[Chloe88]

Hello, all. So just to go into some festival detail about my gambling problem and how it all started and where im at today.

I currently am 27 I make around 50k a year and have been gambling since I’ve been 18. It all started for me at the casinos gambling every weekend playing blackjack losing all my money week in and week out with some big wins in between. Then give it all back. Over time. About the age of 24 I switched to poker only and always did decent but could never control my obsession and no matter how much I win I raise the stakes until I go broke.

So here I am today im about 5k in debt money owed to loan sharks basically. They loan me the money to play online poker and I pay them back if I lose. I’ve been in about this much debt before but always got a bail out from my family. I refuse to go to them for this time. I want and need to do this in my own. I told my gf about my problem and how much debt im in and while she is very understanding im afraid she doesn’t get it. She doesn’t know how serious of an illness it is. I’ve tried to explain to her how hard it is to stop and how serious of a disease this is and I need her help and support. But honestly endless I’m bringing it up she doesn’t say anything about it or doesn’t ask. Like acts like it don’t exist basically. All while me behind the scenes right now. Im super anxious. Im depressed thinking about how big this hole is I’m in. And thinking about how im gonna tell the people I owe 5k too that I’m getting help and need them to let me make payments to them. The stress im under right now is unbearable.

I guess my biggest questions are has anyone else ever dealt with a spouse who kinda acts the same about their disease and what’s some ways to coup with the losses and keep myself away from online poker. I truly want to stop and never play again but as the days go on and you think about how big of a hole your in and the only way out is to gamble your way out it makes it so hard to stop.

[i-did-it]

Hi Chloe ,
I think my spouse was in denial for many years and even once he learned about my addiction he somehow didn’t have the skills to give me the support I needed.

Somethings you could do to keep you away from online poker are:
1. Join Gamstop- this will mean you cannot go onto any U.K. online casinos for five years
2. Get a gambling blocker on your phone – I have Gamban on mine so that even if the mind is weak I cannot gamble on my phone. This would need to be on all your internet devices .
3. Get support – I’m not sure where you live but there are lots of free support groups and counselling available.
4. Another thing which helped me is that I scratched the last three numbers off the back of my bank card so I cannot use it at all online but I can still use it in shops and at the bank machine .
5. Avoid all types of gambling and it eventually kinda leaves your head – I don’t do lottery, work raffles, charity raffles or even online games where I might get a similar buzz.

These are things that have worked for me – I am at last enjoying some freedom from this horrible addiction. I hope you find my reply helpful .

Keep strong Chloe – people do become free of this addiction .

[dunc]

Hello and thanks for starting a thread in the Gambling Therapy forums

Here at Gambling Therapy we pride ourselves on being a caring and diverse online community who can help and support you with the difficulties you’re currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if you’re new to recovery, so come here as often as you need to and participate in the forums, access online groups and connect to the live advice helpline if you need one to one support. We’re in this together!

Here on the forum you can share your experiences in a safe, supportive and accepting environment. The beauty of writing it all down is that you can take your time and you will be creating a record of your progress that you can look back on if it ever feels like you’re not moving forward. So, share as much or as little as you like but do try to stick to keeping just one thread in this forum so people know where to find you if they want to be updated on your progress or share something with you.

As well as the forums New Members are invited to join Charles in the New Members Practical Advice Group On Mondays at 21:00 (UK) and Thursday at 19:00(UK)

And on that note….

I’m going to hand you over to our community because I’m sure they will have some words of wisdom for you 🙂

Take care

The Gambling Therapy Team

PS: Let me just remind you to take a look at our privacy policy and terms and conditions so you know how it all works!

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