Hello everyone,Â
My name is Jack and I just wanted to take a few minutes of time to maybe help someone and share my experience with what I would say has to be one the worst addictions in the world. I started gambling at the age of 15 where I would be able to get in to the local bookmakers every other week and put on a football coupon. I had no idea what was about to follow in the next few years, my problem really started to get bad when I turned 18 and made my first of many online accounts. I used to gamble on the casino in work and then football at night for a few months before I found the greyhounds which I started gambling heavy on as well as the horses. Anything I could bet on, I would. And not before very long, like a lot of other people I found out about payday loans. What kind of 18 year old would seriously need a payday loan? A gambling addict. These companies are a disgrace and take advantage of a lot of people reading this but I won’t go too much in to that. Anyway, turning 19 and things are at my worst I get bailed out by my family after building up a near total of £5000 which I am still paying back nearly £300 a month to this day. Anyway after using GAMSTOP and Gambling Website Browser blocks, I found a way around it ...unfortunately, therefore I relapsed and found myself down yet again a dark place. If anyone is in a similar situation to that right now, I would advise handing over every single penny you have to someone you trust and taking a couple hours one night self excluding from each of these websites.Â
Overall, I look back on myself now and what has gambling done for me? Absolutely nothing and I don’t plan on going back now that I have stopped. There are so many older people that have warned people of my generation of how long gambling addiction can go on for and I don’t want to be writing a similar message in 15/20 years time. I have changed my energy from betting with gambling companies to working against them, I am currently in discussion with a bank called MONZO who already allow you to block gambling with them however I have requested they go one step further and block cryptocurrency such as bitcoin too ...
After gambling for which seems almost of my life, I want to continue gambling free and help others just like me in the future.
If you have any questions let me know, thanks for reading.
Jack.
Well done Jack. As someone who is much older than you and gambled for 14 years i’m glad you are sorting this out now as it going to be with you for a long time and you are facing your problems. I too have a Monzo account and they are brilliant. They have also blocked me depositing through Bitcoin. I have also cancelled Paypal which were bad - giving money without checking it was in the bank in the first place. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life gamble free. You will feel a lot better . I am 50 and you do not want to be in my position when you are that age
Well done Jack , great words . You have taken some big steps , I am 35 and it’s been a long road for me you are young and with the determination you have,  you can do this , as we all can . Keep it up and keep them gamble free days rolling over mateÂ
I spoke with them and they said they couldn’t currently block bitcoin, will look more in to it but would recommend them as a bank as they seem to be one step ahead so far anyway.
Thanks very much mate, appreciated! Have a great weekend
 Hi Thegersman
Thats great! Its heartwarming that you are seeing the light and channeling your energy into helping others and working against the gambling dens.
Its good to see you making mature statements about payday loan companies who are a disgrace. So much or our economic system is deregulated and wildly out of control.
You have your whole life ahead of you. I wish I had understood it when I was much younger. I started gambling when I was 12 and nobody stopped me. 40 years I was under the influence of an addiction and I didnt even realise that I was a serious addict for it.Â
I have found a serenity in being gamble free. It has allowed me to focus in my life and what makes me tick.
I like having the control back. I realise how ill and addicted I was. Its actually a scary thought that something was inside me controlling me for its own kicks.
We can help others and we can work on preventing financial institutions from allowing any gambling transactions. To put it mildly I am not best pleased with a government who never protected me from this. I am well aware of the reasons why which makes it worse!
Best wishes to everyone on the forum
Joydivider,
thanks for the reply, I completely agree and think that the government is controlled to an extent by gambling companies.Â
Hope all is well.
After reading these accounts I recognise myself a lot in them, suffice to say I went down the same road of ruin, credit cards maxed out, payday loans, with the debt getting higher and higher. I finally stopped two years ago using GAMSTOP, I know it has its critics but for me it was a life saver, I now wake in the morning no longer instantly worrying about my debt or where I can get the next amount of money from, hopefully that huge monkey has finally jumped off my back. It is so heartening to read your stories and to know there are people supporting each other fighting this crippling addiction. Keep it up guys, you wont look back.
@superswan thanks for reading mate, appreciate your words and hopefully your doing well! Take care
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