Rock Bottom

Hello lisat39 so sorry to hear how things have developed for you. If you haven't already please speak to one of our advisors on our Helpline or Netline services to obtain sign-posting to support agencies that could be of help. You have done well to share your experiences, sometimes that is the hardest thing to do. Continue to post and know that we are here to listen and support you.

Thank you, i have online counselling booked for next week so hopefully this will help me. It feels a very lonely place right now.

Hello, you are not alone and you can work through this. We've all been there and know how you feel so stay strong and look at the positives. Whatever your vice is then look at how you can block yourse, for example my vice is online sports betting and so I've used gamstop to bar myself for five years. Take care.

Hello, mine is betting shop FOBTS it used to be online but i self excluded myself. Thank you for your kind words.

Those Fobts have a lot to answer for. I have the same addiction. Roll on the £2 stake I say.

definately, i agree

Lisat39,

I am so sorry to read that this addiction has done this to you, I am saddened to read that u feel people will be better of without you, absolutely wrong. Now is your time, now is your moment, now is your chance.

I owe my fianceГ© just over £2000 because of where my addiction took me, i nearly lost her but after a lot of hard work and a lot of massive changes I have earned her trust. The early days of coming to terms with addiction definitely r the hardest but trust me it gets easier. The gamcare team are amazing and the services they have to offer r excellent.

I used to think everyone would be better off without me, i suffered with depression for nearly 2 years and have had a 14 year history as a gambling addict, during this time made 3 suicide attempts where twice i was hospitalised. I thought there was no point in me either but i have been proven wrong. U have plenty to offer this world, your family and friends and in time u will see that is true.

Keep positive.

Matty

Hi Matty

Thank you so much for your reply and for sharing your story, i am so glad your here to help me and others. This site has been great and opened my eyes to so much, my counselling starts this week and ive been gamble free for 7 days.

I am going to take this opportunity and show people I can beat this and hopefully they will welcome me back in, and when i find a new job il work hard to repay everyone (thats if im given the chance as I may still be prosecuted which is keeping me awake every night).

I will try to keep positive and get all of the help I can.

Thanks Matty

Hi Lisa if you are facing prosecution from your employer and do end up in court, it is advisable to show you are getting help. Sometimes the court will advise you to attend GA. If you haven't already, try and get to a meeting.

Lisa i agree with Merry go round, absolutely make sure if it goes to court u show evidence you r receiving help it will work majorly in your favour. Well done for getting counselling sorted, speaking from experience it totally transformed me, the first few will no doubt make u emotional and quite down, however after such time u will start to see positive changes and this will change your mood and views.

As for friends, family and jobs, everyone deserves a second chance. Work will come, my boss and work colleagues have been amazing support, your family will come back to you because as upset as they r by the fact that you have an addiction they love you. Addiction is an illness, people don't realise it but it is actually a fact that it is a recognised illness by doctors. We pretty much have zero control until we decide ourselves enough is enough, when we decide to leave it behind and get help that's when we get the power back. To begin with it is bloody tough, but as u get used to a life without it the compulsion and addictive behaviours can become less but u have to really want it to be gone. Too many people i know say they want help but not totally they say it after a loss to feel better, then they get a win and decide they don't need help. I simply lost, i got caught out, i deceived my family and future wife and i admitted to being an addict for the first time in my 14 year addicitve history. My fianceГ© stuck by me, she didn't forgive me right away and she didn't trust me for the first few months at all, i had to work d**n hard. You will do just fine, keep talking on here to us all, i am no counsellor, i am still in early days myself coming up to 9 months clean but i like to lend a few words to those starting out knowing how i felt when i started. We all need the same thing here and r in the same battle so let's all be part of the same army and take this thing by the neck and destroy it.

Thank you so much merry-go-round and Matty for your advice, I havent been to a GA meeting but I will find out where my nearest one is and make sure I go x

Wow matty well done for the 9 months no gambling and so glad your financee has stuck by you through thick and thin to have that love and support must be amazing but I can imagine it not to be easy. I really appreciate your encouragement fighting talk and advice. Im a proud member of your army lets all destroy this illness.