4 years since joining

Hi Stephen,

Welcome back to the Forum.

I am glad to hear that you found the advice you were given last time good. I am wondering what you did with it because you need to put it to practice for it to have a result. I hope you get inspired again here by other members. However, you may need to get more support than that this time.

Gambling is clearly affecting your well-being and your finances. As a first step, it’s worth speaking to a financial advisor (Step Change / National Debtline) about your debt and arrange an affordable re-payment plan with your lenders.

GamCare provides a lot of support and we can help you arrange to see a counsellor. It sounds like you are in a low and lonely place and it would help you to share it with someone who can help. I hope you take the next step and contact GamCare and talk to an advisor.

Best wishes,

Forum Admin

Hi Stephen

I can completely relate to what you have said. I first joined here around four years ago and despite trying to give up have recently come back for the obvious reason, I relapsed and have done a couple of times during that period. I completely get what you mean when you say that it is difficult to find anything you enjoy other than gambling, although the more you read stories on here, the more you will realise that is a very common feeling and one that most cgs can relate to. Unfortunately it is a classic symptom of a gambling addiction.

I am probably in no great position to be giving much advise as I am only gamble free for 11 days after having a major slip over Christmas after many months of stopping. Although the feeling this time was so much worse after starting to earn back trust. I came clean with my daughter and her reaction was much better then expected. In fact we talked about how this addiction works and although no-one will ever understand the torment like a CG, talking does help as keeping it to your self only feeds it.

Have you told anyone? Or do you have anyone you can talk to?

It's difficult to build up the courage to tell someone but just getting it out there and saying it out loud can lift some weight. Whether it be a family member, friend or a counselor, it definitely is worth doing. We all have some reason as to why we turned to gambling and I think part of the key to overcoming the problem is identifying what that was.

Everyone has a different reason, different gambling habits and different circumstances yet despite this we have all felt the same as you when we have faced reality and had relapses but with a a little time, even a few days things won't be as bad as they feel now, eleven days have made a huge difference in how I feel. Keep reading, posting, whatever gives you even a little hope and allows you to keep your mind on something else other than the urges or despair.

Try not to beat yourself up, what's done is done no matter how much we wish we could undo the things we've done, we just have to look at how we can make sure the future is better then the time spent gambling. This forum is amazing as it gives some comfort that others understand what you are going through, and if you keep reading there are some really inspiring people who have been in recovery for a very long time.

With the right tools and support we can beat this, I am determined to and I hope you will be on the journey with me. Try and stay strong.

Bex