Hi to anyone reading this, (This post is bloody long, so if you don't want to or have time to read then just skip to the end to see my target and join in)
My name is DW28, I'm 22 and I've been gambling since I was 16/17. It has always been a problem but like everyone else here I've never admitted it to myself until this very second. I got into gambling mainly through my Dad who does it as bit of fun and has small bets at the weekends, through adverts on TV or seeing peoples winnings on social media (£1 winning them £4376). At first it was all just fun for me, would deposit around £10 a weekend and sometimes would lose that and then wait till the weekend after, or I'd win £50+ and would withdraw.
The issue started for me when one weekend I won £1300 from £10, which then was like a month and a half wages in a weekend! and I suddenly thought I was the expert and could do the same everytime and make myself well off from doing it, I would up the stakes which obviously increased the potential returns which lit up my eyes with the ££ signs. Greed took over and at 17 and then it all suddenly came crashing down on me.
I was then deposting hundreds each week and losing it all, then came the credit cards, payday loans and borrowing from friends and family. By 18 I was around £5,000 in debt and decided to do something about it. My dad got a loan and paid everything off, but the biggest mistake was telling him I had closed everything and there would be no more problems.
As anyone would've guessed, I got back into that same sinking boat and by 20 I was around £10,000 in debt, I spent around a year paying off the debts bit by bit and not gambling at all, which felt great. Had a few holidays here and there to treat myself. Then I decided to gamble a 'little bit' again. I probably had around £4,000 debt left and knew I was getting back on track. That first weekend of gambling again I got my balance up to around £3,000 from a £10 deposit which seems crazy but it was just a few lucky bets and then some lucky spins on the roulette wheel. A cousin of mine in the same position told me to withdraw everything, close the account and pay the debts with that money. That would've left me with £1,000 which would've been easily cleared in couple of months.
But my way of thinking was to aim for the £4,000 and more so that I could clear every penny of debt and also have money spare, as anyone would've guessed that £3,000 went down to £0 in about an hour! Losing £3,000 in a hour is when you realise there is something wrong with you and you need help!
The following day I told my Dad everything, as well as my Auntie and Uncle and they offered to help. They got a loan, cleared the £4,000 debts and I felt a weight off my shoulders. They then arranged to take away my bank account so only they had control, set up a new one which they would transfer £50 a week into and then standing orders set up to pay them back from the main account monthly. This worked great and I was again having holidays, buying things I needed and a balance was growing to a healthy size. Fast forward a year to beginning of November 2016 and I finally get my account bank, it isn't as healthy as I would've liked but I went on numerous holiday, got car and bought items to treat myself, but the balance was still better than before and resonable. Life was back on track, debt free and looking up.
So what do I decide to do straight away, deposit into betting site and lose £400, few weeks later lose another £300. Before I know it I have lost everything in my bank account! I've taken out 2 payday loans and put myself into the worst place again right before christmas.
Right now I hate myself and what I've done, after being bailed out twice I still manage to screw everything up.
So I'm here, 1 day gamble free and starting fresh. I've got plans in place to pay off the small debts I have, I have a few payrises on the way which will bump up my wage by £300-£400 per month which will help and 2017 is looking like a good year as long as I steer clear of gambling. Every site I can think of has been shut or self excluded.
Goal
I've got a savings account set up called "Travelling 2018" with a goal of £10,000. This seems a lot to save in one year but it is my way of having something to look forward and basically my months wages will go straight into that account and it is in an account where the password has been set up by someone else so once the money is in there I can't access it.
I know this post is long but I needed to get it off my chest and I will post on here once a week of how things are going. I hope people join in and share there stories and there progress. Thanks for reading and good luck!
DW28.
So today I've told pretty much all of my family, just one or two haven't been told purely because I am worried with how they will react, Also told my best mate who wasn't blunt at all in telling me what kind of person I have been to go and do the exact same as before, but it is a start and it lifts some pressure with people knowing!
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