i totally feel you. it's most times easier said than done, but we have to try to fight the urge and tame this addiction. you have to believe that you can control it rather than it controlling you. You can earn your savings back, through good financial planning, hard work and patience. but first of all, forgive yourself and give yourself another chance to be better. you've been through a lot of stress because of gambling, it's about time you become more kind and loving to yourself.

My financial situation and all the problems in my life are a direct result to gambling. When I get paid I start back at sports gambling thinking that oh I'll win a few bucks and be in less of a bind. I will lose a couple hundred and feel the need to win that back or if I win the stakes just get bigger. I won 6700$ this week and could have easily made some needed payments I was behind on but before I knew it I had lost it all again and was even further behind. Yet again. I'm an all Or nothing type and it's clear that I can't control it. There is no way for me to do this on my own. I have to give up access to my money because it's the same story every pay period. Feed the demon.

Giving up control of your finances is the best first step you can take right now. It will at least put a bit of a block between you and your finances and stem the bleeding. The important part to concentrate on right now is NOT gambling. You can educate yourself about this addiction, you can learn the effects of dopamine on your brain and begin to understand that this is truly, underneath, a drug addiction fueled by our own body's chemicals. (You might want to look at a YouTube video called Everything We Think We Know about addiction is Wrong at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHMBJRShji4 And a Ted talk called Rat Park at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypsJrRwlspo

Making a list of things you can do for twenty minutes that are not gambling that you can do when you have an urge is helpful. (The average urge lasts 15-20 minutes) Rekindle hobbies and make some new ones, rekindle friendships and make new ones. Art work of any kind can create new synaptic pathways in your brain and give your brain an alternative to gambling if you turn to art when you have an urge.

Making a list of all the things that trigger you have an urge to gamble and what you can do different the next time you are faced with that trigger is the beginning of a relapse prevention plan and can be a very helpful tool that is tailored to you.

Writing a "good-bye" letter to gambling and help you to understand why you want to quit gambling and solidify your resolve to quit. It can be a tool that you reread when you get an urge to gamble. I will post my goodbye to gambling again, as there are newbies that have not seen it. (My apologies to the longer-timers who have seen it, perhaps too much, before.) Again it can be a very powerful tool, because of it being tailored to the individual.

Journaling about what you are feeling and going through can be helpful. Keeping a daily diary of things you are grateful for can help you realize what you DO have instead of concentrating on what you are lacking. (You might start with a supportive, kind and loving girlfriend that is willing to help you - not everyone gets that luxury.)

You might want to examine your beliefs about gambling. When I did, I discovered that I believed 1) that I could get ahead by gambling and 2)gambling was harmless fun. I also, to begin with, did not believe that 1)I could quit and 2)I deserved anything better. I changed my FALSE beliefs about gambling, I now know that 1)I cannot get ahead by gambling - my M.O. is to play it all back, if not the same day within the next 2-3 days. and 2) Gambling is certainly not harmless fun for me. I lost everything, job, house, car, reputation, trust, nearly my freedom, (prosecuted for gambling with $ that were not mine), and nearly my life, (three suicide attempts during my gambling career). I had to decide that I deserved something better than the dark, isolated, misery I had turned my life into by gambling. For me this took the help of good counselors, facing unresolved childhood issues, dealing with grief and loss in my life and using every tool I could find, to rebuild a life that attempts to find balance between my physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs. This cannot be accomplished with any silver bullet but by honest work and efforts to be mindful of all aspects of oneself, taking inventory daily, taking meticulous self-care while monitoring the health of one's relationships with others. It takes learning that facing emotions and the hard stuff in life, without turning to addiction, is possible only if we are ever vigilant in being aware, present in the moment and by being loving and kind to ourselves, (as reign said), and others. I hope this post gives you some direction and encouragement.

I too was losing every paycheck every week. I also thought I could win and catch up on some bills but I never stopped until it was all gone then I would sit at the poker table and beg my friends to lend me money. Some would some wouldn't I embarrassed about that behavior. I would see people in the casino that I knew and ask to borrow money, sometimes promising a huge lending fee. I once borrowed $2000 and had to repay $2400. It was like I was possessed and could not stop, I was once up $15000 and left $10,000 down. What bad memories. So I know what you're going through. I haven't gambled for over 90 days so it can be done one day at a time. It's important to join a support group and get into addiction counseling. I have used many of quit4goods ideas and I read and re read the posts on here often. You really can't do it alone. Best wishes to you!

Thanks for the replies. I was going to GA but I didn't find it would help. I'm 30 years old so I know this isn't the end. I keep telling myself to stay positive and not stress but honestly it becomes too much at times. I'm fortunate to have a girlfriend who would rather understand me and my illness rather than turn her back on me. I am in the same boat. Borrowing money. Lying about things. I have been doing some reading and really trying to focus on getting better. I honestly don't know if The guilt and shame will go away but I know what happened yeterday can't be changed only tomorrow and today. I'm a couple days gamble free now but that's because I blew all my money and have none to spend. I feel I've reached my breaking point tho and I want to get back on the right path. I thank all of you for taking the time to message me. Even if only for a few minutes the distraction from reality is a blessing.

This addiction is a beast. It tears us apart inside and steals our souls. We become unrecognizable to ourselves. We lose everything...and money is the easiest thing to replace it's our dignity and our loved ones that are the hard things to get back. And yet...we go back. And we go back. And we relive the torment over and over. The thrill of heading to the hell hole and the agony of the drive home. I feel your pain and have lived it for 10 years. You are making progress just by the fact that you are posting. I am learning that it is through this pain that I am humbling myself enough to reach out to my higher power and ask for strength and courage to get me through. I hope that you, too can find help in your higher power. Also, I hope you can join a GA meeting. There are many of us out here who are fighting the good fight one day at a time.

You're right. It's the worst beast I've ever faced and I'm thankful I don't drink because that would be gasoline on the fire. I know that if I don't change NOW then soon it will be too late. I hate myself. I hate to look in the mirror. I hate when the phone rings. I hate knowing I'm a financial mess. One day at a time and if I keep talking about it and make the most important people aware of it then I might be able to beat this. I was trying to do it on my own but that's not gonna work. Hasn't been working and only recently am I coming to terms that gambling isn't a means to get ahead. I have found reading posts here helpful. I have gotten back into the gym and I'm slowly getting some confidence back. I've opened up to some people I know who are also suffering from this disease and I guess the hardest part is right now. It has to get better and I can't over think. I have anxiety and have suffered from depression but those are just things I compressed by gambling. I think that by gambling it took the stress away. It took the debt away. Only for a moment but for those moments I was so wrapped up in sports and the chase that I forgot about anxiety I forgot about depression. I am gonna beat this and all of you here who've commented and took the time to help me are valuable assets to my progress. Thank you

Of all the wonderful things there are to create in this world -- money, love, peace, power, status, family -- money is the easiest to correct itself.

That might make some of you angry, but what I am saying is this: See a financial counselor. Start saving. Do not gamble. Within three months, you won't have to worry about making your rent or paying for your groceries. Within six months, you'll have a savings. Within a year, you'll have debt going down in a meaningful way. Within two to three years, you may very well be free of debt.

I quit June 24, 2015. By August, I was able to get manicures and pedicures again. By December, I had a savings started. By mid-2016, I was completely debt free, including a $23K in credit cards from cash advances and a six-figure student loan debt. I realize that I make a lot of money, but I also realize I would've spent it all and then some had I not quit gambling when I did. No matter how much money you make, realize that you can turn all of this around and start to see and feel real progress within 90 days, if you just stick to the plan and stay away from the casino!