Hi everyone my name is Paul and I've started the path to freedom. I've been imprisoned by football betting for 4 years now, constantly coming up with a new 'failsafe' tactic. I'm thousands of pounds in debt, loans were so easy to acquire and then no credit what so ever!. I've started debt management today, only a small amount so I can still try to live normally. I thought about ending my life but why should I? I've got a disease that lenders were happy to feed, no checks, have a loan. I refuse to give in, yes I was weak but I found the cure. I sat my girlfriend down and explained every last detail of my situation, I broke down, I was a wreck.
​does she cry, does she shout? No. She hugs me and says she will stand by me no matter what, I will not let her down , I refuse. I will repay my debt however long it takes and I will show my girlfriend how grateful I am for her saving my life, we will have kids and I will marry her. Betting was meant to bring me happiness but in reality happiness was right in front of me the whole time. I look forward to talking to you all and I'm here for any of you that may not be as fortunate as me to have an angel at your side. All the best, Paul
Hi Paul,
It sounds like you have fantastic support at home which has got to be a great help. Welcome to the forums, I hope you find it as helpful as I have. You'll find many people in the same boat as you all paddling away trying to get away from their gambling demons. You can do it!
Wishing you every success Paul.
Hi Paul,
Sounds like you have a true rock by your side , let her help you.
We all put the football bets on at a weekend but always that one goal scorer that doesnt make it , comes off early or the last minute coupon buster but we hear about the blokes around the country who win thousands for a 50 pence bet , I always said you hear about peoples wins but never the losses.
Its always nice being out with the lads on a Saturday watching horse racing & footy its the only culture I have grown up in , but in todays society people are looking for the big wins that just dont exist.
Im on day 9 gamble free today , problem for me is when I lost on footy it would lead to roulette which always leads to ruin.
Good luck in your recovery my friend.
Thanks for the war​m welcome guys. it's like you say john, you see these ridiculous accumulator wins but then cant even land a banker of a bet. I was the same, I would lose a on the footy and then go to online slots as I would see it as a quick way to win my losses back, never worked. 9 days is already a great achievement and you should be proud of yourself. Think its going to be a long process with many temptations along the way. I've gave my girlfriend complete control of my wages, then she will give me cash, no access to credit whatsoever. Just going to try and make it so I have no option to gamble at all, go cold turkey.
paulyjay, your 1st post really choked me...I too have had the fortune to be blessed with an incredible partner without whom I don't think I would have come looking for recovery & goodness only knows where I would have ended up. He too took control of my cards (oh the humiliation of having to ask for money if he forgot & the shame of having to go without lunch if I couldn't bring myself to ask) & that was vital in my recovery which has been instrumental in our decision to get hitched!
Welcome to recovery & a brighter future than you could have ever dreamed off whilst gambling! Keep winning - ODAAT
The problems we are faced with is every bookie is now near or next to every local pub , cash machines positioned outside and inside , few pints on a Saturday , football coupon loses , tanked up charge into the bookies and blow the contents of the wallet then repeated visits to atm , go home feeling c**P and then realise on Sunday the Saturday blow out was a fair old whack , £300.00 to £500.00 in most cases for me.
I live in Bradford and the town is full of bookies , every corner a new bookie pops up , every village bookies and every main road littered with them , ive barred myself from the ones im comfortable in and self excluded online , I dont want that life anymore and only I can change that.
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