“It gives you the stonewall you need, that you’ve got to have in order to stop and then you can start doing the work on why you did it and what the real problems are behind it."

Carly found help through GamCare on a long night in December last year. “I had been struggling with gambling for around three years. My ‘rock bottom’ was last year, when I lost my home, my job and the relationships that were the most important to me. I knew something had to change, otherwise …

“I’ve been a gambler most of my adult life, and I was familiar with GamCare. When I actively decided to seek help I knew I could turn to them. My gambling behaviour became compulsive in my late twenties, and after ten years of suffering I decided to see what help was out there for …

David reached out to GamCare around three years ago. He was gambling online and had run up debts of almost £30,000. He says: “I wanted to stop, but I needed support – I was on the verge of losing my family. I looked for help online and found the National Gambling HelpLine. The adviser …

"I began gambling online around four years ago, and during this time I felt like he was becoming a completely different person... I was suffering with stress, mostly related to my work. However, when even moving jobs didn’t seem to help, I turned to gambling. I would neglect my wife and …

Steve, 35, Norwich

The first thing I would say is that for anyone looking for help, you are not alone. There are organisations like GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP, that have great tools and people to help get you through the tough times.