I guess in terms of money there are two colours digitally, in the black or in the red. For most that have joined this community it's the most expensive membership in the world but what it brings is priceless.
A quick caveat, I'm the world's expert of getting into debt and borrowing money over the last 44 years but I'm not an expert on getting out of it. I have learned quite a bit over the years. Some of the details are only relevant to England but the sentiment is global.
GA says that debt is usually the first thing to fix. I guess in some ways that's true as addiction is a life long battle and harm to others will last a long time as well. That said, debt payments can last for years.
I know that anyone carrying debt as a worry is another pocket for addiction to strike. I can't count how many times I had the thought, just one jackpot and I'm out, lol. Never would have happened even if I did win. So, I'm certain that debt could hold me back and I couldn't have that worry to try and escape from again. It was time for strength and honesty.
There are some excellent charities around the world that can help. In England of course we have Stepchange who are amazing.
So there are a few things I have learned recently and over the years. Don't overstretch yourself with debt, it won't work. Create a sheet of outgoings before you contact anyone and include everything.
If you go to a debt charity for advice (Stepchange will contact everyone for you), or direct to your creditors, it makes a huge difference to be honest. Legislation has changed in England and there are specialist departments to help. I told all of my banks and credit card providers that I had no job and was in recovery for gambling addiction. I explained, although they knew, that it's recognised as a mental health illness and that I was experiencing depression and anxiety as diagnosed by my GP. The help I received was amazing and I have a payment plan in place that I can stick to. It's stopped the phone calls and I just have a default letter every so often but I expect it and don't worry.
Everyone's situation is different but the financial sector is run by people and they do understand so honesty is the best policy. When I was in action I always made empty promises as I told them what I thought they would want to hear rather than what was achievable
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