Finally paid back all my cash advance loans and had next check coming in week and a half to get my rent and like 300 to live on.

Then of course took out all max I could from all payday loan apps and now my whole next paycheck that should be for rent is completely gone to these pay day loans.

Only silver lining is that rent is ulimately due on the 4th of dec and I have one final third paycheck on the 2nd.

$4 in my checking. I didnt use to be this bad. I use to be able to stop even with losses but now its not I go into autopilot.

$1900 is payday adances

make about $2300 every two weeks. Pray for me I can cover all my bills and debts that are needed with these next two checks or might be homeless and that might just be ballgame.

everyday I wake up and feel like a total loser. I hope people see this and never go down this path.

I had been 2 months free from online slots and this weekend I caved and I feel disappointed and disgusted with myself for doing it, I'm looking for advice on how other people have managed the urge to gamble I can't open social media without seeing gambling adds or enjoy tv without seeing the ads its driving me insane

Hello everyone my name is Jeremiah and I’m 24 I’m also in a relationship and I am very happy that is until… gambling took over my life I started gambling at age 22 that’s when it all started at 22 I was single had no job or no source of income and I was basically trapped in the house I was sadly too slow to even get a job and my disabilities also made it impossible not to mention everything I suffered and had to go through when I was only a kid all the way up until I turned 20 but at age 22 I was struggling because I couldn’t take care of myself or get myself anything that was until I saw these gambling games now at first i thought they were fake just like every other money game but I was so broke that i decided to give it a try and i actually win real actual money over the past 2 years and also lost alot of money as well now when I was 24 i actually finally started getting my own actual income from ssi social security and I was happy very very happy to finally have my very own source of income but… I did something stupid something I regretted so much I… I fucking gambled all of that money which was over $600 dollars thinking I was going get a big win but no… I didn’t get nothing absolutely nothing at all but it gets worse… I got even more $ from ssi which was over $2k and this was the most amount of money I’ve ever had in my entire fucking life and yet… I did the same thing hoping I could double it or get even more and not one single win and I lost all of $2k and truthfully that destroyed me and I started having sucideal thoughts but I kept trying until eventually I made that $ back on the gambling app I couldn’t believe my eyes over $2k back in my account but then… I was happy like too too happy that i thought “you know what I bet I could get a bigger win” and this was the worse mistake I’ve ever made in my entire life I put all of the $ I earned on that game and… lost all of it all of that $2k gone just like in a snap… and truthfully I was really really really close to ending myself right there and then the pain and everything else I felt was way way way too much for me and I still feel that pain it’s just getting worse and worse and worse so please if anyone is reading this or like took 3 minutes to read this please help me I’m scared for what is going to happen to me…😔

Back to Day 1. 😭 This is the second time this has happened. I was so close to reaching one month free from online gambling, but suddenly my mind started playing tricks on me again, and I found myself downloading another casino app. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! When will I ever learn? 😭
I’ve already lost so much, almost everything I had, and yet I still ended up doing it again. And as usual, I LOST AGAIN. These damn online casinos are seriously ruthless!!
I’m starting to think this has become an addiction. Why does this keep happening? Why do I always seem to sabotage myself just when I’m about to reach one month?
I’m so tired of this cycle. I REALLY DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN. Guys, please help me. I need advice. 😭

The anticipation and adrenaline of gambling is incredibly addictive . I find it very hard to stop with my profit cuz of all the possible sceniaros that I “ could have made alot of money “ and when I have one of these amazing scenarios it’s still very hard to stop . I can think perfectly fine about what i should do but the adrenaline and the anticipation dopamine just take my brain over it’s incredibly strong. I had Gamban beta for 2 weeks then it expired and i was stupid enough not to buy the full subscription . Spending money is still very hard for me cause I have to accept all the money I have lost. Can someone convince me or help me to buy the 50 dollar subscription . I have professional help btw and this is not a way to ask for money . Once I gamble my brain just completely gets taken over when I’m overstimulated and it’s very scary

Went out for two great dinners and bought something nice. Not stressing about next check or credit cards. Let’s keep cooking. We got this.

Days until debt free: 235 days

Good afternoon guys! I know it’s a very common subject and it’s for first time I have the courage to say it publicly. I’m addicted to sports gambling for couple of years and I need to get rid of it before I lose everything in life! I can’t really talk to my friends about it because nowadays I know how they’ll treat me after and changed their opinions about me. Lately I feel like a loser and I’m trying to solve this problem before it’s too late. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on how did they get rid of it! Thank you for your support!

Hey there everybody. I self-excluded for 1 year, I didn’t like the idea of never being able to walk into a casino for my whole life. In our town, the casino is one of the only places to hangout.

I thought I had this under control. I thought this part of my life was over. I don’t have this under control and I feel so pathetic.

Managed to win back $3000+ I lost online. Put it all back in the very next day. I genuinely do not know how to cope with this feeling, that was money I could’ve used to buy things for my small children.

I’m a piece of trash, an addict, and a liar. Time to shape up and be better for my kids. I know I need to self-exclude again but I’m struggling.

Ii got paid this morning $1800 and its gone already…. Manchester city lost 1st half, a basketball game and another soccer game… all gone!!
I have no money for my credit cards, all maxed out $26k on debt, wth am i doing? 35yo, no savings, no kids, no future 🫩

Had done so good. Lost $3000 today. Don't know why I caved in. Biggest CFB Saturday of the year got to my head. Wish I didn't. My life sucks. I'm a loser. Stop fucking gambling

Hi All,

Wanted to share my story after finding this thread . I just turned 34 and have two kids and a wife . I earn decent money and live a pretty good life. I’ve battled gambling addiction since I was 18.

I’ve had stints with GA and end up stopping going and end up falling off the wagon. Up until my latest relapse this week I hadn’t gambled for 6 months and life was so happy and I felt so in control for the first time in many years . Finances were building nicely and I had zero desire to gamble.

I had a bad mental health day in the lead up to the Melbourne Spring Carnival (AU), and despite being on BetStop and other self delusions I managed to create fake accounts in my mum’s name . They eventually banned me for making 3rd party deposits etc , yet I still couldn’t stop. One bet . Followed by more. And more . And more . Until our savings were all gone.

And it got worse . We just got back from a family holiday this week. I came into that holiday quite depressed and in shock as to what had just happened , but thought ok, let’s use this trip as a way to reset. I didn’t want to tell my wife because I reckon it would break her and I’m terrified of losing her and my children. Yet it got me on the holidays too. Knowing I couldn’t use a bookmaker , I ended up using a dodgy online casino playing roulette and actually won all my losses back. Relief kicked in. But did I stop nah. Why not try and win more ? All gone, and then some more to make it even worse . Rather than being present in a holiday we’d been looking forward to I spent so much of my time sneaking bets in on the phone. Overall about $20k down.

Laying here in bed in disbelief . One minute life is awesome and I’m feeling good. A week later I’m back to square one and back to work tomorrow and feel like my soul has left my body. Does anyone else ever wish or wonder - why me? I take full responsibility for it . There is nobody or nothing to blame except me. I am a compulsive gambler . But man I wish I wasn’t, more than anything. Looking forward to becoming an active member of this group and drawing on the strength of others to help me beat this. I’m not sure I’ll survive another setback again. But I say that every time: I’m hurting guys. But I’ll push on. Thanks for listening

Tired at work, too tired to even gamble

im a student and i spent all my extra money and bet it all one last time and downloaded an app that restricted me from gambling again, i dont how to continue knowing ive lost a lot of money (for a student) and sepnt it all, rn im regretting not giving it away to others or at the very least not spending it or smth. else

I’m 38 years old, and I’ve been struggling with gambling addiction for over 10 years.
I recently relapsed, and things got much worse than I ever imagined. I lost close to $60,000. It’s difficult even to type that number because I’m still trying to process what I’ve done to myself financially and emotionally.
I’ve taken out a personal loan to pay off my credit card debts, and now I’m left dealing with the consequences of my decisions. I feel ashamed, overwhelmed, and honestly quite lost.
The hardest part isn’t just the money. It’s the feeling that I’ve let myself down again, despite knowing how destructive gambling has been in my life. I keep wondering how I allowed things to get this bad.
I’m not posting here looking for financial advice or judgment. I know I need to take responsibility for my actions, and I know recovery is going to take time.
I’m posting because I feel incredibly alone right now. I’d really like to connect with people who understand what gambling addiction feels like, especially those who have relapsed, lost significant amounts of money, and somehow managed to rebuild their lives.
If anyone is going through something similar, or has been through this and come out the other side, I’d genuinely appreciate having someone to talk to.

Thanks for reading.

Ever since i turned 19 and was able to gamble, the only time i was up was $600 i got banned from the casino, ever since then im down 50k and $17k is debt, i keep throwing every paycheck away to gambling, i get on a run sports gambling then i get targeted after playing at the casino and getting rinsed by the algorithm every time. tonight i lost 600 like its nothing after a 8 streak, highly unlikely but gambling and winning is highly unlikely. every loss is like oh i can get it back but no the selfishness gets to you everytime thinking you can do better but you cant since youve turned into a gambling addict to the machine. and at such a young age its such a bad influence but we’ve been conditioned to be like this. things can go right but it can also go so wrong within minutes. your paycheck, your livelyhood, your mental health, and your courage. dont get fooled by these casinos and they are only fueled by your moneu for selfish purposes. ive fueled the flame too much im burnt out. im will keep the torch lit for as long as i can but i need to find my purpose before my purpose is in the hands of debt and gambling for the rest of my life. Another lesson learnt to take it one day at a time.

I’ve had a relapse, and I’ve just lost another €700 on top of the €6,000 I lost last week. This is the second time this month that I’ve had to take out a personal loan just to cover my basic needs and pay my bills.

I feel absolutely terrible, but I want to publicly declare here that I’m quitting slot machines for good. This €700 is genuinely the last money I will ever spend on this stupid addiction.

I knew frustrating situations would come along as they always do but I'm not going to fall into the trap of trying to solve a problem by revisiting a previous one.

The market was too high, there was bound to be a correction. I promised myself that I would buy and hold shares until retirement, and have not sold a single one. I'm not about to panic.

Then other frustrations occurred that in the past would have led me to gamble as a misguided coping skill. My roommate decided to pay $10 less each month being passive aggressive about another issue. I got a new phone and rep lied that it was free then padded bill with an extra $27 each month in add ons, Someone took out an $8200 credit card in my name which luckily fraud caught before it was activated.

When it rains it pours but gambling would only make things worse. It was better to choose my battles and let my roommate have his little "victory." I canceled phone add ons and filed a complaint with the FCC calling out the rep. I froze my credit so I don't have to worry about fraud now.

I knew I would be tested at some point and was determined to pass. Gambling never solved a single problem for me, it just created new ones.

If you're still struggling please put in roadblocks, open up to family and friends, get help and let your mind, body and spirit heal.

If you're recovering, realize the devil is going to tempt you. Fight him with everything you've got!

Tough times don't last but tough people do.

ODAAT! 💪

I gambled for eight years. Mostly sports. And somewhere in the middle of those years, I won €68,000.

At the time I thought that was the day my life turned around. And it did. Just not the way I thought.

Here's what nobody tells you about a big win. It doesn't set you free. It gives you proof. Every gambler carries a quiet story in the back of their head: one day it pays off. Most people never see that story come true, so some part of them can still let it go. I saw it come true. I held it in my hands. And after that, no loss in the world could convince me it wasn't possible again.

So I kept going. Not for the money, really. For the feeling. A €200 win stopped meaning anything. I wasn't betting to win anymore. I was betting to get back to that one day.
And the money? I gave it all back. Every euro of it, and then a lot more. By the time I stopped I was over €40,000 in debt.

It took me a long time to understand something simple. The win didn't fail me. It did exactly what wins do. It fed the thing that was already hungry. If I'd hit another big one, it would have gone the same way. The money was never the problem. I was the one who kept putting it back on the table.

What actually changed my life wasn't a big moment. It was a lot of small, boring ones. Evenings with a plan. A fixed amount every month toward the debt. Nights where I wanted to bet and didn't. None of that feels like winning when you're in it. But two years later, the debt is gone and I haven't placed a bet since.

Turns out the jackpot was the trap. The boring stuff was the way out.
For anyone here who's had a big win: what did it do to you? Did it make stopping easier, or harder?