Hi All,
I am new to the Gamcare online forum. I am 25 and have serious debts of over £20k that i am paying my family back over a long period of time. I am lucky to earn good enough money to pay it back at a reasonable rate but i have lost the most important thing in my life due to the gambling; My Fiance.
How do people cope with the consequents and effects of gambling?
Can you forgive yourself eventually for losing all that money? Even if that loss led to losing something more important?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hi sm_page,
Welcome to the Forum.
Loosing your partner because of your gambling must be painful and as you say it’s a consequence you need to face as well as dealing with the debt you accumulated. However, it would be more helpful to think of the present and the future because you can only have control over what happens from now on. Perhaps, talking to a counsellor about it would help you come to terms with what happened and begin the process of forgiving yourself. Gambling addiction can lead to behaviours that are not part of your character. I am not sure how long it has been since you’ve stopped gambling but it sounds like you have a very supportive family and you are focused on your recovery. Having some emotional support could help you further. You may get in touch with an advisor either through the Netline or Helpline and look into arranging some counselling sessions.
Gambling has been a very big part of your life and it would take some time before you are completely free from any thoughts or feelings surrounding it. Building up new relationships, developing new interests and habits and making sure you engage positively with things from now on is where you need to focus.
It sounds you are on the right track but get as much support as you can and take it a day at a time.
Best wishes,
Forum Admin
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
