Hi everyone.
I have struggled with problem gambling since I was about 20 years old and I am now 27 and I have aquired some huge debt and trying to work my way through it. I have gambling blocks on my cards, I am registered with gamban and gamcare, however I have recently discovered competition sites where I now spend all of my money and leave myself nothing to pay my bills. How can I overcome this? I cant talk to friends or family as they would simply just say ‘well stop then?’ But as we know, it’s not as easy at that!
Hello
Thanks for sharing this.
It sounds like you’re trying really hard to get some control over your gambling behaviour and debt - so well done to you. However, I can hear how frustrated you’re feeling with the discovery of the competition sites and how easy it is to lose money through them.
Have you ever thought about accessing some one to one support for gambling harms? This could give you a chance to explore what you’re looking for when you enter competitions and gamble. Gaining some insight into what’s driving you can help you think about alternative activities that might give you a similar feeling / experience. If you’re interested in accessing one to one support, you can contact our Helpline team on 0808 8020 133 and/or our 1:1 Livechat (which are both open 24 hours every day) and discuss this further.
If you’re finding that you’re being triggered by adverts on social media for competitions, Gamble Aware offer some tips to help on their website here: https://www.begambleaware.org/limiting-gambling-ads-online
It can feel really isolating when you can’t talk to those close to you about what you’re going through but we’re here any time you’d like to chat to us.
Wishing you well,
Ellen
Forum Admin
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