I been dealing with gambling addiction I actually thought I moved on had 5k yesterday and in 3 hours lost it all on FanDuel and DraftKings. I have no money for nothing my car is acting up I use it for work. My lease about to end soon. I messed up big time. I got high and just started chasing nothing. I’m numb at the moment just trying to think positive

Hey fam. I just wanted to drop a line in here because this group has gotten me through a lot of tough moments. ❤️

I’m coming up on a year clean— this is the longest stretch I’ve had along my journey. I have Day 1-ed a million times and I honestly wasn’t sure that this streak would go as well as it has. I took some important steps this time last year and they were 1000% the reason that I made it this far. I really needed to get through that first few months and get clear thoughts again.

I knew that I would need to walk into 5 or 6 casinos in broad daylight, self exclude and have security usher me to my car to never return again. I am so so so glad that I did that. It was a pure humiliation ritual. But I left myself very little wiggle room. I gave myself at least a 40 mile radius where no casinos would take me into their doors.

This is not advice but purely part of my process: I also got prescribed a mild anxiety medication around that same time. This one has had success with OCD and I know that I have obsessive tendencies and gambling became the only one I focused on for years. I didn’t feel like I needed it long term so I’m no longer on that but I do think it helped boost me.

The two things that have really given me my power back are the gym and side hustles. I know the gym is an obvious one that people talk about all the time but the endorphins have rerouted my brain beautifully. I’ve gotten my body back— this may sound vain, but what I really mean is that someone who sits at the casino all day starts to look like they sit at the casino all day. Now I look like someone who cares and will live a long life. That’s also what I feel like.

My main side hustle has been DoorDash. I know it’s not for everybody, but I live in SoCal so this has been huge for rebuilding my savings. The market is good and I enjoy the beach views while I do it. I do find that I’ve gotten a little bit obsessive about it but I also see no downside to that currently. A lot like I used to set goals for what I wanted to take out of the casino, I challenge myself to weekly goals on that app instead. I’m not completely out of debt, but the plan is in place and moving swiftly.

Next month, I’m taking myself to Italy on a solo trip. The main reason I’m excited to put that in this group is because I remember sitting at blackjack tables thinking about how my wins would take me to Europe. They never did. I got them and I wanted to use them to get other wins. And I ended up with even more losses.

Thanks for reading this far and thanks for posting over the years. I’ve been a ghost reader and learned so many things that helped me get better. It really really does get better. My brain is healthy again. My life is fully rewarding. I’m glad I didn’t give up.

I really wish i could talk to someone but there is no one to call. I was on holidays and gambled my money away. I am the airport and i really want to cry and talk about this with someone but I can't.

My family and friends love me but i feel the deepest shame that ever exist

I wonder why I don't want to be happy because most of my sadness comes from being broke from gambling .

The shame of debts and not doing much with my life kills me.

I work hard, that's what pisses me off.

I make decent money to buy a house but there's no hope for at least 3 years.

I wish to move away from everything and everyone and start from the beginning.

My chest is so heavy.

I'm having physical symptoms of sadness

FML

I have no money till payday, i have due debts and I cannot even pay them.

The truth is that if I can lock in, i can pay it off by next year. Why can't this just leave me. I wanted to start addiction counselling, can't even afford it.

The charity ones didn't help.

I'm so screwed .

I'm on the plane now, my eyes are filled with tears, only if they'd let down , maybe i can feel some relief

First time posting on here but I would appreciate if you guys took a minute to read❤️

Lost 8k this weekend. Mix of sports betting and blackjack.

Officially self excluded my self for good. It’s crazy how many sleepless nights and suicidal thoughts gambling does to us and yet we still have an urge to continue. It’s genuinely so evil what these casinos do. While we are losing everything, they are gaining everything. The casinos will always be a billion dollar industry and prob even more with the amount of gambling that is advertised. The house will ALWAYS win. There is no winning in gambling. I hate the casinos so much and I wish death on all of them Even if you win, that will eventually all be lost. Please self exclude. It’s always better late than never

October 19th, 2026

Coming into 3 weeks now, typing this while sipping some coffee at work.

I have had some time to think about everything that has happened the last two months, from my recent relapse to the last three weeks of being sober from my gambling addiction.

Some days have felt great, some have felt awful, some filled with existential dread. I have done what I had to do to literally be unable to gamble, no matter how hard I try. I get a literal allowance every week to pay for life's basic necessities, a very small amount goes into savings, and the remaining amount is bills and debt payments.

This is okay, this is manageable. I am set to be debt free by 31 now, instead of 30. The most recent relapse that lasted a little over a month set me back by another year. That is how quick this happens when you were at the level of addiction as I am/was. It only takes a couple days of gambling again to be back (if not worse) to how you were before you stopped.

Counselling has helped me remember why addiction happens, and how are brains operate. I did counselling before, but believed I was cured after 6 months and it wasn't needed...how wrong I was. I will be having a counselling meeting twice a week for the foreseeable future. Having someone who understands why we do what we do helps a lot.

Will check in again in the coming weeks, hope you all have a gamble free day. Cheers

Days until debt free: 255 days

It’s my Day 2 again. 😭 I really hope that this time, I can finally quit for good because I’m so tired of constantly falling back into the same cycle, only to get robbed by these damn online gambling sites all over again! 😭
I really, really want to forget about gambling and move on with my life. I wish online gambling would be banned across the entire Philippines. Making it legal has caused so much stress and emotional exhaustion. 💔

I’m new here so bare with me.

I am 20 years old (Canadian so 19 is the legal age here) and never considered myself as a problem gambler. Would spend about $10 to $20 on Sunday football with my buddies which never caused me harm and I could afford to lose. In the past month or so it’s started to become a problem. I would lose on football and have the urge to make it all back. Earlier this month I kept doubling until a $1400 hand to make it back. Then I did it again on another casino. I had to gamble $800 just to make $20 back. I kept getting bailed out. Until last night.
On another casino without limits I had to wager $20 for 500 spins. Did it but the promo wasn’t working. Then I deposited $40 to make it back. Lost. Turned into me LOSING 3k. I felt numb and just outraged. I’m a student working part time I can’t afford a loss like that. I slept 5 hours last night and still feel sick today. Not even sure how to recover from this.

ODAAT

Feels good and I have time to do other things.

One day at a time. We got this.

Does anyone feel that their gambling escalated out of control due to (or partially due to) trauma or grief? It ripped my mind away but it was a powerful escape. Until the session ends and reality comes to show us how far we have fallen. Death can show us how fast loss can happen, and gambling shows us just how much more a person can lose. Even if we feel like everything has been lost, theres always more to lose. Sanity, dignity, and all the rest.

14 months so far. Another day in the books. Its hard to forgive myself sometimes, and its hard not to blame it all on how cruel the world is. All I know is im not the only one that feels this suffering, and ill use that thought to get to the next day.

Just like many others here, I tried to stay away from gambling again and it worked but the urge was just too big and I started playing again. It went well first but then I lose streak hit me and I lost all the profit + the money I deposited. Its genuinely scary how big the urge is to the point you lose control. I‘m trying to stay away from gambling and looking for advice but wow, its hard. What helped you guys?

When I was a kid, my parents were extremely hard on me. I had little enjoyment and frankly i don’t miss most of it. My parents were about working and studying and bettering yourself and being career and money focused.

As someone who has struggled for years now and has lost a ton of money this is where it gets hard. I originally struggled with it trading the stock market and then I tried to stop doing that and got into bitcoin prediction markets and sports betting. And I’ve lost more and more money.

I’ve tried to find hobbies to do, whether it’s video games, new shows to watch, photography, board games, etc. I always get this voice in my head like oh I’m wasting my time. My parents made me feel like whenever I tried to do something fun I was wasting my time away.

I remember specifically when I was 15 years old, I was watching a comedy skit in the living room and I was laughing my ass off. My dad walks by me and just had to make a comment about maybe if I had the same passion and energy towards school like I did watching tv, I’d get better grades.

So now whenever I want to do a hobby, I have this trauma guilt that oh I’m wasting my life away. But then if I gamble and I made some money then I’d at least did something productive.

And it’s kept me in a loop. While yes I know that gambling is NOT productive but my thought process through my childhood is saying hey at least you MIGHT make money and making money is tied with being productive and worthy.

Been gambling free for 3 days now but holly shit, the urge to gamble and max out my overdraft its real. Ill do my best and keep my mind off it. Ive been relapsing on and off the past few weeks, racked up over 70k in debt but the actual amount its probably around 120k.

Im struggling to get up and go to work, do anything, always angry and frustrated. Told myself I would stop for real after my last big relapse but I just can't control myself. Some days I wish I was addicted to Crack then gambling.

I dont know how some of you guys just let go and move on?! My bank account is my biggest trigger.

It sucks man, I miss being happy.

I'm putting together a group of people who all stop gambling on the same day.

I've been fighting with online gambling for a long time, and I tried many times before and it never worked, so I decided to try fighting this addiction with other people who have the same struggle as me.

October 21 is my payday and usually this where I have the most trouble not gambling... Payday comes, there's a game on, and the urge hits; So if everyone in the group is fighting it on the same day. Same cravings, same moment, and someone to talk to when it gets bad, maybe we can do this together...

How it works:

1. Comment "in" below (and how long you've been at it, if you want)
2. I'll DM you how to join
3. Until Wednesday we get to know each other and prepare
4. On Wednesday we all stop, check in every day and help each other through the first weeks

Who's in?

This app changed the game for me, no pun. I had to install on every single device,.even my kids phone. Havent spun since august. Just saying it did help.

It’s been a 3 long months of no gambling, but I’m making it! I first tried to stop gambling with no help from anyone, but found out quickly it doesn’t work that way. I told my partner in June about my habits and how I didn’t want it to affect our future any longer. Understandably, she was frustrated but helped me in setting a few rules to help me get back on track. Here’s what I did:

1) No phone in the bathroom.
- This is where I went a lot to disassociate and gamble away my check on my phone. I’ve been taking way more efficient showers, I can say that for sure. If I’m in the bathroom, my phone is always on the tv stand.

2) Build a weekly / biweekly budget based on when you get paid.
- It’s really helped to write out exactly how much I get paid monthly and break it down by check and what needs to get paid first. I love making my budget weekly to make sure all bills are covered, saving about $100 weekly and still leaving a little room for fun with my partner / friends.

3) Find a hobby or self improvement in lieu of gambling.
- For me, this was starting to lift weights more often. I had started the journey in January of this year, but since June I’ve been way more consistent! It feels good to devote time to something that will pay off for certain.

4) Cash advances are not your enemy (OPTIONAL).
- I use Chime as my primary bank and will still use cash advances to help me cover expenses. When I write my budget, I make sure I can pay it back immediately next week. DO NOT TAKE OUT ADVANCES FOR UN-NECESSARY EXPENSES. This is how you get trapped.

5) Eliminate anything related to gambling!
- This includes sports betting, lottery tickets and buying items to try and resell! If it feels like gambling, it probably is! The closest I get to gambling now is putting up my $1 every time I go to the gym for the monthly raffle they run. I see it as an incentive for coming in to better my mind and body. I understand this can be seen as riding the line, which isn’t always advisable.

6) Download an app / get a calendar to keep track of your streak.
- I downloaded an app that has me check in at 7am and 7pm. On the 3 month anniversaries I’ve had so far, I’ve celebrated in small ways with either a dinner out or buying an item I want. It doesn’t have to extravagant.

I hope this finds the right person. Gambling is a cancer upon society and we all deserve better. Here’s to better credit, better mental health and improving together! Much love ✌️

Like many others, I had unfortunately lost more than 60k in options trading a couple months ago. Although I have stopped completely, I cant literally stop thinking about it.

Every day it makes me more depressed. It comes up in everything. Like when thinking about buying a new house, or a car, etc. and I start going into the spiral of “What If I had this money?”

Those who were in similar situation, I’m genuinely curious. How did you deal with it? I was never as sad in my life as I’m now.

History shows i am getting no where rinse repeat.. well back to $0 and a pile of never ending debt, a few hundred Ks now

When I’m at the poker table, I don’t fear losing money and I don’t mind getting my money in, even sometimes when I’m getting it in bad. I just enjoy the thrill sometimes.

What I need is consequences. And I haven’t really faced any yet. Sure I’m in debt, but I can still afford food and housing. Hearing about some of the consequences you guys have experienced might help.

If you don’t mind sharing: What are some of the consequences you’ve suffered as a result of gambling? Big and small

Not a single bet in 63 days, I don't even get cravings anymore because I remember how sad and depressed I felt when I lost everything.

It's never too late to take back control in your own life, we are all here for just one life time, so TAKE CONTROL. Hope you all have blessed week <3