This is all new 2 me but il giv it a try
My names Chris am 27 and i have a serious gambling problem. My dad is a compulsive gambler and when i was young i swore that no matter what happened i would never b like that as i seen the hurt it caused first hand. How wrong could i be!!! Everytime i get money wether it be 50 or 500 pounds all i want to do is gamble. For a while i thought i had it under control but the last few months hav proved that control is the last thing i have. Im at the stage now were my friends, family and any1 else that knos me wants nothing to do with me because of my constant lying and gambling problems. Debt levels r reaching a critical level and all i keep thinking is... todays the day.... but it never is because no matter how much i win its never enough. I hav a 2 yr old son who deserves so much mre and if it wasnt for my fiancee he would have nothing as ive never any money. I dont want to do this anymore, hopefully this is the first day of the rest of my life. Its gonna take a long time before i am on my feet again but i have to start somewhere, hopefully this is the place. Some of the storys iv been reading on this are inspirational, hope i cn hav the same sort of success as some of u guys... will update regularly
Welcome to the Forum Chris. You will find lots of help and support on here. We have all been at the stage where we first admitted we had a problem and decided to do something about it.
Some can abstain immediately. For others it takes years. You are only 27. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't let gambling rule you anymore. I took until 41 to admit a problem and it's taken 6 years of recovery to get to where I want to be. I have lost £600k over the years not including debts.
Consider self-exclusion, GA, getting someone else to handle cash, counselling, self-analysis, blocks on a computer, anything that helps. Willpower is not enough.
Keep posting your progress and best of luck.
thanks for the comments guys i can honestly say that this forum has given me renewed optimism on being able to stop already, if not for myself then 4 my family. Il post regularly an hopefully i can do it!! spk soon
Hi m8,
Gr8 courage coming on and sharing, I'd like to just say that you use the term in your first post "today's the day" well my friend today is the day for you to make the change you know you need. Life will always throw you curveballs pal but don't strike out, chin up and embrace all the help thats here for you.
Yours in recovery.
Del 171 days GF
thx for the support delboy, day 2 has gone pretty smooth( most likely cause im skint ) Tougher times lye ahead but im committed to the cause. I c*t continue on the road i was on its going to b the end of me if i do so time to start living life instead of lining someone elses pockets. Anything can be achieved when wanted badly enough!!
Day 3 Feel like s**t all I can think about is gambling, why do I feel like this when I kno wat will happen if I do??? This is a sleaked addiction and I dispise what its done to me, let the battle commence. May the force b with us
Hi pal,
The early stages are the hardest m8 but it will get easier I promise you this, the urges will be very prominent at first just try and do something as soon as an urge starts.... phone a friend, get the hoover out! If you have a smart phone download cleantime counter, its free you can have messages on it, pictures but most importantly watch your progress by the day, hour, minute or seconds.
Keep your chin up m8 it is so worth it be rich in life and not rich in debt.
Del 173 days GF 🙂
thx delboy an rainman, i know its going to be difficult. Day 5 Just confessed all to my fiancee about the lies, the money lost, everything, out on my ear and hav lost everything i care about. This road just got a whole lot harder....only myself to blame. I need to beat this
thx rainman, this is it if i cant quit now il never quit. All the lies and deciet, its no way 2 live. The battle continues.....
I know how you feel, I think many of us do but as soon as you stop you start to see an improvement in life. Definitely get help from GA or some sort of counselling if you think you can't stop on your own and do all or as many of the things people have suggested as you can because will power can get you so far but there are bad days when that might not be enough.
If your debts have become unmanageable consider talking to a citizens advice financial consultant. They may be able to help you reduce debts and freeze interest. Do not pay for this service through a 3rd party, they'll charge a fortune for it and it's easy to do once you know how. It will however stop you getting any credit such as a mortgage or car loan for a few years.
Most important of all though is to keep off the gambling and try to remain strong and positive. Remember, you'll never win by gambling because you can never walk away and if you win today you'll probably lose twice as much tomorrow, so why bother in the first place. Well done on getting this far and keep it up.
Simon
Good advice Simon thx m8. Day 6 For the first time in a long time I didnt wake up worrying about money, and gt a decent sleep as well which was a bonus. This is the day after the revelations which I dnt think is a coincidence. Hoping I can stay strong
Well done on the 6 days, keep it going!
Hi pal,
How are you? I remember how hard it was to reveal all to my wife so much so it took me 2 attempts to reveal the level of squandered funds!! But it felt like a 10ton weight off my shoulders when it was all out in the open.
Keep strong my friend a return to the dark side is not the answer and remember we are all here to give advice and support.
Take care
Del
Hi un
Things must be tough right now but you are doing so well and don't forget all your buddies over on the challenge thread that are there for you no matter what.
Keep fighting the good fight
Linda
Hey mate,
Quickly checking in to echo what Linda's saying - hope youre managing to cope with everything that's going on. Kinda praying that you've not got internet access and that's why you've not been on?
Hope you're ok - we're here for you unruin,
Mr Brightside
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