Great to read Hammo, take it from me when I was your age I thought I could easily manage a weekly gambling budget. 30 years later after 5 prison sentences 3 periods in rehab, suicide attempts and homelessness. I really regret it.
You have your whole life ahead now. A great post to read try and knock it on the head completely though. Your £100 a week footy bet could be paid off your loan. Believe me mate life can be great without a gambling in it. For a compulsive gambler, when gambling even a little bit, life is seldom any better than shit!
Please pop back from time to time to let us know how life is going, you can be entirely honest here, no one will judge you.
All the best mate.
Geordie