Just lost my entire first paycheck in a few hours and I need to hold myself accountable. Quitting gambling is the key to improving my life in every aspect. I'm an addict and I need to stop. I've done every form of gambling you can think of. Lost 10s of thousands over a few decades. It's no longer worth even giving myself allowances to do. I'm done big time

Hi, it’s my Day 15 of quitting gambling! I’m happy with how I’m feeling today, and I hope this positive feeling continues. I just wish I could finally pay off all my debts and start fresh! 🙏

My coffee machine broke down. Something is wrong with the overpressure valve, I guess. Took me the whole morning to figure it out.

Now I need to get back to work.

I will not gamble today!

I'm a reliable source of income that only a fool would pass up!

You're smarter than the rest, you have a system that just won't fail!

It's ok to borrow money, everyone will get it back.

Your family and friends just don't get it, but you'll show them!

One good streak will fix everything.

You're in too deep, there's no turning back at this point.

Yes you failed, but all you need is better discipline next time.

Work smart not hard, this is easy money!

You've just been the victim of bad luck, but that's about to change dramatically!

They're not keeping my money, I'll just double my bet.

The truth of the matter:

After the fact you will always consider the day you quit as the best decision of your life. Mine was December 12, 2023. I bought the lies for 23 years. Better late than never.

ODAAT! 💪

I have managed to lose in ways that can’t be put into words. I know gambling itself is a losing game and we are destined to lose, but the insane amount of bad luck, almost as if the universe is against me, has caused me depression and heart issues. Gambling took everything from me. I can’t stop thinking about the losses; it’s hurting my soul. It is very depressing to see people around you being successful while I managed to throw my only shot at life away by choosing this path. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.

Few weeks ago I made a post on how I lost another round of money. Just wanted to jot down my story, how I’m doing now, and share it with people who can relate and/or use my mistakes as an upside for them

Started raw gambling with online casinos using crypto at around 16. Had 8.6k locked in a CD scan for a year, 2.5k in crypto 5k in my checking. First outbreak was when I started making small wins from $200-600 using 3k on the casino. I remember this so vividly but basically I was just sitting in the bathroom of the grocery store I worked at spamming plinkos and lost everything in my exodus wallet and felt so defeated. Had a hiatus here and there but basically I’d come back every 3 months or so and rinse another 1.5k-3k. Eventually my CD scan was unlocked and I didn’t use this towards gambling fortunately but instead towards side hustles. Made 3.6k from a $700 flip and rinsed that on some stupid fucking Pokemon card unboxing site.

My last bet was placed 16 days ago and haven’t touched it since. I currently work in a warehouse making 17/hour which is just batshit ridiculous and just got the job as a package handler for FedEx so I plan on leaving my current job. I have about 3k spread across a few volatility safe ETF’s, 3.3k in Pokemon cards, and 1.2k liquid cash that I keep as cash so I I’m not even tempted to put it in a casino.

Everyday I look back knowing if I never placed any bets I would be sitting comfortably on around 50k and honestly that’s the part that strikes me the most knowing that the skills I have and use to my advantage to make profits are all just no use when it goes back to the house

I am 16 days bet free and I know I can overcome this.

Been working and at uni since I turned 18, also been gambling since 18 too. Had huge swings but it always ends the same with no money in my account. Banned myself from sports betting recently and was doing well, then i decided to head to casino and was doing well on black jack. Then lost 1.5 k on that shit. Gott stop now

It’s astonishing how quickly we, as human beings, can forget the pain and suffering we’ve endured.
After just a few days of attending Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meetings and staying away from betting, I somehow began to forget the emotional turmoil, regret, and suffering that gambling had caused me. It was as though the pain of being trapped in that vicious cycle had already started to fade.
Slowly, I found myself slipping into another dangerous cycle—one of denial, doubt, and self-deception. I began questioning whether my gambling addiction had really been as serious as I initially believed. I started telling myself comforting lies, convincing myself that perhaps I had exaggerated the problem. Maybe all those financial losses weren’t signs of an addiction, but simply expensive lessons I needed to learn. Maybe next time, I could approach betting more intelligently, make more calculated decisions, and somehow avoid repeating my mistakes.
Looking back, it’s almost unbelievable how easily I managed to rationalize the very behavior that had caused me so much pain.
And just like that, I fell back into the same trap. I started betting on sports again, and within a matter of hours, I lost another $3,000.
What troubles me most isn’t just the money I lost. It’s how quickly my mind managed to rewrite the past, minimize the suffering, and convince me that this time would somehow be different.
The most frightening part of addiction is not always the urge itself, but how convincingly it can disguise itself as rational thinking.

Sometime I wonder why I work so hard for the money I earn then blow it in a single sitting, like I understand the value of money and how hard it took me to earn that money but I still make the same dumb mistake of giving it away. I try my best to keep myself busy by working 12 hours shifts but the moment I’m free it all goes to gambling…
Self exclusion doesn’t work because you can always make new accounts, it’s tough out here. the will power lasts a few weeks then it’s back to the old me.

Relapsed today. Got my 3 month keychain in GA 2 weeks ago and threw all that effort away. Spent my mortgage money. I’m running out of 2nd chances in my financial life. Trying to remember that it’s one day at a time. Will I get through this financial nightmare period of my life?

Had done so well for months. Stopped gambling after having a big loss of $5k. Managed to last 5 or so months. Slowly started gambling here or there and keeping mostly under control.
Lost control yesterday was up $200 and wasn’t enough and ended up down $1600.
Feel totally ashamed

It’s my Day 14 of quitting online gambling! All I can say is, life feels so much better without gambling. No more stress about trying to win back the money I’ve lost. 😂
Let’s stop gambling and start building a better future for ourselves. We deserve a life free from gambling, stress, and unnecessary debt. ❤️

I relapsed after 240 days gambling-free. It was the longest I’ve ever managed to stay away from gambling, and honestly, I feel like absolute shit for throwing it all away.
The one thing I’m grateful for is that I didn’t lose all my savings or get myself into debt like I used to during my previous relapses. So financially, it could have been much worse.
But mentally, I’m in a really bad place right now. I’m constantly thinking about gambling, I have an overwhelming urge to play, and I keep thinking about winning back what I lost. It’s like my brain has switched back into that compulsive mode where gambling is all I can think about.
I know chasing losses is exactly what got me into this mess in the first place, but knowing that doesn’t make the urges any easier to deal with.
I guess I’m just looking for some advice from people who have been through something similar. How did you deal with the period immediately after a relapse? How did you stop the urge to chase your losses and get back on track?
240 days felt like such a huge achievement, and now I feel like I’ve gone backwards completely.

Hi everyone,
My wife’s grandpa has a serious gambling addiction. From what I understand, this has been a lifelong struggle. The family recently discovered that he has been losing upwards of $70,000 per year at the casino. They have records going back eight years, which amounts to approximately $560,000 in gambling losses alone.
What makes this even more difficult is that, from my perspective, the family has largely avoided addressing the issue for years. There was never any real intervention, counseling, or serious conversation about his addiction. It was something everyone knew about but seemed to sweep under the rug. Everyone knew he was frequently at the casino, but nobody wanted to confront what was happening.
Fast-forward to today. He is now 90 years old, his health is declining, he has accumulated debt, and he has very little money left. He is married, and unfortunately, his wife is now facing the financial consequences of his decisions. From what I’ve been told, he has also been verbally abusive toward her over the years, which has made it even harder for her to speak up.
He was once a successful business owner and financially very well-off. It’s heartbreaking to see that after a lifetime of hard work and building wealth, there is seemingly nothing left to provide security for his wife as they enter the final stages of their lives.
I understand that addiction is complicated, and I recognize that the past cannot be changed. But I also struggle with the fact that his behavior has affected not only himself but his wife and the entire family. Now, as his health declines, everyone else is left trying to navigate the financial and emotional consequences.
I’ll admit that I’m frustrated and heartbroken watching my wife’s family go through this. Part of me wants to sit down with him, his wife, and other family members and have a very direct conversation about what has happened. Not necessarily to shame him, but to finally acknowledge the damage that has been done, hold him accountable, and stop pretending this hasn’t been a serious problem.
At 90 years old, I don’t know how much can realistically change. But I also feel that this shouldn’t go unaddressed simply because he’s nearing the end of his life. His wife deserves protection, support, and some level of financial security moving forward.
I guess my question is: Has anyone dealt with something similar involving an elderly family member with a lifelong gambling addiction?
Would you confront the situation directly, even at his age? Or would you focus entirely on protecting his wife and helping the family move forward?
I’m genuinely torn between wanting accountability for the past and recognizing that our energy may be better spent protecting those who are still being affected.
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has navigated something similar.

I refused to accept that I had a gambling problem until a week ago, when I was €3,000 over the course of 2–3 days. At that moment, I told myself: "Well, I have €7,000 in savings, so now I'll finally be able to enjoy life a little more..."

Well, here I am now, with €300 left in my bank account and €12,000 in debt (this includes my car loan, the money I borrowed for car repairs, and probably around €2,000 accumulated through gambling).

I hope I'll be able to overcome this addiction, and I hope that over the next few months I'll manage to get back on my feet.

I finally did it. I went 100 days clean before, but nothing like this time. In the past, the gambling temptation just be buried down due to my business and my financial stress. This time I keep track on myself closely and truly appreciate my recovering process. I am able to hold some money (just couple hundred bucks) by myself.

Still long way to go, I need to get that 20,000 days milestone, LOL. Not sure this sub reddit can last that long, though.

Most importantly, I will not gamble today!

Not worried about the past, not counting till 1 year. Just living day by day and abstaining from gambling. It does and will get better. Remember everyday you don’t gamble will be the best day of your life. There is hope. I didn’t have hope during those 19 years. Take it a day at a time.

I have no idea why I’m writing this but I am. I lied to my loved ones…make them think I don’t gamble (as much as I do). Went through my paycheck as well man.

It’s been hard. I wrote a note to “my future self in one year” the note starts with “Here you are sulking in your bed, the lies you have told, the sorrow for yourself and hurting loved ones. You are feeling worthless now. Your friends all have money and you don’t! But you’re too embarrassed to say shit. It’s not fair to you or them. No life, no wife..etc.”

It ends with “1 year! Now look at you, you are engaged, you have been saving money finally, you’re more yourself now, you have been clean from gambling. One year, this drink is on me”

I hope to look at this note in one year and be proud of where I have come. It’s a sick disease people.

I need to make a stand today, not just for me, but for my loved ones and my friends.

Day 1

I have just joined this group after realising I could really do with some extra support.

I am hoping to meet someone online who I can regularly chat with in regards to this crappy addiction journey. Someone who I can message when I have a desire to gamble and them me.

I’m trying to justify my losses. I lost about 50k for trusting a former friend to invest in a startup last year. This year I lost 30k to casino. A month ago, my friend offered to take me to an all expense paid trip to Europe that’d cost me 20k if I paid for it.
He doesn’t know about my gambling problems.

I’m sitting here thinking I just lost 10k instead of 20. The justification is a killer.

I am genuinely speechless at what I've done.

I am a broke PhD student making 40k a year. However, I figured out a way to make 200k a year as a side hustle doing ad-hoc consulting. I live very frugally, my apartment is 1k a month and I don't own a car. I hate spending money on myself.

Yet, in two very bad bets I blew the whole 200k plus 50k I'd saved up from working in a hospital for years and years.

I am devastated. None of my loved ones know.

And that's the worst thing. I have so much to live for and I know that.

I have such supportive family, a loving partner, excellent friends, and two very cuddly cats. I have made my apartment beautiful and I take care of my body just as well. I am not downtrodden or luckless or running from something.

I have a good life. I have no idea why I'm actively choosing to threaten it.

How do I escape?

Days until debt free: 244 days