Hi everyone,
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I am in my very early days to conquer this addiction. I have always had a strange relationship with money and urges to spend but over the past year and a half everything has spiralled into a life and situation i never expected to be in.
I have gambled on and off for the past 6 years. In 2024 i lost 2 family members and was struggling with my mental health and isolated myself. I turned to gambling to feel something, excitement & a buzz. I got gifted inheritance in the December 2024 and by March i had spent 6k of this to which i was incredibly ashamed of. I blocked myself on all sites through Gamstop. I am obsessed with spins, slots & loved winning big. It went from 20p spins to 5£ spins. Fast forward a month i went into another spiral forgetting what mess i got into, i spent 4k of my savings, 2.5k credit cards and took out 2 credit cards. Being that low in my life i took out a loan to consolidate thinking that would help… but of course once the money enters, the lack of immediate bank support of blocking and closing accounts without money clearing i could max spend this whole amount in days. This was spent within 2 days.
I was ao scared to lose money i didnt gamble for 1 month and focused on just getting the withdrawals. as it was christmas I had a long break and time to chill. This was the worst situation as guess what i turned to in this boredom. I won on another website - spent that in 6 hours, losing complete perception of the value. With that loss i turned to my orginal winnings account which of course went in a matter of hours.
The guilt shame and feeling of chasing my losses took over me. I have spent every money chasing my tails and got to the point where i will spend my bills money to gamble and have nothing for the whole month & constantly owing people.
I decided to be more open a couple weeks ago with work who are supporting me with counselling but i am still gambling where i can, i cant get the thought of gambling being my solution out my brain. I need help before i lose everything.
Hi @cg777,
Thank you for sharing your story and experience, it sounds like it's been a very difficult time for you lately.Â
Whilst I'm sure you will receive many valuable insights from our forum, you can also contact the helpline anytime to talk.Â
We are available on our helpline 24/7 - you can contact via live chat, Whatsapp, or on our phone number 0808 8020 133.
You mention previous mental health struggles in your post, just to let you know if you feel you need support Mind can offer local services and support in your area - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/local-minds/.
We'd also recommend speaking to your GP if you felt able to. If you feel in crisis, remember NHS111/999 is there for you and Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123.
I'm sorry to hear about the loss of two of your family members - Cruse are a bereavement charity that can provide support if you feel you needed this also - https://www.cruse.org.uk/
Please don't hesitate to get in touch - an adviser is always here for you.
Best wishes,
Phoebe
Forum Admin
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