I started online gambling about 2 years ago, and of course what started out as a bit of fun soon escalated into an all consuming problem, at first I was gambling maybe £50-£100 per month, after a while I started what I now realise was chasing my loses and ploughing more and more money into these sites spending 95% of my wages left after bills.
I've joined a debt management plan to help get my finances back under control, I earn a decent salary but the credit card debts started to mount up and I stupidly took out a high interest loan to clear off my credit cards, which I did but the proceeded to use them to gamble again.
It came to a head in March this year with my boyfriend and I admitted to him that I had been gambling but not fully revealing the true extent, he is supportive in many ways but I didn't feel very supported when we discussed my gambling problem. I stopped at the time for around 3-4 weeks and then went back to gambling again, including during work hours.
When I think about how much I've lost (which I'm not going focus on because no matter how much I pay in I will never recover what I've lost) I get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and feel sick.
I can't pin down a particular reason as to why I gamble, maybe its a bit of escapism and boredom. May sound silly but I've brought an adult colouring book which I'm going to use when I get the urge to gamble as it's usually evenings when my partner is asleep and I know that he is not watching what I am doing online (this I realise is an awful thing to do)
I am ready to start day 1 without gambling... Wish me luck.
Good luck. I am back to day 1 after a relapse last night. Sony put yourself through what I am going through right now
Yes I'm in a similar situation where no one in the family understands why I gambled sadly the trust has gone along with the money.Will do anything to get the family back its going to be hard but worth it in the end just try to be hopeful but don't take anything for granted good luck
That description was scarily similar to my own experiences. Im not really in a position to offer any advice but I genuinely hope you make it through this. Im toying with the idea of counselling but im not great at discussing my feelings so unsure of benefits. Possibly something that could help you though?
Welcome to the Forum Jess0224 and Thegreatpanic,
Just following on from both of your posts on this forum, you have both taken some positive steps by accessing the support of the forum and also beginning to understand what triggers you problem gambling. Talking about the gambling can help you to understand the underlying reasons why the gambling has continued, there are counselling services you can access and you can speak to one of our advisors about getting information for local services. You can use the netline or the free helpline on: 0808 8020 133.
Take Care
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