hi there, after reading a few of the other stories, I don't feel so alone with this as much as l did, but forgot to give a brief of who l am, my name is jill, lm 40, l live with my other half and have a little boy of nearly 5 mths who l love and adore, but this gambling is getting too much and fear for losing him, really don't know what to do anymore, have seen a counsillor already but don't feel any benefit from it. plz plz help someone.
Hi jilly - Well done on joining us on this site - a really positive step for you. Remember that you must begin your journey one day at a time.
Every day that passes without gambling is a triumph, even though it may seem a small achievement at the moment. You are right to think about the effects gambling can have on your little boy and your partner, in fact the whole family. As you will have seen from other people's stories, this horrible addiction can destroy everything you hold dear in your life. Now is the time to put a stop to that danger.
First of all, have you self-excluded from online sites (if you use them). If your gambling is online then install blocking software such as K9 (it's free). These two steps helped me immeasurably as I was just not able to access the sites and those ridiculous slots. Have you told your partner about your problem gambling? This can be very difficult but in the long run can help as partners and families can give so much support, sometimes in the form of taking your cards off you and thus controlling your spending. Sounds drastic but I know it works for lots of people.
Secondly, try to come on to this site every day for support and encouragement. You can and will overcome this and find a new life for yourself and your loved ones. There is too much at stake for you to continue on the rocky path of gambling and losing everything.
Take care.
Joanna
thank u Joanna, it means a lot that there is someone else out there to help, l have told my partner and he just erupted, but calmed down after this, he doesn't know the full extent of my gambling which l am terrified to tell him as lve got loans and stuff out to pay for my habit which he will go crazy at, but l will try and get round to telling him, l have excluded myself from most of the sites already which made me feel a little better but still have problems this month juggling my bills but hopefully l will get them sorted. and thank u again for responding.
It is very hard for others to understand why people gamble, especially all the lies and deceit. Hopefully he will realise how damaging it is and how it turns people into something they are not.
My advice is to come clean about everything, don't not mention something because it is easier to keep quiet about it.
thanx delorean, lm really just trying to keep the peace and not argue, he doesn't understand about any of it, hes never had an addiction in his life. lm tired of all the arguing and lm also tired of lying and the deceit, l just want it to be all over.
Nice to see you in chat earlier. There was a lot of discussion about putting barriers in place to stop but not much about the real problem - why we gamble in the first place. Boredom? Loneliness? Looking for a buzz to escape everyday life?
Until people work that out, they can't recover in my view.
People seem to gamble for various reasons.
When I was single and lived alone it was boredom.
When I have a bad day at work or argue with my partner , it is to escape the every day life.
I think as well if you live alone it can be loneliness and chasing a thrill.
Everyone's problems will start with one of the three things you mentioned , sometimes people do it because they may suffer from one , or in some cases all three.
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