A seemingly inevitable part of a compulsive gambling
addiction is financial difficulties. Many of us will have experienced the panic
after having lost most or all of our wages within days or even hours of payday.
Bills not paid, rent not paid, no money to get to work etc. It can feel like
the only way to manage is to get in to debt, whether its credit cards, personal
loans or the worst of them all, payday loans. I found myself in this situation
many times, and the result has been just over £13,000 of debt racked up in 12
months. I still have to take a deep breath when I see that figure written down.
The problem with this is deeper than just how much money we
end up owing. In my experiences so far trying to get my life back on track, its
proved a huge obstacle, and it has fed my need, or at least my perceived need
to keep on gambling hoping for that miracle hit that will get me back to where
I was. Chasing a loss is a pretty good indicator of a problem gambler or being
at risk of developing into one. If you chase £200 deposits when you lose
because you’re a compulsive gambler, then how can you ever stop chasing a debt
that runs into the thousands?
Debt has become a massive obstacle for me for other reasons.
No one knew how bad it had become. Sure, my girlfriend knew I had money
problems and that I have some debts, but nowhere near the extent that it really
is. I felt that I needed to get my debts down to the levels everyone else
thought they were in order to cover the months of lies and seclusion, and the
only way I felt I could ever achieve that was to gamble.
Do you know what is really sad though? I have had sessions
where I have won amounts significant enough to make a huge impact in my debts.
The worst one was over a week of gambling where I had several huge hits and had
turned £200 into nearly £5000, enough to clear close to half of everything I
owed. And I spunked the lot up the wall in no time at all without ever seeing a
penny of it hit my bank. I think that was the loss that has hurt most in my
gambling career (odd thing to call it!). But I have come to the realisation
that I would only have ever kept that money warm for the casino until they got
it back. There is only one way that I will ever clear my debts and we all know
what that is. Hard work and NO MORE GAMBLING!
One thing I know for sure is how much it has helped now my
girlfriend knows everything. I wish I had been brave enough to tell her myself
rather than her find out through other means but these things happen for a
reason I guess. Not having to hide it anymore and not having to try and get it
back before anyone finds out has removed a huge pressure from my mind and
whether it is related or not, my gambling cravings have been much less than
usual. Cautious Optimism!!
I think there is a pretty obvious lesson in here, one I
probably already knew. If you truly want to change and put the gambling behind
you, you have to confide in and accept the support of others, and that support
is only meaningful if you know that you have been totally honest about your
situation. No half truths, they only serve to keep you in that hole. Debt is
both a symptom and a cause of problem gambling in so far as it keeps the self
destructive cycle going. That cause needs to be tackled by having your finances
monitored and controlled.
Easier said than done right? Absolutely! It takes a lot of
courage to open up to people about how much you might be struggling. But it’s
just so hard to deal with on your own. Until you are able to open up to your
loved ones about it, there are some other people you can talk to.
Gamcare - Provide gambling therapy free of charge
across the country, but also a phone service should you just need someone to
talk to.
Gamblers Anonymous
- A self help group run by other
gambling addicts that hold weekly meetings in locations across the UK. This is
one I haven’t tried myself but is something I think I’ll give a go at some
point.
Step Change - A debt advice charity who can advise you on
how to tackle your debts.
Another day another dollar! Er, maybe a bad choice of words!
Just learning how to take this all one day at a time.
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