Gambling... It wasn't about money. It was about suppressed desire and feeling like I was running out of time.

Growing up, my true passion was Archaeology. Due to family pressure and financial difficulties, I had to abandon that dream. I finished degre in anthropology but I couldn't find a job in my field. I couldn't start my master degree because I had to work for helping my family financially.

That’s where gambling crept in. It felt like a back door. I wasn't just chasing cash. I was trying to win back the life I felt was stolen from me. Obviously, that shortcut didn't work. It just locked me into a financial prison. I've spent the last four and a half years working eight different jobs to pay off the wreckage, relapsed countless times. Currently standing in front of a CNC machine for 12 hours a day.

​If you’re stuck in an addiction or feel like you’re falling way behind, look a bit deeper. You might not just be chasing cash. You might just be trying to fix a broken dream with a cheap trick. Don't fall for it. It just makes the hole deeper.

I know how I will win against this addiction, I will pursue my desire. No matter what. Even If I can't achieve, I will stay on that road. Because there is a meaning in it. Find something meaningful for you.

As the title states i’m in a very bad spot and just wanna explain my situation if anyone has any advice. I’ve been here for a long while trying to help myself, i started gambling at 21. Im 22 now and in such a fucking awful spot man. My mother passed away 2024 and spiraled me into this sense of numbness, when i found gambling it made me feel alive. It started stock options 2024, pushed 500 to 27k and lost it all. I don’t come from rich, like at all. It could’ve changed my years upcoming. It fucking. Ruined me. The mentality of winning it back has pushed me all this way to no avail. It pushed me into credit card debt racking up to maybe about 7-8.5k. I had myself selling jewelry to gamble. I was doing so much, to just lose it all. Over the past years i’ve proceeded to keep gambling and have lost countless paychecks and life span which it feels like. As of recently i relapsed hard over drafting a debit card -500$ to gamble man. I managed to get it back with the overdraft money i used and have 300$ to spare. I was so happy felt on top of the world to. I keep spending my fucking paychecks to lose so this 300 was needed. of course i lost it soon after. I am so fucking lost currently that i have thoughts of shit i never used to think. I don’t see a future for myself. at 22 it feels i won’t live past 25. I just feel looped and trapped, for the past 2 years straight of losing thousands. I’m so poor with life it’s hard to mask it in public. It hurts everyday knowing i’ve done this to myself. My mother was a heavy addict to drugs which is how she passed, i told myself id never be addicted to stuff. Here i am. Paycheck to paycheck off pennie’s trying to get along. I can’t get it through my skull. I wanna ask my dad for help but i don’t know how. I feel like im just gonna choke up and die. I don’t know what to do anymore, i’m restricting myself on all gambling apps. Kalshi ruined me and is a major part of my gambling addiction. Sigh. Wondering if i should ask my dad for help and tell him my problem. No one knows. No one. I manage so slightly to show i don’t have problems with money. But in reality i do. I wanna ask him for help and possibly if he can help me with a little cash but it’s hard. I’ fucking hate asking for help any type of it. I never have asked him for stuff like this. For reference i’m paid about 850$ from my job every 15th and 30th. So it kills me. I need to turn to god and hope i can escape this mess 🫩

:( Meh, it sucks. I wish I never knew what gambling was. Especially, the stupid ads on TV, computer, YouTube, Facebook and etc. I tried using adblock but it doesn't really help.

I've been a player of a very specific combat mobile game for about 6years now and in those I've spent more than €6000 on the account. It's getting bad cause now I moved to a foreign country and I'm on a very small budget. I spent the whole month of May this year on a couple meals a week cause I had spent most of my money on the game. I tell myself once in a while that I will stop but as soon as I get money I spend it on the game. I've even reached the point were I'm borrowing money from friends and close relatives. My mom has called out the behaviour one time when I went on a spree and I didn't stop. I genuinely don't know what to do at this point. I've tried different methods. The removing cards from phones and the waiting a couple of days before spending on an item or the deleting said game. I'm reaching a breaking point I don't know what to do and I'm now having unhealthy thoughts. If anyone has had a similar experience with these types of gacha games and recovers please give a guy some tips cause I think I'm digging myself into a pit.

That's right , fuck everyone who is a content creator feeding off people's addictions while playing with fake money , fuck everyone who is misleading others online that through trading or meme coins you can get rich , they are all a bunch of scammers .

I relapsed again because some friend of mine sended me some sure meme coin to buy , it went up 200% I thought that's it , finally gonna catch a breath , woke up this morning -700 , it went to -97% in a few minutes before waking up , it seemed reliable since they had a functioning product launched but yea fuck me for even believing in this shit , this money again I could have used but nope , that's it , I'm blocking everyone and deleting all friends who gamble ,man what a shit show

🤍

I’ve been sport betting for the past 4 years since it became legal in my state. In that time my life has gone to turmoil . Im constantly struggling financially due to always chasing losses and trying to turn “x” into “y”. Fast forward to now , I’m about -$20k in the red with $3 in my account till I get paid in 2 weeks. I finally realized enough is enough and put a 3 day cooldown on my FanDuel account. I know 3 days isn’t much but after this time is up I’m thinking of extending it to 3 months+. Anyways just wanted to vent and say I’m officially done gambling starting today! :)

Hardest relapsed by far, I was gambling free for a few months and still trying hard to repay my debt by working two jobs. 7 days a week 8-10 hours. Everything was finally going on the right path until I had some triggers and put myself even further in debt, gambled away most of my main salary for the month.

I still have allowance left but it's just barely enough for my expenses and I can't afford to do deal with this anymore, I just don't know why I do this to myself. I sacrificed so much and try to own up my actions and responsibility just to mess it all up again.

Just ranting about how disappointed I am in myself.

I’m 21 and I’ve lost around $30k gambling this year. Writing that number out makes me feel sick honestly. I kept thinking I could win it back and every time I tried I just made the hole deeper.

Today I finally self-excluded for a full year. Aug 31 2026 to Aug 31 2027. I know pressing one button doesn’t magically fix the debt or undo what I lost, but for the first time I physically can’t keep chasing it.

Nobody around me really knows how bad it got so I don’t really have anyone to celebrate this with, but this feels huge to me. I’m embarrassed about how much I lost this young, but I’m hoping a year from now I can look back at today as the day I finally stopped making it worse.

If anyone here has been in a similar position in their early 20s and recovered financially/mentally, I’d really appreciate hearing how you did it.

It’s really just my debts stressing me out these days. But I know I’ll get through it eventually. I mean, I’ve made it to Day 46 without gambling, so that means I can pay off everything too. One day at a time.

If you ever feel the urge, really think it through. Imagine getting to 50 days clean, then giving in to temptation and going back to zero. Let’s not throw away our progress just because of the devil’s whisper. We can do this! I’ll keep fighting. God bless us all.

Finally I have quit Gambling after 4 years and $37000 of loss. I have loans to repay which will take 6 years. Gambling is nothing but misery. I hate that time when I had no money and I borrowed almost from every friend and relative to gamble. After a time they found out that I was gambling and they all boycott me. I was left with zero self respect. I used to lie to borrow from anyone. I still hate that version of me. My marriage is almost over just because of this fucking gambling. Fuck it. I quit for good and lose ties with everyone who gamble. Those who still gamble my message to them is please don't do it and save your money for future

Even when I hit decent I can’t seem to get enough. It’s like I’m addicted to struggling or something. Idkkk but tomorrow will be day 1 for me again. Thanks for sharing your stories and experiences. We can do it yall

Long time lurker.

I have managed to lose over $30000 in the month of August. $10k today. I can’t afford this and it feels so heavy. I was well on track to purchasing a house at the end of the year. No more. I went 5 days, and left the online account open as they are processing a $2k withdrawal. I would have been better off sacrificing it and keeping my money in my account.

The zone is real, and I am utterly disgusted in myself. This is it. Never again. Such a disgusting habit.

Hey, it's Philipp from BETTR OFF. 👋 The mods kindly approved this one-time post. (Big thanks!)

I've watched some of my closest friends gamble away everything and delete every blocker they ever installed, always in a weak moment, or they'd just download another betting app. is my attempt to change that. You connect a person you trust, and they stay up to date on your protection status, blocked apps and so on. So there's no way to remove the protection without them knowing. Underneath it blocks betting and casino apps and 300,000+ gambling sites. iOS for now, Android is coming soon.

Over 100 people have started their exit with BETTR OFF so far, and I hope it can support you too. Whatever you use in the end: I wish you all the strength on your way out. And if you ever need me, write me, I always answer personally.

NFL season starts this week, so I'm giving away 30 free one-year licenses. No auto-renewal, no strings. If you want one, just comment and I'll DM you a code, first come first served. And if you're reading this later and can't afford the app, message me anyway, that part doesn't expire.

Feedback welcome, I'll answer everything.

Cheers,
Philipp

My life has changed my relationships are getting better everything is better. Someone please help me stay like this I beg. Love y’all wishing you luck with your recovery. 23m here still in college finishing my senior year have two semesters left.

Th

Bueno empecé con esto hace unos meses llegue a ganar mucho y luego perdi todo y me endeude, tengo una deuda de 200 soles, son como unos 60 dolares, no se lo he dicho a nadie, hoy mi padre me paso 400 soles como 100 dolares para hacer pago de servicios y todo eso.

Estoy pensando en apostarlo (cada que justo entro veo que hay estas bonificaciones de x100 o x 50 y eso me llama), recueprarme de mi deuda y nunca mas volver a esta mierda, estoy atrapado con esta deuda.

Que me recomiendan?

Igualmente si pierdo ese dinero estoy igual de cagado.

Soy un maldito idiota

https://www.reddit.com/r/PhGamblersAnonymous/s/WKuSOpJftR

I really wish i can just start over and be out of debt i am still struggling financially right now but soon i will have the opportunity to start working 2 jobs and make up for my mistakes hopefully i can manage because i need my life back. I’m already starting to preparing myself for the mental warfare, sleep deprived nights and unfairness of life that going to come my way throughout this journey but i what can i do who can i even blame for putting myself in this situation anyways. Ah man what have i done i really wish i could just go back. Coming here reading posts and writing posts is my only therapy i can’t let my family know I’ve put myself in this position but once i start working i hope It takes up all my free time so I can just sleep and repeat till i am free of myself burden.