Struggling to see the light

Hi. Let's look at the good point in your post first. You managed 5-6 months without gambling so you know you can survive without it for a decent amount of time. However like a lot of people recovering from gambling addiction, you got complacent and thought you could control it again. I've been there and I imagine a lot of others have too. It is nasty lesson to learn but one that will serve you well. You know now that the only way is to give up permanently. You're only 20 and while £1800 may feel like a lot of money now (and of course it is) it will be nothing compared to what you will lose if you keep gambling for the next god knows how many years.

Contact Gamcare, get some advice. Maybe you need to think of strategies so you can work out a better way to stop. Maybe you need to put your wages/savings somewhere you can't access them as easily. You've proven that you can stop, you just need to think how to do it differently next time.

I know these are probably empty words because after a bad day's gambling nothing makes you feel better but a new year is a great time to start something afresh.

Hi Topcat,

Thanks for your post and welcome to the forum. It sounds like you've been having a pretty stressful time of things in the last couple years because of your gambling. There's always a way forward, though, and it's good you're recognizing the need to change things now, before they get even worse. As you've seen on this forum, gambling can be a problem for people for many years, so if you start to address your issues now, you've got a great chance of having a more peaceful life without it. Try to work on accepting that gambling is just one little thing in the world that isn't going to work out for you. There are many other things that will, however, and can be much more rewarding and healthy for you in the long run.

Have you thought about getting any counselling for your gambling? That could help you address any underlying issues that contribute to your gambling, and might really help you feel like you're getting back on track. You don't have to feel so lost, and getting that kind of support can help in lots of ways. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, we can point you in the direction of that if you'd like. Feel free to get in touch with us over the Helpline (0808 8020 133) or the Netline any day of the week from 8am to midnight and we'll be happy to speak with you.

Hope this helps, and I'm glad you're using the forum and hopefully getting some support from it.

Travis

Thanks for your reply delorean. It was going well until last night. I was fed up about not being able to do anything till I get paid at the end of the month and for some stupid reason I decided to take out a £400 wonga loan which I lost playing roulette in the bookies. It's crazy how I can be tempted so easily. So I now have no money till the 26th and a 400 debt with a stupid interest rate. Obviously losing the money hurts but I'm more upset that I've let myself down again

Ultimately you will only want to stop when you realise gambling is the cause of your problems and not the answer to them. We've all done it, we are fed up due to our gambling and we end up just gambling more again. It's breaking that cycle that is the key to getting through this.