Game Over

Thanks for the messages again. Dunc I haven't maxed cards out. If I did I don't know what i would do.

I have just done 1 day. Went in to the bookies earlier and I gave them a copy of my driving license to exclude myself. Guess what it wasn't good enough, it had to be a passport size. How hard do they make it? It's scandalous.

Hi lost in life. Seems like we are similar for the reasons we hate most. I hope you are strong and I will keep am eye out for you mate.

Hate those machines so much!!!

This is Day 4 of not playing those machines. Felt good not losing any mobey at the weekend. I still have this horrible sinking feeling of knowing I owe £21,000!!

When will it go, it's so depressing and what I think about most of the day!!!!

Why Why Why. I went 4 days without and seemed quite positive, then all of a sudden I'm £750 down and transfering money from a card to my account again. £21,500 I now owe. I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel and this debt is eating me away. I know it's my fauly by adding to it, but I just need it to go. 4 years of this guilt and debt hanging over me, and that's on a good run. I'm stuck in a rut and don't know what to do.....

Dean.

Fella gambling will only add to debt. That is the black and white of it.

What were you gambling on? I thought the fobt was like me your poison too? If so what were you trying to do clear 500 off the 20k because in the cold light of day that is the jackpot on offer. Sad thing is for me i took 100+ k to realise you cannot get back what you lost, you have to put a line under the debt. Cut up the cards and move on, pay your sentence a reminder of why you cannot win by having a punt the odds are stacked against you.

A fella in my ga room often says, all we are asking is you dont have a bet. With irony he is right. Win by asserting the punt. One day at a time.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Hi Dunc, thanks for your words again. My enemy is the roulette. I know that the max is 500 but the dream is to win a few times in a row and make life easier. But that is a dream as I know I will never make a dent on the debt by gambling yet always return. I look at my fAmily when I get home and feel ashamed. It's ok me having this gambling debt destroying me for the next few years, but it effects them. I work hard to just blow it away then re jig the finances around to make me not go mad or bust. Can't believe I keep returning. Every time I go back after a couple of days off, I actually think I'm cured and can justly playing with a few quid. It never happens. Can I just stop.

Dean

Fella those combination wins are a rare thing and then when they come if your like me the punt never stops.

I went from waging small amounts to a ton a spin, amazing how quick you can push money through.

In the cold light of day the 500 quid was for me a huge wake up call, why the f**k am I chasing a paultry amount. Truly it is a futile excercise, which just f****d my outlook.

In GA we say give recovery 90 days, if after those days you don't notice a difference then fair play go back at it.

Put some blocks in place, self exclude, a true gift to yourself.

There is a triangle. Time-money-location take one away and you give yourself no opportunity to gamble.

You gift your brain time.

You get a 100% payrise.

I worked like a dog last year, took nothing for myself, cleared over 30k in debts, I could only do this because I was honest with my family, yes it is hard, life's hard fella.

Give recovery a try, you have nothing to lose, it Is free and you never know my friend like me you might enjoy the rewards

I hope so.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Hi Dean,

I like you have built up debts, started at 10k, then 12k before almost 20k which made me stop and analyse my finances. Yes it's going to take me 5 years and at times I just want it gone quickly. That philosophy has at times driven me back to gambling. Instead I look at it like this:

I have lost 20k in 3 years, roughly £20 a day, £140 a week and around £500 a month. Stay off for one month and you have that £500 prize. Just don't try to add to this debt as there is no quick way out, just deeper holes. Get comfortable repayment plans stay off those d**n machines and not only will you feel better but so will your finances.

Best of luck and keep us up to date, we are all here to help and in this fight together.

Well I have completed another day1. How many times have I done that!

I have had urges to play today as need money to buy a couple of things and put away for the next couple of months when things are tight. I will fight this urge with all I have.

This debt hanging over me is so much at the moment and feels like it will never go and I will always be stuck in this vicious circle!

Dean

Fella you have to stop relating the debt with the chance of clearing it with a punt!!

Your post raised a smile my friend

I could write here about the countless amount of times during my gambling life resulted in me just popping to the shop for 'milk' returning two hours later with what in affect was milk at a £100 a pint!!!

The old I will just pop a tenner in the machine and see if I can get some free milk!!

I cannot win because I cannot stop!!

You did, add to the days

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Thanks again for your message Dunc. £100 milk, I 've had a few of them and a £1,000 haricut (short back and sides).

I went in to the bookies yesterday, but resisted and only had a toilet and left. So that was day 2 complete and I will complete day 3 as going striaght home. Lets hope I can get through the weekend and make it 5.... The debt is stilling killing me inside. How long does it take until this goes...Hopefully not 4 years!!!

Dean

Fella I will throw this in the pot today.

Another angle if you like??

What happens when you clear this debt??

Do you draw a line under it and live life with a great lesson learnt or would you celebrate by going back at it??

I would recommend you read Tomso's thread, he had the same issue with debt.

You may learn a great lesson.

Don't live in hope, live for real.

Oh if you need a pi**ss again don't go in just led up the door!!!!

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Dunc, I'm not sure what I would did when the debt does finally go. The answer I would like to say is never go back on those machines, and hopefully if I rack up the days this is what I will do.

Update on me, I am now onto day 6 of being gamble free. Feeling a bit better, but the debt is constantly on my mind and will have a couple of tight months, but there's nothing I can do about that!

Been really busy recently so struggled to come on here. Went 6 days roulette free, then out and about and lost £106 on Tuesday 4th. Was actually proud that was all I lost and I didn't go mental. 6 more days gone by, doing well, then bang. I lost £1,000 today. Why, how, it's not a human thing to do. I am not normal. I felt broken earlier. I had also won all my money back, but no greed got the better of me again. I even had some helm trying to play with me telling me how the machine works etc and I was actually saying I should stop and these machines are the devil, yet I won't do what I preach! So once again transferred moeny over to clear my account. £22,500 is what I will owe at the end of this month. This time last year it was £12,000 at the most, absolute madness. I really want to tell my other half as she is going on about another house etc, but it would end us and break my parents heart so will keep it away from them. The only plus side is a usually place I go in said to me that I was barred, and that they had some of my details sent from another branch which I barred myself from 3 years ago. At least that's 4 of the main s**t holes I won't go near!

I know I go on and on about it, but this debt will be the end of me. Eats me away inside.....

Dean

Battle the urges, they're only temporarily.

Build on your recovery, the days soon tally up. The longer you go the better you'll feel.

I know you don't want to tell your partner, and I understand that. But if you keep on like this you'll have to.

There are some very sad stories on this forum of people losing everything, their family, their job, their home. Stop now.

Best wishes

Brad

Hi Dean,

This thread really strikes a cord with me as I too really struggled with the thought of debt hanging over me for ages, however I decided to create an excel spreadsheet with all my income and my outgoings, highlighting times when I may have to drop into my overdraft but also showing how much I can save if have a couple of weekends off.

I would recommend overcompensating in some areas of your spend as I have a few shock costs that have frustrated me but it does help provide focus and showing that abstaining for even a few months will lead to debt being reduced and allow for a few treats every now and then.

All the best.