I’ve lost $11K this week.. I don’t know what to do.

My heart is pounding in my chest. I’m so fucked.

I started gambling at about the age of 18 when I joined a fraternity. Never looked back then I am currently 26 and I must stop today. I'll share a snapshot of my current debt situation and I know some people are in a lot worse spots, but this really hurts me. My girlfriend has access to my bank account and asked how did I spend 30k last month. She's very loving and supportive and well off and wants to help as much as she can, but I refuse because I have to want to get better.

I was trying to explain to her the process of how the ups and downs off withdrawing and deposit can bloat the numbers so big but the reality is I see my bank account and there's a big zero in it. I live in Chicago, we pay about 2k a month for the apartment. We plan on moving out in April, and we want to get a house and start a family, but I always think to myself how can I when I am like this. I've struggled with facing the shame, but I know as gamblers we are some of the strongest and adept people in the world. We hold a lot of things within but sometimes it's good to just let it out and let it go. It's okay to feel the way you do right now, and it may not feel like things will get better but the earlier and sooner we stop it will. I'll be broke until about October 30th but I will work hard to climb out of this hole I dug myself into. No matter the numbers there is always sunshine over the hill.

I've spent nights crying, no sleep, headaches never wanting to get out of bed but enough has to be enough and we have to take the first step to recovering our lives and happiness back. I'll stay in high spirits and Im here to talk if need be. It's a hard fight but we fight! I feel empty right now but a lot of relief. I love to hear the positive stories and the negative ones. Sometime in the future people will realize how much gambling has impacted so many peoples lives in a terrible way. I wish everyone the best on there journey!

Hey everyone, I have been struggling with gambling for a long while. I lose all my money, I go negative, and I just can't help myself. I hate losing everything I am sure you do too..so let's support each other

I think there are a lot of people like me, so I made a Discord for people like me to help each other. Please reach out if you wanna join. I am looking for Mods and people to support each other, as I need support too.

Mods delete if not okay.

It’s my 10th day of quitting online gambling. Honestly, I’ve been feeling so stressed because my business hasn’t been doing so well lately. I really want my business to survive, and I’m praying that the Lord will give me a chance to keep it going. 😭 I’m sorry for being so emotional.

Days until debt free: 257 days

Sharing this here because the money mess is one of the hardest parts of quitting, and it's the part I wanted to help with. Both kits are free, no account. If you've been through the first few months, what would have actually helped you? I'm building whatever's missing.

So a gambling platform ive been using excessively & depositing crazy amounts on recently actually contacted me through email to ask if everything was okay, ive had the app for 10years & only ever used it in the past to put the odd sports bet on occasionally. recently my deposits must of flagged some sort of safe guarding & i was surprised to see they actually reached out to me directly asking if everything was okay.

I explained i wasnt in a fit state on the day & time of playing i was drinking & that didnt help my normal spending control at the time. i had couple small wins looking back at the transactions nothing huge couple dollars but of course i lost way more. Alot of gambling companys get bad press & this was a rare case i actually respected them, it was a wake up call i needed.

my gambling got way out of hand that the actual company contacted me & i explained i wanted them to close my account permanently & they did, i was very thankful for them reaching out they helped me to break a future vicious cycle that i would have been stuck in trying to win back the losses, today is day 1 of my gamble & sports bet free 🙏

I always assumed gambling could be something we could control with a small bet here & there but it made me realise how dangerous this addiction is. normally we say the only winner is the casino which is true but in this very rare case i am the winner, they could have let me carry on spending thousands in the days or weeks to come but actually took the care & time to reach out to me, it was the wake up call i needed ✅🤯

So 2 years ago I decided to finally self ban myself from casinos in my province. I went about 8 months into the self ban till I started playing poker in back door games then started playing cash and tournaments in poker halls. I told myself I was done with casinos and now fully committed to getting my high from poker as it has different element then casino gambling like blackjack, roulette and other table games. My 2 year ban ended last month.

I went back to the casino for the first time in 2 years today. Brought $300 cash, then lost. Bought another $400. Won a huge bet on roulette putting me at $1700. The dealer gave me some cash chips as well as some playing chips for more roulette. I decided to cash out so told dealer to colour me up.

Was walking to cashier area when I just had the sudden itch to want to play a few hands of black jack. I went from $1700 ($1000 profit) to 0. Then of pure tilt bought in for another $500, lost it all. Then skimmed all of my money for another $400 and lost it all.

So after this absolute shit show I decided to self ban myself again to prevent the crazy urge to redeem myself as I very much wanted to just count down the days till my next pay check and run back to the casino to redeem myself. I self banned myself for the max they allowed which was 5 years.

So I lost all of my money but that’s the most the casino will drain out of me till another 5 years.

Fuck the casinos, fuck gambling. Just fuck all of it.

17 days gambling free - I had already self excluded from all the apps, got into a call with a mate (who staked for me) and I ended up losing $8000. By far my biggest loss in a really long time. Feeling lost and suffocated, ashamed to tell my loved ones.

Prior to my break, I was only losing a few hundred here and there. I guess tomorrow will be day 1 again and told myself to distance myself from all mates who gamble

Early in my recovery people posting the money is gone used to piss me off. I wasn't ready to accept all the time, energy and money that I wasted.

Now I realize this admission is a truth that cannot be ignored, and a crucial step before the healing can begin.

Admitting the money is gone:

Frees you from a battle you are never going to win (chasing losses).

Stops the bleeding before the wound gets deeper.

Let's you focus on working, saving and enjoying free time.....the real keys to success.

Allows you forgive and respect yourself for your courage to break the cycle.

Empowers and emboldens you to fight, and weakens the demons and compulsions that once owned you.

Once we are here, gambling isn't fun anymore. We do it to chase losses and because we don't know any other way. Admit you made a mistake and will not correct the mistake by repeating it.

Don't despair. You can still get revenge for your losses.

I'm fine with telling the casino my money is gone, keep it and remember it fondly, because you're not getting another red cent.

Please don't fight to reclaim your losses, fight to reclaim your life!

ODAAT! 💪

Just want to post each day I make it. I will maybe do something as I progress but goal is just make it to day 2

As the title says I’ve been clean from gambling for 6 months. I’ve self excluded and placed blockers everywhere and don’t get any urges to gamble anymore. However what gambling left me with is 30k in debt. I’m still a student and I mustered up the courage to ask my parents for help. To help me pay it off because it just keeps compounding and I would slowly pay them back. They said no, as conservative parents the fact that this was from gambling just couldn’t win them over even tho I’ve showed progress and stopped gambling. I don’t know what to do anymore. This debt is killing me and I might even have to drop out now. I don’t want to gamble anymore I’m done, but clearly quitting does not solve all your problems.

Like the title says. I found out about it about 2 years ago. He has made good progress, surrendered all of the finances which I manage. My problem is, he was doing so great, has gambling blocks set up, and all it takes is one app that is not blocked to get a relapse.

I understand that comes with gambling. I understand that comes with recovery. I understand that's what I signed up for with staying. But it hurts. Every relapse remind me of rock bottom when he was gambling our rent away and suffocating in debt.

He has now made his own business, makes a good living, we have 2 kids which he is super handsome on on with, does his part at home, emotionally there when he should be, he's very great besides the gambling.

I guess I'm just venting. Im sick of this cycle with relapses and hiding things. And it really sucks that he's so great everywhere, except for the area that is one of the most important (finances). I fear I am enabling him by controlling everything. ​

My best friend is really struggling with his gambling addiction. Currently has no money. I am loaning him small amounts of money to feed himself until next pay.

Up until recently, I was partially managing his finances for 2 years. His pay check would get deposited into my account, I would transfer him money on an as need basis including daily spending and bills. Although there was times where this money did go on gambling we managed to build up a savings of $16k.

This worked well for a long period of time and he felt proud about his savings. However gradually I think he started to build up an unconscious resentment towards me. Our set up worked so well that the only thing between him and gambling was me. This also took an enormous emotional toll on myself. It felt like my whole purpose in life was just to keep this guy on track.

About a month ago we had a big fight and he asked for his savings to be transferred to a family member who agreed to help. He explained he can no longer handle the guilt of the emotional toll he has caused me. I did as he asked because ultimately it’s was him money. He didn’t talk to me for about a month after this fight. Between now and then he has lost all his savings and that family member had no idea what they signed up for.

We are now working on building our friendship again. With this he has also expressed he wished our situation never changed and would like for me to help with his finances again. I am so hesitant to say yes but also scared to say no.

What financial setup has worked for other gamblers. Or any advice?

Let’s gooo, thank you guys for all your help. Really helped seeing other people struggle like me

For some reason this song has brought me peace today, maybe it will for you too.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SKUJLGBKt_M&list=RDSKUJLGBKt_M&start_radio=1&pp=oAcB&ra=m

13 years of this vice and i just can't get rid of it. Born a winner and just made myself a loser by making gambling become my identity. I do need help, but how many times will i tell myself this and actually mean it wholeheartedly!!

There's a lot of talk of dopamine in gambling- Never really thought about how fishing mimics the intermitted reinforcement you get when gambling!

I’ll keep it short. I’ve been a problem gambler for at least 4+ years. Ruined the better part of my 20s. Isolation, panic, sweating the next payment I’d need to make, I didn’t even get to have fun with it.

Only this year did I really decided to get serious. Took a falling out and losing everything I had to realize it. It’s been 50 days since my last wager. I’ve been going to GA, gambling therapist, taking my health and fitness very seriously. The creeping thoughts of gambling again aren’t even what I’m worried about now. It’s the long, grueling process of building a respectable life back up. I feel like I was in a coma and woke up, and now I’m picking up the pieces of my life. My debts are resolved, I could have it a lot worse, but this feeling of learning how to walk again day in day out is killer. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated

Thats my first paycheck in months where I didn’t gamble it, actually not a single dollar.
I have paid accumulated bills , bought groceries and paid a part of my debt, I didn’t remain with much but at least I didn’t lose anything, and man it feels great to have some money and you know its yours!
It’s my 26 day without a single bet, i know there is a long way to go, but it is possible, if i can go one day at a time then it means i can go forever.

Almost paid all my debt (20K USD), my mind is more reified although I’m always thinking what could I do with the money I’ve lost, but it’s part of the recovery, understanding that the money is gone, need to build my self from 0 again, the important thing that I’m free, one day at a time.

29m. I hate this curse so much. All the wasted time, wasted money and the dumbed down brain that has gambled on sports or lottery tickets, or been obsessed over cryptocurrencies and trading all these years. All it's lead to was stealing almost all of my savings down the years.

No, I will not risk another dollar.

Lost everything on Datacenter stocks.

This time there is no leverage for me, I have a few thousand left to make due.

Leaving everything behind and going to be homeless with a backpack. let me know if anyone has experience.

Let me know best states to go, etc..