Struggling with debt

Hi Lottie1111,

Thank you for posting on our forum and sharing your situation. In addition to any responses from our forum members, you also have the option of our 24/7 helpline where you can talk to an adviser who will be able to answer some of your questions. We also have a money guidance service https://www.gamcare.org.uk/self-help/managing-your-money/  

Best Wishes 

Fiona

Forum Admin

Not sure trying to ban yourself but keeping a couple open for a family member that uses it is a good idea there will always be the temptation to gamble with ease. Can they not see your transactions anyways if they share an account with you and know how bad you have been gambling? Anyways wish you all the best but keeping accounts open will never work I’m afraid. Good luck 👍

@a321z64vqi 

hi thanks for replying. No I don’t use the 2 sites that they use so they wouldn’t see the any transactions. I make sure I don’t use them out of pure embarrassment that they’d find out so that keeps me from using those 2. It does stop me from just closing everything down though. Plus I don’t want the lottery app to stop either. I will start by trying to close down all accounts that I do use. I usually only do 6 week closures but do you think I should close altogether. Why does that scare me? Eeekk. Thanks 

I have spoken to my bank this morning and told them about my addiction.  They were non judgemental and aware that my husband knows nothing about my problem.  They have also set up a payment plan and stopped any interest accruing.  This is day one of my new life

Hi

I am a compulsive gambler, once I got in to the healthy habit of going to meetings I became aware of how emotionlly vulnerable I was.

It was suggested to me  to attend the meetings no matter when my last bet was.

I like many people did not stop gambling from day one going to meetings.

One thing was suggested to me was to pay back my debts slowly.

To allow my self more time to pay or I would go back to gambling.

It took some years and in time I was also able to trust my self with money.

I took advice from meetings and handed over my our finances to my wife.

Each day I was given enough money to but coffee or food.

Money was the fuel for my addiction.

Money was not going to heal my pains.

In time I got to understand my emotional triggers.

In time I got to understand m emotional triggers.

My pains I could not heal.

My fears I could not resolve or reduce.

My frustrations doe to my unreasonable expectations of people life and situations.

My loneliness due to my fears of emotional intimacy.

My boredom due to  the fact I felt very limited in my choices in life.

I needed to write down my needs my wants and my goals.

Pains caused up on me in my life caused fears in me that I did not understand.

Only once I abstained from unhealthy habits and exchanged them in to healthy habits would my life improve.

The gambling was just an escape in my fears.

The adrenaline rush was very much fear based.

The gambling was in effect self abuse and self destruction towards my self and my family.

Living in guilt and shame was living in the pains of my past.

Love and peace to every one.

Dave L

Dave of Beckenham

@jellie thanks for your reply. Oh that’s really good and could definitely be something I do with my debts too. I just worry this will impact my credit score and stay on file and I’ll never be able to get a mortgage or credit in the future. Is this the case? Thank you x

@gadaveuk that’s great to hear you are doing well with meetings and understanding why you gamble to begin with. I can definitely relate to this but I’m really not brave enough to open up to anyone about it and feel way too embarrassed. I’m really trying to tackle the issue alone but it’s a struggle at the moment. I believe I will get there. Thank you