29 and out

I do know how you feel...im 31 andI have 5 years paying off the 15k I owe...that's my childrens trip to Disney land that Iv always promised them....I'm not sure if I'm great at the advice part and seem one of them annoying guys who look on the bright side but this is because I have recently been at rock bottom and feel I have had a lucky escape and I don't mean compared to other gamblers I mean that this nearly ripped my full family apart and would of been something I would never of got over and felt it was ripping the soul out of me. And compared to that I feel lucky.....I wish you all the best and I'm sure you will beat this..I'm always here if you need any support

Kl, thanks I appreciate your comments.

Any debt like yours and mine is bad, but from my point of you a year ago my debt was 15k, now it's 33k. Also I have lost 10k in a week. I lose all that in hours and it will take me 2 extra years to pay it off. Madness, just can't get my head around it, especially when my outgoings for bills and debt equals 1800 per month and my basic is only 1200. Obviously I can get commission, but it put so much pressure on me, which I don't think I can handle sometimes.

Dean

Fella as I wrote before the debt is just a symptom of the compulsion, it is the refuse left from our actions,Me I Had huge debts when I embarked on my own recovery journey,the answer for me was to be honest with the debtor's to actually make repayment plans and stick to them,the debt reduces every month,I will have paid them back at some point in the next year,but there is no pressure,the repayments are affordable, the life we live as a family is modest,but in time money will come.

I know this comes also through being honest,100% honest with everyone,firstly yourself.

Truth is your credit rating counts for sh#it all the time you punt all the money at your disposal, every time you punt you will lose.

That is the black and white,that is why you are 33k in the hole.

The choice is yours fella,keep making the hole bigger or stop the losses.

There are folk who will help you unconditionally,but you have to want to take the help.

I hope you do,I have walked in your shoes and know the alternative.

Abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back

I totally agree with duncmac...you need to honest with yourself and others....at 33k if you continue it will only get higher, I have no doubt about that. Your outgoings compared to your income, it's clear at some point it will come to a head...they are people who will support you but you have got to accept them. Nothing I say will ease the way you feel about the debt - but overtime it will get easier. I really don't think this is something that you can do on your own.

I worry that the amount of debt your in, that it makes you think in your head that you will gamble sensibly to scrape a little back each week or month until it manageable then that's when you will stop....iv experienced that but the reality is that with a gambling addiction at some point that week or month they will be a time when you can't stop and it all goes then your 34k and so on.....I faced the reality that I can't win at gambling but I will not let gambling win at taking my life. I hope you realise the same...I wish you all the best and hope a little of this helps and at any point you feel that you need support just let me know. Cos although I may not experience 33k all the same emotions apply and the effect it has and yourself and family I can relate to.

Hi mr29,

Sounds like we had a similar lunch yesterday. I went out Thursday lunch for a walk during my lunch break ended up costing me 400. Wimbledon, huh?

I read your story and it's much like mine, betting on random tennis matches, increasing the stakes etc. I really feel though that the bet during my lunch break was my last and I hope it's yours too.

Good luck..

Thanks guys. I know If i don't gamble the debt will go down and if anything crops up unexpected then my debt will also, but it would do if I gambled anyway.

I just think it is going to take me ages to get comfortbale in my own head. If i had 13k of debt then it would be bad but I know that I could smash it in a couple of years.

Having a chat with the other half later. I won't tell her that have been gambling as that will be the end of our family. Can't put them or me through it. I will however come clean about my debt and say that it was higher then I told her when we first got together. Considering I have added loads of debt in 4 years, I have actually paid of about 25k!

I will see how that goes. Hopefully she will be ok with it. If so It may make me stronger to get this dealt with.

I am going to right my debt down now so I can visible see it and see how much it goes down on a monthly basis.

Credit Card 1 = 3,000

Credit Card 2 = 4,500

Credit Card 3 = 6,000

Loan = 19,500 (already paid of 500)

Here's to a bright future....

Hey Mr29,

Yeah i have a diary its not long started to be honest. its called on-line casino.

How are you feeling today? i am just waiting to go for a counselling session and don't really feel like it to be honest. Have no drive today, So what's your plan for tackling this other than telling you other half that you have debt? Lets be honest i hid from it for about 2 years. lost everything from it so hopefully your plan is better than mine was.

take care and take it easy.

YoBeep, hope the session went well and your feeling better for it.

I'm ok today. Didn't tell the other half the exact debt just said in 4 years time when one boy is in big school and the little one is in little school that all my doom and gloom over debt should be gone.

The thought of this 33k or so I have is sickening. I look forward to pay day so I can pay a chunk of and see it go down.

I have had a quick feeling of playing the roulette this morning, but I have barred myself from everywhere and just in the middle of banning myself from the online sites. I have gone a few days without in the past. Really need to go a few weeks. I have a holiday on 26th of this month. My target is to stay clean until then and then work on the next target.

Hey Mr29,

Yeah it went well only last 45 minutes but it was strange, the counsellor i seen was called Andy and he new everything i was going to say before i even said it.

That's good you have told the other half and it was a good step in the right direction. So i am also glad you have banned yourself from all the sites and i hope it means that from now on you can move on with your life and start to do more meaningful things with your money. I have roughly the same amount of debt you have and to be honest i have started putting things in place to have it paid off in 19/20 months. got a real goal to get my Bike back as soon as i can and if things go to plan it will be about 24 months before i can get it. So what's the plans for the weekend?

If you need to have a chat or anything i will be on and off this for most of the day.

take care and take it easy.

Mr29, good to read your staying strong and that you have not added to the pain, you are in good place today a good target set and that will come round very quickly, the money is not what makes us bad people it's the lies and distance we but our partners thou that dose the damage keep her close and make her feel special, when you feel you need to play, play with your kids give them the time gambling use to have and you 100% better about your quest to stop

YoBeep, good to see that you are ok and potentially have only 20 months left. I would kill to be in that position. Mine is going to be about 50 months!

Thanks Screwball, family should always come first, if only I would of been stronger throughout the last few years. My tewnties has been consumed by this demon!

Ye mate 50 months sounds like a long time however you can only start reducing it by starting now and not gambling.

i am sure you want to so lets start doing it now and see how it goes.

take it easy and speak soon.

cheers

3 days clean. Had a good weekend, family time and a few drinks.

Still need to get my head around this debt. Lets hope to a good week!!!

Dean

the fact is my friend each day you make the choice not to gamble you will not add to the debt.

That is something to behold.

Make a repayment plan you can afford and stick to it.

abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back

Thanks Dunc, you make sense but I think it's going to tKe me a while to feel comfortable with this debt, if that's possible....

5 days clean I think now. Had a think about gambling as one of those sites still owed me 500 for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks they had decided to say they put it back on a different card, which I have now cancelled! Leaves me a bit short. Only thing that made me feel better was the constant abuse I left them on emails...