I am a 36 yr old gambler of 20 yrs, although i would say i have had a problem with it for the last 10 yrs.
I bet online and in the shops and bet on everything!! My gambling habits have become not an everyday thing but i bet large amounts and chase when i lose which is a lethal combination.
4yrs ago i admitted to my parents that i had got myself in 10k of debt due to partly to gambling but i refused to seek professional help as i thought i could control it, they borrowed me the money to pay my debt which i repayed and i did not have a bet at all for the first 2yrs.
As i have always gambled from being young and all my friends and family do it socially i found that after a couple of years had passed and the pain of what i had done eased i thought it was innocent having a tenner here or there just like my friends and then that feeling took over me again that heart beating weired cloudy daze that i used to feel when i lost control and began to chase my losses, without realising i was back where i started, gambling in secret from my parents and 4k in debt again. I recently told my parents again and this time i realise and have admitted to myself that i have a genuine addiction problem that needs addressing and have arranged my first counselling session next week, i have never told my partner of 10yrs anything about my problem and she has no idea. I think it would probably kill off my relationship if not immediately then over time due to the secrecy over the years being too much fir her, i have a 2yr old and i would be devestated if my actions tore apart my family. I have not gambled for 6 weeks and have not struggled but i realise already that i will need to be vigilant for the years and years to come to never slip back into a dark and lonely place.
Welcome to a fellow 1980 baby like myself.
Like yourself I pretty much bet on anything. Although my serious gambaling only happend when playing real life slots or scratch cards.
You have done well to get to 6 week's. And although any gamble debt is a pain in the backside your's is relatively manageable depending on your situation. What you don't want to do is
Let it progress any further.
So just keep on the path your on.
Contrary to popular belief on this website life doesn't simply improve overnight.
Find what works for you and stick with it.
All the best for now
Deano
I think you have proved to yourself that even after 2 years abstinance from gambling its so easy to be drawn into the compulsive, addictive behaviour even though it is not obvious that it is happening from the outset. I know that when you are in the denial / chasing losses stage life seems like a dead-end, thinking that the only solution would be to win your self out of trouble. But in reality it doesn't work like that. You have to get back to basics - accepting that you can't beat the gambling odds, and that the only way to take control of your life is to abstain, put blocks in place, put the losses behind you and build towards a better future, one step at a time.
13 weeks gamble free now and i am feeling great. My debt is under control and being repayed and i am enjoying a much more rewarding life, spending time with my little one and making more time for my family as well as hitting the gym more.
Here is to the next 13 weeks!!
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