Gambling Debt Support Thread

HEROWHENZERO

I've noticed quite a few people posting on various threads within the forum, that like myself have debts as a result of compulsive gambling. This thread is for anyone who has debt as a result of gambling, to support each other along the way to a gambling free life and repair, not only our financial outlook but our emotional well-being too.

Jono987

Hi, thanks for this!
Im currently in around £23k debt just from gambling

I was wondering if any gamblers had gone into a DMP from stepchange or similar?

I have spoke to stepchange who have recommended one, however some of my accounts are very recent. For example, i took out a lloyds loan which i have only made two payments against. Im guessing if i go into a DMP now, and Lloyds are asked to accept lower payments, they will just laugh at me as i only just took the loan out?

What makes things worse is i was with stepchange 3ish years ago. Back then i had run up 15k worth of debt, and tried so hard to stop and pay it off. Managed to go from 15k to 2k before i relapsed recently and lost it all again plus more..

Im visiting my doctor next week as i have not slept more than a couple hours a night in nearly 3 weeks and im probably currently at my lowest ever point in life.

HEROWHENZERO

Hi Jono987,

Thanks for reaching out, I too had recent loans, I was honest with StepChange around the fact that I had an addiction and that I was suffering with depression. I'm currently 5 months into a DMP with StepChange and all is going well.

I'm on antidepressants for the depression and anxiety and I go to GA every week. Day by day thinks are getting easier. I first went to GA 12 years ago with £86 worth of debt, but foolishly thought I could do it alone. And clearly the result didn't do well as the debt was at £96 in March.

Check out the gamblers anonymous website and get along to a meeting. There really is no other place where so many people understand what you go through.

It may feel bad right now, but without gambling it WILL improve.

Take care, take it one day at a time.

Hero

HEROWHENZERO

If gambling is something that has caused a problem in your life and you've been unsuccessful in refraining from gambling by yourself, there is help and there is a program available that works for me and many others.

Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of Men and Women who have one aim, to help one another stop gambling. I spend 2 hours a week talking with like minded people, all with various levels of debt, some with no debt at all, but the general consensus is that by not gambling, we can start to and continue to repair our lives.

One day at a time.

Hero

Upsidedown_Bear

There is a long running thread for ex and would be ex-gamblers that you might find helpful.
Ex and would be ex-gamblers

HEROWHENZERO

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

There is a long running thread for ex and would be ex-gamblers that you might find helpful.
Ex and would be ex-gamblers

Thanks, I did search for gambling and couldn't find any threads, but I should have searched gambler instead.

Jono987

Hi Hero, how are you doing today?
I have started to feel a bit more positive about my situation. Just received a text from Stepchange saying my DMP is all set up and have self excluded from every casino / bookmaker i can think of. I even googled 'Online Bookmakers' and went through a list of around 50 of them, opened up a new account with all my details and then self excluded for 6 years.

MY DMP is set to take 6 years but hopefully i will be able to reduce this.

HEROWHENZERO

No gambling today so it's a good day :-). You have done pretty much exactly what I did. Self exclusion is a very strong and positive step. It takes away the ease to go back, I see keeping accounts open like an alcoholic keeping an open bottle of wine in the fridge just in case.

Having the DMP has really helped ease stress of the debt and I'm now able to manage money much much better. Look at a budgeting tool too, I find YNAB extremely useful.

Hero