Hi there all my names Aaron. I've just turned 22 living in Manchester with parents and for the first time I'm admiting I have a problem.
It all started when I was 16 years old growing up starting to become a teen getting introduced into the things you do at that age s*x, drugs , drink and then there's gambling - I've never been someone that does drugs or actually drinks a lot apart from socially but gambling has something that I would say in my life has cost me thousands , I look back every time I gamble and ask myself why not only that but why do I constantly feel on edge.
A number of times I've had to go to hospital as it got to the point in life where I felt like I was dieing and I couldn't breathe properly psychologically I was all over the place and was told I'm having panic attacks and what it was is anxiety , gambling like most of us is to get away from everyday problems and it's something we enjoy because of the thrill of that near big miss or that big win , but I ask myself when I lose the sickening feeling I get of hopelessness and regret why doesn't that tell me to stop ,
To give you a idea for the last 3 years I probably have gone through 500-600 religiously on football bets wich if you work it out is a lot of money , I got paid last week and now have nothing left as I've basically lost all my money on the World Cup, I've got myself in debt with payday loan companies over the last few years , and have lost my girlfriend due to gambling and friends due to being very aggressive and unsociable , I lost my last 300 yesterday and now have to struggle for the month wich is no ones fault but mine , I'm here to fight this addiction and I will beat it , I've never thought about ending my own life because I would not do it but it's getting the stage where I'm trapped and I need help to stop this I've banned myself online full stop wich is a massive step for me as I don't really go into bookmakers wich is going to help because betting online doesn't seem like a huge loss as it's all computer generated .
Anyway I would like To thank you for reading through this post and I hope I can meet some people on here in my situation that can offer some advice on how they got out of the mess wich is gambling ,
Thanks for reading and god bless
Hi Aaron. I recently admitted I had a problem to my gf and I spoke on the phone to gamcare. I spent 6000 on roulette in a couple hours days ago. I am still recovering from the hangover of spending soo much and now I have to deal with the debt for years to come. The hardest thing was admitting to my gf but she is being supportive. Admitting to my gf took a weight of my shoulders and now I can start the recovery process. On many threads there is a saying, "you can't win if you can't stop" this is soo true. I have been gamble free for two days. It's hard because it's everywhere. The hardest thing for me to come to terms is that I will never be able to gamble again. It used to be a couple football accumulators at the weekend for fun but over the years it has spiraled out of control. My words to you is talk to someone close you can trust and tell them. This will help it has for me good luck with recovery
Hi Aaron - Well done on facing up to your problem and seeking help. I am sure with the support and encouragement from this site you will come through this and find a better and more enjoyable life for yourself.
You mentioned 'banning' yourself from the online sites - was this by self-exclusion only?
If so, you can also install a blocking program such as K9 (which is free) which will prevent you from accessing any new sites. I found this a real help, as have others.
Try to log on to the site as much as possible and read other people's stories - they are inspiring.
Best wishes for your journey.
Joanna
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