New member

Hi, 

I have been gambling for 7+ years (now 31). I am in over my head with financial debt that has accumulated over the years. I have always had great paying jobs but waste it all on gambling. I have stopped many times, for months at a time even, but I always return to gambling when I get a bonus, thinking each time will be different. But it never is.

I am constantly chasing to pay off my debt. Instead of paying off credit cards or loans I pay the bookies in hopes I can win enough to pay all my debt off. I have student loans, previous investment debt, and I financially support my wife and I. A lot of the time I don’t even like sports betting, it gives me this sense of stress and hopelessness but it feels necessary to resolve my financial issues. But then there are other times when I see I’m slightly in the positives and I have so much hope and excitement and want to keep betting. But of course it’s never actually enough.
This lifestyle has taken a toll on my mental health. When I’m losing I isolate myself from the world and feel lonely. I’ve lied on way too many occasions to friends, family, and my wife just to protect my ability to continue gambling. I’ve even lost a good job early in my career because I used the company card to support my sports betting habits.
I want to stop and have tried on several occasions. But this is the first time I realized I have lost all control and fear I will lose my wife and my life. I want help. 

A step by step playbook on how to help myself would be immensely helpful.