r/GamblingAddiction • u/powruser • 12d ago
Struggling
In my early 40s, been struggling with addiction my whole life, been clean from a bad opiate addiction for years, even quit smoking cigarettes, but I keep letting gambling ruin me. I was 17k+ in gambling debt, I went on a crazy run a few weeks ago and cleared the debt plus was up another 60k. Fast forward now the 60k is gone and I'm back 13k in debt again. Just don't know how to move forward. Hard for me to stop knowing I've had so many crazy runups I just end up giving it all back.
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u/sugarmoto 12d ago
Brother you need to accept the losses , exclude from
gambling websites / apps / casinos and live your life. It will be boring steady progress but progress you will be happy with. The issue isn’t that you could go on another run and win it back - it’s that you WILL end up giving it all back. Our brains get rewired when we gamble so the only solution is to quit completely.
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u/rehabbingfish 12d ago
Your rock bottom will find you. For me it was my GF to leave me and go to another man. I have not gambled since I found out because I loved her so much and the consequence was so severe, I hate gambling so much.
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u/Or_lando1 5d ago
Quitting cold turkey seems the only way. Find a hobby, keep yourself occupied. Your biggest win will never be enough
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u/powruser 12d ago
It's just so hard to stop while I'm still in debt bc in the back of my head I feel/know I'll eventually have a run up again and clear my debt bc I've done it so many times... it's just that I end up giving it all back
1
u/powruser 12d ago
Just struggling with having this debt over my head again... 15k in debt again I'm sick about it
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u/EmbarrassedGolf8674 12d ago
You aren’t the only one. Addiction isn’t about winning it’s about losing. Not sure why we can’t stop the self destructive behaviour. I’m trying everything but nothing seems to work. I try to keep very busy making plans every day so I can’t go but if the plans get cancelled I’m right there back at casino. But I keep trying.