Really need help

Hi slfarrell,

I'm sorry things have turned out like this for you. People on this Forum understand, I've been there where you are and worse.

Has the hospital arranged for you to see a mental health professional in relation to your overdose ?

If yes all well and good. If not you should perhaps discuss things with your GP.

Please don't try to chase the 10k losses. You'll only end up in deeper s**t. BELIEVE ME YOU WILL.

You need to block online access to gambling sites entirely. Download K9 (free) and have someone set the password and not divulge it to you. You need to block all your devices.

Seek counselling for the gambling via Gamcare. You can chat to them online about this.

You need to go to a non fee charging debt management company such as Stepchange or Payplan. They will help you deal with your creditor (s). If you can only pay £1 pm that;s OK the banks will take it. get the interest frozen.

Don't sweat the credit card debt. Most of the peope in the country are up to their eyeballs in debt anyway. The banks deal with this on a daily basis.

You are lucky to have such a great boyfriend.

When you feel better keep busy-do exercise-take up hobbies.

You can beat the addiction.

I've not gambled for nearly a month now and it feel's good. YOU CAN FEEL GOOD AGAIN AS WELL.

Others may post advice for you as well later on today.

Take Care Now

Hi slfarrell,

I am not sure if my situation is the same in many ways or different in any ways than yours but I did notice when I read your story one thing. You comment " I can't see a way out of this debt and the only solution I can see is gambling to win the £10k back.

This was me 2 weeks ago. I have 14k on credit cards due to horse racing gambling.

If I had seen another way out I may have stopped at 6k or 8 k or 10k but I thought realistically how else am I going to pay for this. The truth is that gambling, you are never going to pay for it only esculate it. And what I have found since quitting is that for me anyway the debt and money is secondary, yes its rubbish working to pay back gambling debt but first and foremost think about what gambling is doing to you and your health and the stress on your boyfriend. You have taken an overdose trying to end your life or maybe that was a call for help, don't be afraid to say simply "I am human just like you and I have made a mistake" dont let it beat you. Pull your socks up and fight it. Money comes and goes at different parts of our lives and I am going to say something here that some may disagree with. 10k isn't the end of the world, you can work and pay it back over a period of time.

Honestly now I promise you this, STOP gambling and see how it effects you, soon you will see that there is hope. The buzz of winning is nothing compared to the buzz of kicking the habit and sorting out your life!!!

Be strong

Mike x

Hi Slfarrell,

Welcome to the forum! Glad you found us, you can get a lot of help and support from others here.

You have already been warmly welcomed by MrStop and by Mike and they have offered you excellent advice.

Chasing your loses is tempting but that will only make things worse. Look at getting debt management advice, MrStop has suggested a few options or you could get in touch with the National Debtline https://www.nationaldebtline.org/ for free advice on how to best manage your debt.

Install a blocking software on all your devices to block all access to online gambling sites. MrStop recommended K9, you can also have a look at Betfilter http://www.betfilter.com/ and Gamblock http://www.gamblock.com/index.html.

We can also offer you counselling sessions for ongoing support and you are very welcome to speak to one of our advisors in confidence on the freephone Helpline 0808 8020133 or the Netline for more help and information. Both lines are open every day from 8am to midnight.

Stay strong Slfarrell and keep posting.

Warm regards

Catarina

Thank you nwukmale53, MrStop and Catarina for your help and advice, it is much appreciated. I can't believe there are other people with similar problems to mine, I felt so alone and that no one would understand.

I have installed k9 on my computer, ipad and iphone and my boyfriend has set the passwords so I no longer have access to online gambling. I feel scared and relieved at the same time that I can't gamble. I am currently having CBT and have been referred onto the Crisis team that deal with people in the same situation as me. I hope I can get through this in time

I just can't imagine a life without gambling, it's like saying goodbye to a friend. Although it is so destructive I feel like gambling has been there for me when I've needed it. I have a love hate relationship with gambling but I have to believe that stopping is the best decision for me and hopefully in time when my debt starts to reduce I will see this.

Stopping is the best decision you will ever make slfarrell. I'm 44 and have been gambling for 8 years!! On average about 10 hours a week. Thats a lot of wasted time and of course money. When my kids were younger (they are now 16 and 14) it was easier. They would go to bed early and i was free to gamble. Now they ask me what i am doing and i cant hide anymore. I've been gamble free now for 18 days and each day i feel happier. I was always angry and argued with them. I'm a new person and want to stay this way so dont end up like me when you are 44 regretting !!!

Thank you for your post Poblwc, your story sounds quite similar to mine. I always feel angry and I argue quite a lot with my boyfriend and I know that's not who I really am, gambling turns me into a horrible person that I'm ashamed of. I feel determined to do this now and I feel safe that precautions have been put in place for me at home to stop gambling. I know I will have difficult days and I will probably relapse at some point but at the moment I feel quite positive which I haven't felt in a while!

I have spoken to my boyfriend and he has said he will help me out with general living costs so I can concentrate on clearing my gambling debt which is amazing! I can't believe how amazing he has been and I am so lucky to have him. So (fingers crossed) if I stick to the debt repayment plan I've written up for myself I could be debt free in a year and my gambling problems will be a distant memory!