I'm now almost three months clean with still no temptations.
But the main damage has now been done. My girlfriend of 3 and a half years has just ended it with me, for feeling distant and not being how we used to be. Which is all down to gambling. She said she's been feeling like this since October (which is when my problem fully developed) and she didn't know about the problem until I told her when she broke up with me. I spent all of my time gambling and not enough time with my girlfriend. Which is just going to show how evil gambling really is, it doesn't just hurt your finances, it hurts you and everything around you. It takes you away from everything that you love and makes you spend time on machines or laptops gambling away your life.
It it drove me away from her, which I admit is all my fault. I love her, I'm clean now, I've fought addiction, I've lived to tell the tale, I just want to show her that I can be back to the way I once was.
Anyone in a relationship, please stop gambling now, it will ruin you, it's not worth ruining your future and love life for the rush of gambling. If I could go back to that one night I would and change everything.
Gambling is the most evil thing in the world, it's not worth ruining your happiness for.
From on a very sad young man.
I'm so sorry - - what an awful loss. Your first instinct -- to help others by sharing this -- shows the quality of your character.
I just don't want people going through what I've gone through. I mean it's like my whole world has crumbled now, no money, no girlfriend, nothing, yeah I'm almost 3 months gamble free, but I've lost everything.
Others dont deserve to go through this, I just want people to realise it just doesn't just ruin your financial situation, it ruins your life.
Hooe or everyone else who reads this takes a look at gambling and realises it will destroy you.
Keep ep going though everyone, don't stop for anyone, stop for yourself.
........
Thankyou for your post. I'm a partner of a gambler and it was totally heartbreaking to lose him to gambling, it's taken a lot of support from gam anon for me to get my head round how we go forwards, even with his recovery going really well. What you just did here, helping others, showing that you have a conscience back, that you have learned to let yourself experience your emotion rather than hide away from them, it shows how well you have done in your recovery, be proud of that. I know this is painful now, but you get through it and you look back on it and know you handled it like an adult, you know you can be proud of yourself and there's going to be a happier future because of how you are conducting yourself. Stay strong and keep talking, it's your recovery stories that give me the confidence to keep going with my relationship.
Thanks everyone. It's like said, I'm not after sympathy, I'm trying to make people aware of what this addiction can actually do to you.
It it wasn't the addiction what caused her to break up with me, but the gambling had a deep root to the cause of it, we drifted apart and it wasn't the same as it once was, which was because I spent most of my time behind a laptop gambling away my money or behind a machine. She didn't know of the addiction till after she finished with me till I came clean and told her everything. It was little things like arguing on holiday cause I wanted to eat somewhere cheap rather than go out for a sit down meal (because gambling left me skint). It was the root, not the cause but the root, id been with her for almost 4 years, since I was 18, so I was pretty far in love.
i think now, it's time to put this whole gambling thing completely behind me, and prove to her I can be the person I once was, and put my number 1 priority in life first, something which I haven't done for a good year.
I wouldn't wish this addiction on my worse enemy, but his matured me a lot and it has taught me valuable life lessons, never put your partner second, always put what's most important in your life first, no woman deserves to be second best to an interactive roulette wheel or interactive blackjack dealer. It's time for major changes, I will do anything I can to get her back.
Hi kelvin.
id just like to say how good it is to read the experience of a cg in recovery. I am the girlfriend of a cg and he is currently trying to get into recovery with help from me, but really struggling with withdrawal symptoms which is sending him back to gambling often.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand how your ex girlfriend feels, and I hope it works out for you 2 I wish you all the best. I have known about my boyfriends problem since very early on in our relationship and it's now seriously beginning to take it's toll. And he knows that, I hope he can find the strength like you did.
Hope you're doing as well as you can be x
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