[levi]

Hi everybody. I am new to this forum and am so happy to have found it today after scanning the net for resources to help me get away from this terrible and painful addiction. So first and foremost,thanks for having me.
A little about me:
I am a 23 year old male from England.
My gambling started very harmlessly.  I’d have £10 here or there on an online bingo site, sometimes won, sometimes not.. didn’t worry too much either way as just enjoyed playing and the bit of excitement.
After doing this for a few months, I got into a cycle of chasing my losses.. which led me on a couple of occasions to spend up to £500 in a night and thought that was the worst thing I could ever do.. felt such remorse, locked myself out of the bingo sites and carried on with my life.
I became unemployed a few months ago and when browsing another site, a pop up came up on screen advertising a new gambling site in the UK.  Impulsivley I joined up. Not bingo this time – a whole set of other games, interactive, big prizes.  Again, I started small.. but found by staking higher, I won considerably, and the winning cycle became addictive.
I got sucked into a daily routine of playing on there – using it for my main income – and had around 6 weeks (from mid December 2010 until this week) being very sucessful, being about £3000 up in that short space of time and happy as a clam with my new financial status, arrogantly telling everyone how I was scooping large sums of money every day just by sitting at home and pressing a few buttons.
 I had some minor scares where I staked too much only to win it all back and feel immense relief, vowing not to play again.  I played again, of course. My stakes got higher and higher, until I thought nothing of putting down £1000 per game. 
My winning streak came to an abrupt end this week. After playing a few £1000 games, I was in a desperate position to win it back. I kept putting on the £1000’s until I had exhausted both my full credit limits, and everything in my current account. This was all within the space of 12 hours or less. I won’t even tell you the exact amount I am now down but I am vowing HERE & NOW not to put another penny on chasing it.  Even this morning, I played another £1500, won back £2000.. and was pleased… only to gamble that whole £2000 away again with the temptation of winning back more. STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.
I need help. I need help controlling the urge. I need help putting my life back together.
This is my dark secret. Nobody knows I have lost. I will not be telling anyone.
It is my plan now to just find a full time job ASAP, and modestly pay back everything I have spent, in the true and proper way. No more stupidness. No more losses. JUst acceptance and moving forward into a better person and better place.
I value all of your support.
Thanks for reading.
Levi
 

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