After a $3K loss I sold my retirement to cover literally 3 days ago… first time I’ve been in debt I can’t pay off. $30K+ lifetime, 27 y/o.

It always starts innocently, 99% of the time with a deposit match because it’s “free money” then it goes drastically downhill

I hate myself. I get closer to ending it all each time this happens. It’s killing me.

$120 Deposit - > $400 -> $0

$750 Deposit - Lost

$750 Deposit - Lost

I’m a 20-year-old male, and I’ve been struggling with gambling for about two years now. and I genuinely want to stop, but I’m finding it extremely difficult.

I think the root of my gambling addiction is my financial situation. I live with my parents and work two jobs, contributing to household bills every two weeks while also paying for my car insurance and other necessities. Despite working and trying to be responsible with my money, I constantly feel like I don’t have enough to get ahead financially or enjoy the things I work for.

Whenever I get paid, I feel like I should finally be able to catch up on everything. But I end up gambling to earn extra, lose money I can’t afford to lose, fall behind on bills, and struggle to make ends meet until my next payday. Then the cycle repeats. My debt keeps piling up, and I find myself gambling again because I’m desperate to recover what I’ve lost and get back on track financially.

The hardest part is that I keep seeing gambling as a way out of my financial problems. When I’m struggling to afford things, the temptation to gamble becomes much stronger because I want a quick solution instead of having to keep living paycheck to paycheck. I know this mindset is making everything worse, but when you’re constantly worried about money, it’s hard to stop looking for a way to get ahead.

I feel terrible because I want to do more for my family and especially my girlfriend with our sixth anniversary last Monday. Instead, I keep putting myself in a worse position, losing it all a day after my paycheck and it’s exhausting.

For those who have overcome gambling addiction, how did you break the cycle, especially when financial stress was one of the main reasons you kept relapsing? How did you manage the urges when you were struggling financially and felt desperate to get ahead?

I’m not looking for a way to gamble more responsibly. I genuinely want to stop, get my finances under control, and build a better future for myself. I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences

I am a compulsive gambler. Unfortunately this is my second time blowing up my finances after rebuilding them, and this time is worse than the first time. As of 2 days ago I am now 16k in credit card debt which is the highest it's ever been in my life. I understand some people's situation is worse than mine, but I live alone and don't make a ton of money let's say, so it's pretty bad for me personally.

My bank account is almost to 0. I attended my first GA meeting yesterday online and I found it very insightful. I learned that gamblers like us can never gamble normally, and it's something I have to swear off for the rest of my life.

I don't know what the next steps are and I feel so sick and my eye is twitching. I have 2 balance transfers to at least pause the interest on my debt but I'm pretty in over my head and very overwhelmed.

I'm writing to hopefully gain insight and tips to build a plan to fix my life. Honestly, I'm trying to hold back tears typing this.

• Alcohol and romantic relationships are triggers for me, so I need to stop drinking and also stay single for quite some time.
• Attend GA
• Write out all debts and come up with a debt repayment plan. Follow a budget and learn a lot about personal finance.
• Continue to go to the gym and be active
• Possibly get a second job to get out of debt faster and also occupy my free time
• Get on the self-exclusion list again when I can stomach going back to the casino to do so.

Any advice or pieces I'm missing, or mantras I need to repeat to myself, anything at all, please share. I just want to feel like I can get out of this hole and I feel very hopeless. I'm also so sick and disgusted because I have dreams of being debt free and this is the complete antithesis of that.

This addiction is very dark and soul-sucking. I wish you all peace and prosperity. Thank you.

Just got paid 1.7k. I’m banned from online betting. But my brain is going crazy to find loop holes and way around it. Legit lost 3.3k last month and I have the urge to win some back. But I can’t. It’s like I’m going crazy

It's been a month now since I have stopped burning my salary in any online gambling platforms with the help of GamBan. GamBan made this possible for me to pay off my debts to people gradually and now I was able to save up and still have some cash for groceries. I just want to share that anything is possible when you put your mind and focus on it. My next goal now is to stack up my emergency fund and to save up for our home renovation.

I can’t stop gambling on slot machines. I list over 150 grand this year. I could lose my whole paycheck at one sitting. I keep on saying I’m gonna stop and not go anymore but they are everywhere. Even on the way to the gym i find myself pulling in somewhere to gamble. I really need and want to stop. Sometimes it’s almost relief that I don’t have any money because I know I’m not going and when I do have money, I have the urgency instantly to go.

Nobody holds a funeral for what gambling kills. It takes your savings, your relationships, your sleep, and your self-respect, one bet at a time and so quietly that you almost don't notice. That's why I call it a silent suicide. No one sees the damage until it's already deep.

Think of it as a sailing ship with no fuel, drifting farther from shore every day. You tell yourself the next win will fill the tank. It never does. The current keeps pulling you out into deep water, and the farther you drift, the harder it is to turn back.

The only way out is to jump in and face the rough sea. That sea is facing relapse and the urges that come with it, and finding ways to curb your triggers. It's cold and uncomfortable, and some days it will push you back. But it's the only water that leads to shore. Staying on the ship feels safer, but it's the slow way to drown.

Some things that help:

✓ Block gambling sites and apps, and use self-exclusion programs

✓ Hand control of your money to someone you trust

✓ Learn your triggers (boredom, stress, payday, certain people or places) and plan for them

✓ Replace the urge with something else, like a walk, a call, or a meeting

✓ Tell one person the truth. Secrecy is what keeps this going.

If you're struggling, you're not weak and you're not alone. Call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. And if you're having thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988.

I will not gamble today!

It amazes me how many times I can win a few grand then a day later lose it all. Every time I tell myself I’m gonna be smarter with my winnings and then lose it all. Down 30k of my savings, have about 14k in credit card debt. This is killing me

Is all it took to ruin my life got laid off in April picked up gambling again lost over 30k of savings and Roth ira in a span of 3 months started using credit cards on site that allowed it maxing some out then took out 2 loans in August and September for 35k lost all of it ending in negative bank accounts and balances over 75k debt. I have given up trying to do anything at this point and staying on unemployment till December covering living bills while ignoring all the debts till the consequences come by. Then i will start considering bankruptcy gambling set me back years so filing i will mostly likely only be able to keep my car since it’s paid off and everything is still owed on at this point i don’t even care to lose it all i already have nothing left no savings no retirement literally nothing 4 years of hard work relationships and trust gone in 6 mounts.

I am 23 and having difficulties quitting gambling in this fast money generation with instantaneous betting at our fingertips with sports betting and stock options.

Hi, I am writing you ya'll just a couple hours after I lost everthing again. I so wanted to win back the 25k USD I had lost this summer. I ended upp losning almost all my saving of 60K. A total loss of 85k for a 23 year old student. I am feeling so sad and angry at myself as I was 30k plus at one moment and it was just this morning. Almost feel paralyzed laying here in bed.

Please how do I recover from this and not end up doing the same thing again? I told my friends about it and he got dissapointed that I did not call him while I was doing it so he could have stopped me. I don't want to tell my girlfriend or should I?

I’ve been hearing great things about its effectiveness for addictions. Just wanting to hear more experience from people who used it to quit gambling.

Did the side effects go away or did you experience any?

Any share of experience would be really much appreciated.

Thank you!

It’s my 6th day of quitting online gambling. I hope I can keep this going because I’m tired of giving away my hard-earned money to online casinos for free. 😭💸

Hello guys, here's my story.

This year I barely hit my thirties after surviving blood cancer (for now). When I got ill, life was pretty great, have a stable job and was making some career steps, also I have been with the love of my life for many years now, so nothing to complain about except for me/us wanting to escape the rat race but just being too much plugged into the Matrix.

My finances were good too, I pretty much financed most of everything for years without asking my girlfriend/partner much. Here comes the part where I get ill, all material things I have become less important to me because my life was about to come to an end. I started gambling more while being treated and with money coming in from my job and not many losses, not many issues. It also was not something I did every day but more something I did when I couldn't do something else for fun, like play video games. Also then, and even to this day with the effects of long term maintenance chemo, my quality of life has definitely been challenging, probably playing a part.

With the cost of living in my country increasing and my income being barely enough/not enough to solo finance a househoId of two, I started to notice a hole in my finances, which made me want to win some money here and there to get by, and it's entertaining ofc.

This is where it all went wrong for me, I blew a lot of my savings, I've been trying to win it big and stop for a while now but I always find myself making excuses for that not happening like gambling too scared, too low risk, too low bankroll. Also missing good timings because life/people taking away my focus at the right times.

I think I can turn this around by firstly stabilizing my income by asking my partner her fair share of the monthly costs, leaving me more financially stable with less Incentive to gamble to get a leg back up/recoup losses.

I'm not in debt and still have some investments from which I can take some cash flow if I need but obviously not anymore for gambling.

I didn't raise this issue to my partner because I'm ashamed obviously. She's been so good to me since I became ill. Any words or advice is always helpful.

Stay strong my friends.

I have been trading cryptocurrency and lost 50k in life savings in the span of two years. I hit rock bottom at some point and decided to try again about a month ago. Along the way made some decent profit but in the end went to 0.

I have been working and saved about 8k, it all disappeared today. I worked hard for this money and feel stupid trying again. I feel very ashamed and like a moron.

I’m 28, have a decent income, partner is in long distance relationship. I live at home, don’t have money to move out or potentially sustain the relationship, close the distance. She wants me to take steps but I’m just fucked beyond words.

I have $200 to survive until payday.

I feel like a complete mess. Please help.

I’m 23 and inherited over $200,000. I’ve had this money for around 6 years and lost probably around 60,000 gambling in that time. I feel like such a POS and like my dad is rolling over in his grave. I have never had luck gambling I have no idea why I keep going back. I’ve never had my “big win”, It’s a 1/100 chance I profit so I don’t understand why I keep going back.

Days until debt free: 261 days

Hi some backstory

I am 20 and got introduced to gambling at 17 trough my old group of friends, it was on those slot machines in caffes. I never gambled a huge amount as I did not have a paying job and was still at school.

Come me turning 18 we started hiting casinos and thats where it took wind. My first win of 1K on a bet of 40cents. I thought that will happen again and I started spiraling. By the time i was turning 19 I was 9.6K in debt (Credit Cards, Personal Loans, High Interest Loans)

Thankfully I managed to pay 95% of it. Again through gambling by wining a big amount.

Now once I realised I got a problem I cut of contact to my old group and requested a ban on my ID which I got till 2035.

Now the problem has become online I find myself gambling 60% of my pay on my payday and I do not make a lot as I am an apprentice.

I sm really scared that its going to get worse and its going to have a huge impact on my future life as I am on a good academic path with my apprenticeship.

I would like to get some tips and advice from the people who want trough this already.

Thank you in advance

Hello r/problemgambling community,

This is a weekly reminder on behalf of our friends from Very Ape films who are working on a documentary on problem gambling. They are looking for people who are willing to share their story on film for their doc. Details can be found on this post.

So why are we reminding you? Because this project aligns with r/problemgambling's mission and purpose as established at the very beginning: To raise awareness of gambling disorder as a significant and growing public health threat. The time to raise awareness is more important now than it ever was.

I think all know what's happening nowadays. The gambling industry is growing bolder and more pervasive in our daily lives. The ads are everywhere. The problem is growing. People need to understand this and take action before it's too late.

So we want this community to have the opportunity to contribute to this project directly. Your voice must not be stifled. Please consider [reaching out](mailto:chasingtheloss@gmail.com) and letting your story be told.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your consideration.

Best always,

-Mod Team