My lovely 28 year old son, had been working abroad has a lovely supportive wife and two beautiful babies.  He came back to UK to a good job last April.  We noticed he didn’t seem himself, was very isolated at family events, always in his phone not playing with the babies.  We had promised to pay off uk credit cards when he returned (which was just normal living debt, so we thought).  This was 13k.  We wanted the family to have a fresh start in uk.  Then it seemed they couldn’t get credit anywhere for anything.  They lived with us for 3 months where we paid for everything and still they had no deposit for a car or to rent a house.  My son was constantly phoning us every Monday morning from work crying saying he needed money for this or that, because of all sorts of reasons.  We were angry but always gave in and helped.  We helped them move out and into a house.  He then told us that he had a problem and debts he didn’t know how to clear. A cc abroad with 13k, three more here which amounted to 20k, payday loans etc etc.  Amounting to 40k.  We paid it all off.  He seemed since then a different person, back to himself.  Christmas came and went.  2nd January he then phoned again and informs us that he used a cash advance from his work of 6k to gamble BEFORE he owned up and that also there’s another card abroad with another 8k.  I asked why he didn’t tell us this back in August when he told us the rest, he said another 14k was just too much to add on to the 40k we’d already paid.  He’s then said that he gambled another £500 in October when his wife had a miscarriage.  My husband is done with the total lies and deception of this past year as we’ve constantly ask him how he is, and we’d always said call us anytime if you feel you want to gamble.  He’s continued to say he’s fine.  He has sworn that he’s not still gambling,  we’ve had to pay another 14k out and my husband says one more lie and he’s cut out.  I’m constantly frightened and worried.  My husband doesn’t think he’s ill just a cowardÂ
Is your son getting any support for his gambling issues, is he aware he has a problem or is he still in denial stage? With the right support things can improve by you paying off his debts is only going to enable him to do more financial damage until he doesnt acknowledge the issue nothing going to improve this addiction is a life long and i too did exactly the same at the height of my addiction i could have been given a million quit and i would still ended up in debt, the addiction is awful having said that i have just managed 6 months without a bet, your son needs some sort of therpy either Ga or the online chat which run 7 days a week, only gambliers understand the issues our brains are not programed as normal people we simply cannot gamble i did the same thing as your son many times over however with the support available your son can too improve his situation he needs first to get himself barred gameban mosses etc hand over finances and seek some kind of support the big question is he needs to want to do it he needs to understand the concequences for his actionsÂ
You are enabling him to continue gambling he knows he doesn't have to stop because you will just keep bailing him outÂ
It sounds like you've given him about 70 thousand to gamble with which is a lot of money in anyones bookÂ
I think your husband is right its time for some tough love your son has absolutely no accountability for his actions and until he faces his own reality he never willÂ
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