Debt, depression and gambling.

bounce08

I know gambling is enough a problem for me to post about it on a forum like this. I no longer hide this fact from family, friends, all of whom have tried to help. I do know that once I'm comfortable and have the material things I need then I won't gamble. I'm thinking that next month instead of gambling I'll just buy the things I need and go from there. If I still feel the urge to gamble then there is obviously a serious problem. I am already self excluded for 8 local bookmakers.

I just wish I could rewind and start again at 18. Over the last 8/9 years I've just gone downhill. I'm in a decent job. Including overtime I earn circa £45k a year. But it's all for nothing. I'm in a job where bankruptcy via gambling could easily result in being sacked.

I have very little in my life. Something as simple as a tv (so I can actually watch it) is very important to me as I don't have a great deal else.

I have no car, I haven't been on holiday for 5 years. I have no desire for things like these and know my limitations.

Going BR would actually free me, in a way. I have 18+ creditors and it causes more stress and hassle than its worth keeping up with them. Bankruptcy actually feels like a way out as the mandatory surplus payments would be LEGALLY enforceable and force me to pay.

Fire_Fox

There is an awful lot of can't in the OP, that sort of negativity could be down to the depression but it won't get you anywhere. Dwelling on the past is another feature of depression. Maybe do what you can now then review the thread in a couple of weeks when the meds start kicking in. Do get yourself out and about: try to get 10000 steps every day in daylight, maybe join a Walking for Health group. Another option is Green Gym or getting involved in an allotment project and growing your own fruit and vegetables.

Be sure to go back to your doctor for a dose or medication change if required, both are very common. You've been diagnosed with and presumably treated for clinical depression which is great, have you been diagnosed with gambling addiction too? Have you contacted a relevant charity for support, say http://www.gamcare.org.uk/ or http://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/ ?

Your employer should not be able to sack you for conditions you are diagnosed with. Have you been referred to the community mental health service? Are you a member of a union? Can your billing dates be changed to the DDs are right after you get paid, or can you manually pay bills on payday instead of passively waiting until you have blown the lot? Also consider a large online grocery shop to be delivered the day of or after payday, loads of cheap/ heavy/ longlife items.

Fruit and veg is far from all expensive, do you have a freezer? Do you know where your nearest Lidl, Aldi or Farmfoods are? Whole chickens are inexpensive for meat, strip all the skin off whilst still raw and trim any fatty deposits and it's fairly lean too. Search Old Style for 'rubber chicken' recipes. Is pork kidney (£1 a kilo) too high in iron or are eggs too high in fat? What about a little of each?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=60262019&postcount=9

Why do you think you need to run a car in central London anyway? Plenty of professionals don't, plenty live in shared accommodation. One option if you hate your job and have bad memories of the area is to start planning to relocate to the cheap north. :money: Find out where the best charity and second hand shops are in the most expensive areas or try eBay, you can get nearly new good quality clothing for cheap. Sounds silly but there is a real thrill to bargain hunting, it's not that different to gambling (shopping addiction exists).

michael1983l

I'd be wary about the medication, it temporarily stops the depressive symptomns but only for a short time and then you end up relying on it and cannot get off it. The depression caused by coming off the medication was 100 times worse than the depression that drove me to it in the first place. It took 18 months to get off the medication. Never again will I take SSDI's

merlot123

Bounce, material things will and do not make you happy.

You are finding an excuse to continue to gamble.

Personally, let the medication take effect and then look at the situation again in a few months, but you must phone payplan and tell them of your situation.

michael1983l

bounce08 wrote: »

I know gambling is enough a problem for me to post about it on a forum like this. I no longer hide this fact from family, friends, all of whom have tried to help. I do know that once I'm comfortable and have the material things I need then I won't gamble. I'm thinking that next month instead of gambling I'll just buy the things I need and go from there. If I still feel the urge to gamble then there is obviously a serious problem. I am already self excluded for 8 local bookmakers.

I just wish I could rewind and start again at 18. Over the last 8/9 years I've just gone downhill. I'm in a decent job. Including overtime I earn circa £45k a year. But it's all for nothing. I'm in a job where bankruptcy via gambling could easily result in being sacked.

I have very little in my life. Something as simple as a tv (so I can actually watch it) is very important to me as I don't have a great deal else.

I have no car, I haven't been on holiday for 5 years. I have no desire for things like these and know my limitations.

Going BR would actually free me, in a way. I have 18+ creditors and it causes more stress and hassle than its worth keeping up with them. Bankruptcy actually feels like a way out as the mandatory surplus payments would be LEGALLY enforceable and force me to pay.

So how are you continuing to gamble if you are self excluded? If your doing it over the internet, write to them and tell them you wish to self exclude there also. Even better get a bank account that has no debit card from a credit union or the like.

Bankrupcy won't free you, you could be declared bankrupt for upto 15 years because of your gambling, and you will still have to pay your debts for at least 3 years. They do not magically write off your debt and because you are unlikely to be discharged for a very long time because of your gambling then this will affect your life big time. Insurance will be refused, bank accounts tennancy agreement. You name it, if it involves any type of credit search, you will not get it for up to 15 years. Also there are certain jobs you cannot do if declared bankrupt.

Bankrupsy is not an easy way out. Plus I highly doubt that given your gambling problems you will save the £770 court application fee to go bankrupt as you currently struggle to even keep money for food.

bounce08

I'm the complete opposite - I really don't need or want a car. I live close to work anyway. Literally all I have in my life is my room (rented), a broken tv, a playstation and a few games, some clothes and a cheap laptop. That's it. No savings, £20 to my name.

I can't relocate with my job, not for a while anyway, I've looked in to it extensively.

I feel the meds have kicked in and I'm less concerned but certainly more receptive to change.

My gambling, although a problem, is something I know I can fix in the right circumstances. My main concern is my long term finances. My debt problem is not from gambling whatsoever, I had 30k in unsecured debt before I gambled.

I just cannot commit money to paying off debts voluntarily, espcially as high as £1300. I know it's very bad and I built this debt up, but I was 18 at the time and naive/didn't have a care in the world/lived with parents.

I work very hard, sometimes 70+ hours a week and paying PayPlan £1360+ a month as soon as I get paid is more than half my wages, gone just like that.

Voluntarily, I can't do it. Which is why I want BR. My credit rating is absolutely terrible, so it really won't make a difference to that.

I'm actually looking forward to it, it's a light at the end of the tunnel for me.

Can I also say - really thankful and enjoying the responses so far. Great support, it's nice to talk. A lot more helpful than many I've spoken to professionally face to face.

merlot123

If you are gambling online, self exclude yourself tonight, simply click on live chat with many of the casinos you are a member of, its instant, they will self exclude you.

You can do this if you really want.

Micheal is quite correct Bankrupcy will not put an end to it immediately, it can have a long term effect.

Best thing, talk to a debt charity.

If you don't watch live tv, cancel the tv licence, saved you £12:D

You have alot more in your life than many others, you just haven't realised it yet.

Fire_Fox

michael1983l wrote: »

I'd be wary about the medication, it temporarily stops the depressive symptomns but only for a short time and then you end up relying on it and cannot get off it. The depression caused by coming off the medication was 100 times worse than the depression that drove me to it in the first place. It took 18 months to get off the medication. Never again will I take SSDI's

Sorry but that is not entirely true. There are other anti depressants than SSRIs, some are more difficult to withdraw from than others due to different half lives, very few get worse depression coming off than going on and if they do that can signify it's simply too early to withdraw because you have not recovered. If you are on the right drug and the right dose they stop the symptoms for the entire time you take them not just 'for a short time'.

Anti depressants do save lives, they do help people with the motivation to make other changes to their lifestyle, they can blunt the highs and lows from any negative behaviour which is 'self medicating'. They are not the panacea for all ills, but of you read the published research and/ or work in healthcare the good outweighs the bad. Overall bad experiences are not the norm.

michael1983l

merlot123 wrote: »

Micheal is quite correct Bankrupcy will not put an end to it immediately, it can have a long term effect.

If the OP thinks being declared bankrupt for upto 15 years as being the easy option, then they have clearly been given the wrong advice.

merlot123

michael1983l wrote: »

If the OP thinks being declared bankrupt for upto 15 years as being the easy option, then they have clearly been given the wrong advice.

I think many people think bankruptcy will solve their debt problem immediately, I blame the media:D (not Martin Lewis of course).