Redemption - The journey of a recovering gambling addict.

Lonelygambler

Still no gambling…

bellevuesmile

Glad you're on the right road with regard to your debts.  

Can I ask how you overcame your gambling addiction as a relative of mine has just admitted to the same with huge debts?

Thanks

BeachSiren

That’s great news LG…you’re doing so well 👏🏻 

Lonelygambler

bellevuesmile said:

Glad you're on the right road with regard to your debts.  

Can I ask how you overcame your gambling addiction as a relative of mine has just admitted to the same with huge debts?

Thanks

Morning, first i’m not convinced i will overcome gambling. It’s an illness that will be on my shoulder for life. 

Things that helped: 

1 - Handing over my finances to my wife
2 - All gambling bans and blocks 
3 - Sought NHS treatment 
4 - Joined gamfam a wonderful charity 
5 - Attend weekly therapy 

My journey has been pretty rough but I will be approaching two years soon. 

LG 

bubblycrazy

I hope you're having a good week LG? 

Lonelygambler

Evening all,

I think it’s time for a check-in and a life update.

So, most importantly — I’m still gamble-free and have been in a really good headspace without gambling. It’ll be nearly two years soon, and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and the progress I’ve made.

This has had a huge impact on my home life. If you’ve followed from the start, you’ll know my wife nearly left me and I was on my knees. Thankfully, things are much better now.

Money-wise

It’s been quite a spendy few months! I treated my wife to a month-long celebration for her 40th — well overdue for everything she’s done to support me. Without going into too much detail, it cost around £1,000, which I used for her celebrations instead of paying toward my debt.

I’m now focusing on paying off one credit card and should be getting a salary increase in November. We’ve also recently stopped paying nursery fees, saving us around £1,100 a month. We’re continuing to “pay” that money into our account each month to stay disciplined.

Here’s how that £1,000 is allocated:

• £250 into savings

• £250 towards the mortgage

• £100 extra into the boys’ Stocks & Shares ISA

• The rest goes into our emergency fund for bills and other expenses

We’ll start paying interest on our Help to Buy loan from January, which I believe will be around £150 a month. Our mortgage is due for renewal in August 2026, so we’ll decide then whether to borrow more to cover the loan or continue paying just the interest.

Once my debt is cleared, the goal is for my wife to drop another day at work and go part-time (three days a week). We’re not quite there yet, but we’re moving in the right direction.

December will be the first proper month with my new salary, and November’s pay will include backdated pay — so it’s hard to know exactly what to expect just yet.

If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking with me.

I’m a compulsive gambler who lost all sense of money — but it’s taken me nearly two years to really change that, and I’m doing it.

LG

lucielle

Brilliant update. Keep going
L

Brewerspride

What a great update. You're definitely "doing it" Well done you!

bubblycrazy

Brilliant LG! The nursery fee savings will make a massive difference. 

Lonelygambler

Feeling a bit meh this week, how is everyone?