Hi, I am Ian from Liverpool. I am 31 years old and have been gambling since I was 18. For the first couple of years it was just a football acca on a Saturday. However, at the age of 20 it quickly got worse. I would say since that day pretty much all disposable income is used gambling as well as a debt that has been built up over time. I have been trying for about 10 years to stop but have barely had a day go by were 8 haven’t placed a bet.
I am now married and have a 5 month old son. Again I convinced myself having my son would help but it hasn’t. I have just lost another sum of money this morning and I am now willing to try something different, which is join these groups and share my experiences without sugar coating it.
I constantly plan how quickly I could pay off my debt without gambling and (I am fortunate that I have a relatively good income) it could be done within a year. The thought of starting my financial life again from scratch is what gives me hope but, no matter how much I convince myself, something in my brain tells me it could be quicker with a few wins. I am well educated and know that this is idiotic but I become all consumed and the thought of not betting on something and knowing I would have won is worse than placing the bet and then losing.
Forget money though. The long and short of it is that I have wasted enough of my life having gambling on my mind 24/7 and I do not want to feel like this anymore and not be there for my son because I am constantly checking my phone with that sickly feeing in the pit of my stomach. I hope that sharing my experiences and reading others is what makes it different this time and allows me to at least get going on my path to being a recovering gambling addict
Good evening Ian and welcome to the Forum,
I am really pleased that you have found us as it sounds like over the last 10 years you’ve been trying really hard to quit gambling but keep being drawn back in. Firstly, well done on recognising this and reaching out for support, it can be a really hard step to take.
Can I recommend as well as receiving peer support from the Forum that you contact one of our Advisers who could go through all the support that is available to help you recover from you gambling addiction and help rid you of that sickly feeling in the pit of your stomach. You are right that a better life awaits you and the family.
Our support is available 24/7 on either our Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or via our NetLine.
There are a lot of tools available including self-exclusion, blocking software, bank blocks as well as a wealth of advice tailored to your situation. If you’d like a great level of support one of our Advisers would also be able to talk you through all the treatment options available to you.
We look forward to many more of your posts on the Forum, following and supporting you on your road to recovery.
Kind regards
ChrisK
Forum Admin
Hello Ian, welcome to the forum.
Haven't posted on here for a long time but your post stood out to me being the same age and struggling with the same vice. You've made the first step by reaching out for help.
If you are ready to stop you need to take control back and look for and accept the help of others. You need to help yourself out by being honest with yourself, drawing that line and starting your new life NOW. You need to put the blocks in place to take away your ability to gamble (limit access to money, self exclude, gamstop for 5 years, hand over cards).
Reach out to people with addiction who understand you, this place is great also consider GA. I would always tell you to tell the people that need to know, those closest to you. Addiction leads us to lies and cover-ups as part of the package, honesty was a key part of me starting recovery (and it is a massive process im still very much working through) as it gives no room to hide.
Its very normally to look at the money side and think that is what is holding us back but we are where we are and debt is only a symptom of the problem. The truth is we have to make that starting point. Addiction tells us to carry on and win our way out but it doesn't work like that.
I had a 5 figure debt that took me 2 years to pay off. At the time that felt like forever but the truth is if you carry on as you are in a year you will be stuck where you are now at best and i think you know that.
Keep posting and let us know how you are going. Always happy to help if i can.
All the best
Thanks, it is definitely different to hear from people who understand. I have spoken to people about my addiction before but you can tell that they don’t fully appreciate the addiction.
Nice to be through the first 24 hours, with football about to kick off I have had to battle with my urge but I just keep reading people’s stories and remind myself that even if I won, I will eventually lose as there is no happy ending if I continue to bet.
Thanks again
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