say, gambling has become your "friend", your "crutch". Everyone using this site, like you, wanted some "fun" and "excitement". Have you read the posts? For all of us, it's a very different story now! You are very young and you are gambling with money you cannot afford and if you continue, your losses wil spiral into much more than financial loss - your state of mind, your self-esteem and health will suffer to such a degree you will find yourself, like many of us here, in the abyss of despair. You KNOW you have a problem otherwise you wouldn't have sought out this forum. If you haven't already, you should exclude yourself from all the gambling sites. You have taken the first very brave step of admitting to yourself (almost!) that you have a problem. I implore you -'read as many posts as you can - start a recovery diary and read everyone else's. You've had some emotional problems in the past and please believe me - gambling is NOT a solution.it wrecks lives and relationships. It is the most destructive addiction imagineable. PLEASE SEEK HELP NOW. Keep reading the posts and talk to people on this site....the help and support you will receive is phenomenal. We ALL help and support each other in this terrible addiction. Be strong. Best wishes for your recovery. Stay in touch. Helen. X
Hi Angelica - Very wise words from Helen123 which I can only reiterate. Yes, you do have a problem and now is the time to do something about it before it ruins your life. Obviously, like many of us have found, gambling is often an escape from other unsatisfactory areas of our lives and perhaps you could think about addressing those and identifying the triggers which lead to your gambling. You are very lucky (though you may not feel so at present) in that you are young enough to turn your life around completely. You have turned away from your other addictions and I am sure you can do the same with gambling. There is a better, happier life for you out there, so grab it!
Best wishes,
Joanna
Thankyou Helen and Joanna for your kind words. Yes If I'm honest with myself I like you say I do know I have a problem, I just need to try and curb it like you say now before it gets that serious that I ruin relationships with family and friends. Also so that I do not get into a great deal of debt. I have spoke with my mother last night about it all and she agrees that I should get some help and she will most certainly support me through it all. I have had more or less every online gambling site you can think of and I have now self excluded myself from each and every one of them.
I really do hope this is a new start, as I cannot continue finding all these destructive things to do. I am currently debating getting some counselling, as I think there is a lot of things from growing up with an alcoholic father, that trigger my gambling or drug use.
Thanks again
Anjelica
Thankyou Helen and Joanna for your kind words. Yes If I'm honest with myself I like you say I do know I have a problem, I just need to try and curb it like you say now before it gets that serious that I ruin relationships with family and friends. Also so that I do not get into a great deal of debt. I have spoke with my mother last night about it all and she agrees that I should get some help and she will most certainly support me through it all. I have had more or less every online gambling site you can think of and I have now self excluded myself from each and every one of them.
I really do hope this is a new start, as I cannot continue finding all these destructive things to do. I am currently debating getting some counselling, as I think there is a lot of things from growing up with an alcoholic father, that trigger my gambling or drug use.
Thanks again
Anjelica
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