Good evening everyone. This is my first post and the very first time ive accepted to myself i have a gambling problem and needed something doing about it! Im 26 and i started gambling when it was the earliest to do so, but its only recently i have realised how ridiculous and silly i have been with my money! Over the past few years ive got myself into debt (loans, credit card, overdraft) and most of it went towards gambling, which i am very very ashamed of. Just think of all the other things i could have spent that money on?!? Anyway I slowly started to pay off those debts were there wasnt much left, but tonight i went back to getting loans out to fuel my stupid addiction that i just cant seem to get rid of! So tonight ive finally accepted who i am and what i am........ An addict. Ive excluded myself from most of the sites i can think of but i just dont want that temptation anymore. What is the next step???
Thankyou very much in advance for any reply
Adam.
Hi Adam admission is the first step. Just for today... good luck
Hi Adam.
The next step really is the start of coming to terms with who you are and how the addiction works.
This involves sitting down and talking through step by step in detail what you have been doing and thinking. There is no shame in admitting to a problem which you are now going to solve. You will begin to feel calm and even serene. What makes you a man is talking about it and feeling no shame that it got to you. You do need to bear enough responsibility but its not essentially all your fault
The addiction is complex and you will start learning all about it. You will focus that gambling is not the answer and never was. They were selling you a dream. What was on offer and the reality are vastly different as your finances show.
Gamblers essentially ignore the odds and the addiction develops a compulsion to gamble to extinction. Infact for many people it becomes less about the money and all about the dopamine rush until no food in the cupboards snaps us out of the trance. You will learn that its an addiction so complex that people gamble to escape the pain though gambling is destroying them and causing more pain ( very similar in this way to drug addiction)
To put it simply we get hooked on the dream to fill an emptiness in our souls. Personally I had depressive tendencies but shopping and gambling never really made me feel better. The reality is I got hooked on both so we have all been there.
Gambling leaves people homeless, divorced, imprisoned and dead so as part of your recovery you can be thankful you are stopping now
I promise you it all comes right when you STOP gambling. It takes a while for your mind to heal so we recommend talking to your close family and getting some counselling.
Best wishes from everyone on the forum
What a brilliant post! Thank you so much. Admitting it to myself and actually writing all my thoughts and problems on this forum has really helped. I have now gone a full day without betting or gambling on anything! Its a small step but a step in the right direction. Now onto day two......
Hi AdamJB91,
Welcome to the forum, and thank you for your post too.
Also well done for sharing your story with us. It seems like you’ve started getting support and good suggestions from some forum members already, and that seems encouraging too.
It’s good you’ve realised and admitted to yourself that you have a gambling; that’s a step in the right direction. I’m also glad that you’ve come to Gamcare, and you’re using our forum for help and support. It would be good to know the type of gambling you do so we can advise you accordingly.
We are always ready to listen, advise and support, so do try and stay in touch with us.
Just also to let you know that you can contact our free phone Helpline on: 0808 8020 133, and speak to an adviser about your gambling issues. An adviser can refer you to 12 sessions of free counselling, and nearest to where you live, if that would help you to stop.
We can also sign-post you to other charitable organisations (Step Change for instance, for their expert advice on debt management) if we think you’d benefit from their services.
Thanks once again for getting in touch, and please keep posting!
Best wishes,
Beatrice
Hey Buddy,
Hope your weekend is going well and still going strong, every day is a big step away from the horrible thing gambling is to you and others. Hope youve managed to keep yourself busy and keep going as you must be on Day5 now 🙂
Mac1989
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