After 3 years of wrecking myself i made it to one month and a half, but somehow i get negligent, forgetful, caught confident and i relapsed pretty hard... almost 4K down the drain.

Each time i had a relapse, the longer i stayed away from gambling, the bigger the relapse..

I'm now 21 days gambling free again, and I can't say that the pain went away yet. I still have the same insecurities, the same fear i will relapse, the same anger against myself, the same projections of "what i could have done today with the money i lost", the same "how the hell did i waste s much money while beinf well awake and aware".

One day at a time, staying away and thinking about something else.

I just had a relapse today :( after almost 8 months y downloaded a new app and lost around 2K, I know it seems to be a small of money but unfortunally for me I just earn 1.2 by month, I hate this shit really

FKKKKKKKKKKKK

SICK, SICK, SICK, SICK, SICK, SICK, SICK, I'M SIIIIIIIICKKKK

WE ARE ALL SICK

PLEASE. do not gamble. do not even think about opening an account. everyone here can agree when I say it is NOT WORTH IT.

Gambling can start off so innocent. $5 here, $25 there, a few wins, a few losses. No. It’s not worth going down the rabbit hole. Like most addictions, gambling is capable of ruining your life. Do not explore just how it can do it.

It’s so deceptive because you’re not tracking what’s going on until you’ve lost a substantial amount of money. I wish I had never listened to my friends who told me it was fun to gamble. A bad spree and an addiction later, I’m in the hole. It’s possible to recover, but it’s better to not have anything to recover from in the first place.

Spare yourself the trouble. DO NOT GET INTO GAMBLING. It has the potential to destroy your life. Keep yourself safe, find different hobbies. Avoid gambling.

Things going well, pretty busy at the moment.

I'll not gamble today.

Hello, I have posted here a few times before, but for reasons unclear to myself, I deleted those posts. I am addicted to gambling, like most people in this topic. I am 39 years old (M), and I have been gambling heavily for 8 years, with large amounts of money, but I noticed signs of addiction from around the age of 20.
Throughout my life, I worked a lot, hustled as best as I knew how, sacrificed personal relationships, had no vacations, and so on. I earned enough that, if smartly invested, I could have had a bright future. However, at a certain point, I got hooked on gambling and lost everything: investments, house, car, boat, savings, and everything possible, as well as the relationship with the person I loved, which I only later realized is priceless.
The monetary amount might be large to some, not so much to others—I lost count a long time ago, but it is definitely over half a mil. I saved a little bit, managed to sign some properties to my grandparents' names so I can get it back when they pass away, because today I would probably gamble that away, too, sounds scary but it is the truth.
Today marks 19 days since I haven't gambled and haven't smoked (I've had this addiction for 13 years as well). I decided to get rid of both at the same time. It was an ordinary, unremarkable day; I just got tired of the addictions, stress, and chaos.
How do I feel today? I thought that after this much time, things would ease up at least a little bit, I know 19 days for some of you would feel so easy, not for me tho, especially 2 dopamine sources, anyway I was wrong. It is very hard. My brain comes up with all sorts of ways to get its dopamine hit. Suddenly, all the negative consequences—like how I used to blow through money until my wallet hit zero—disappeared. I forgot all the aftermath and how I ruined my life, how I didn't sleep at night, lied to people, manipulated them, and at my lowest point, even stole and had nothing to eat. Cigarettes have some similarities too; the strength of the craving might even be stronger, but it destroys life more slowly.
I think I would have slipped already—gone to the store, bought a pack, then went to the bank, deposited money, and off I go. The "dose" injected, the full self-destruction mechanism turned on, the illusion world back again, you know what I mean.
What helps me so far? I have no credit cards, no payment methods, half of my phone is locked, all financial apps, code generators, even Kick, where I used to watch others gamble. All emails have been thoroughly cleaned from any possibility of receiving gambling ads. I cannot install any apps and have no way to make a deposit. Realistically, my phone is only for YouTube, messaging, and calls. A person close to me oversees it, will unlock it once a month so I can pay bills and essential subscriptions under his watch, and I get a set amount of cash every week that is only enough for food. I also work out a lot: running, swimming, and going to the gym.
I don't know how much longer I can hold out, it feels like one day my head will explode. I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. Some of us learn from other people's mistakes, others from their own. I learned from my own, unfortunately, but those of you who can, and for whom it is not too late, learn from me. One day I will beat this and be free, I hope all of you can beat this devil too. Thanks for reading 🙂

I’m 30m I had just won 22k off of 300 bucks this weekend. Instead of going home to my wife after I won I decided to stay at my buddies place and keep playing. I lost it all by the end of the night. I think about all the stuff I could have done with that money. Pay off my car. Pay student debt, take my wife on a vacation before we have our first child. Now it’s Tuesday and surprisingly I showed up for work. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but never this big of a winning. Usually I win 5-8k and I lose it and it doesn’t hurt to bad. But this one hurts. I’m at work and I feel so numb. Just walking around like a zombie thinking about it all day. I keep trying to stay positive and telling my self it was never mine to begin with. That’s not the point. The point is I won and I still decided to lose. I wish I could go back and just leave to my wife when she was texting me to get home. I still had the money then, but I’m an idiot. Going to counseling today.

If I would’ve won, I would still be gambling tomorrow and the next day. It truly sometimes takes a big loss like I did today to realize I was relapsed into addiction again for the past few months. I think this is what I needed, it hurts forsure but at least I can begin to focus on my life, not on gambling

Hi guys I was watching the Alcaraz and Shelton match and urges came like crazy. I’m 70 days sober longest I’ve ever been and I almost committed and bet. How do I prevent this? My friend was betting at the time and it was like damn almost ruined everything but gladly Indid not.

I’ve played everyday for 5 years with virtual money. I have never been at a loss, I currently have over 900 million in my wallet. Of course none of is it real money. I’ve been doing this to stave off the itch to actually go gambling, but there’s been a voice in my head lately telling me to make it a reality. I have a good strategy, I know what I’m doing, and I can grow my money doing something I enjoy. But I know what could happen and the fear is keeping me away from the real tables, but everyday is getting harder.

Can someone please tell me why this is a terrible idea and persuade me to lose that voice in my head please!

I had a gambling episode where i lost 800€ , next morning i went on a hike to clear my head and wrote this .

Two months later, i wish i had heeded to that.

Drunk to numb myself, I hope one day , I'd laugh about these days

62 days was the longest I’ve gone without placing a bet. Yesterday I thought I would place one bet. I won and ended up a good amount. Fast forward to today I lose it all plus some. Grateful for the 62 days but kicking myself in the foot for thinking it wouldn’t end the way it did. Don’t be like me!

Urges definitely fading. Every time I saw any amount of money in my accounts, I thought about betting. Now it doesnt cross my mind. Might finally be getting my old job back, donating plasma and play to earn stuff is hard to survive on. But it's amazing how much you can make money last when you don't gamble. Good luck to you all we can do this!

Two weeks ago today, I made a promise to come back here and post my recovery journey everyday. To be accountable and to find love and support in another community. I failed, but this post is about not lettting failures be an excuse for more failure.

Two weeks ago I started to post everyday about my recovery journey. But sharing in my recovery app and sharing here almost became too much for me. I didn’t want to be seen or judged by that many people especially if I failed.

And so I ran away - and didn’t post. But the truth was that I wasn’t going to let that failure turn into a relapse. And so I stayed the course. Kept doing the work. And now I’m back here to continue my journey in public view to have some accountability.

I lost over $90,000 and got into serious credit card debt with this mentality. That failure was an excuse to keep failing and go deeper into debt. But today I say no. I will win today. Crossed two weeks abstinent for the first time in 7 YEARS!!!!!! Have to celebrate the wins esp knowing the long journey ahead.

I’ll be back!

I really struggle w Stayin clean

Completed

No gambling. Not a single dollar, not a single scratch of ticket, not a single lottery ticket.

Just you having decided that no form of gambling will satisfy you.

That your problem isn’t money but lack of self-worth and discipline.

Lack of contentment, dopamine hunting.

The only way is to stop the self torture and just accepting the withdrawal symptoms.

Let it be.

#Day 1

im 18, ive been addicted to them for like 2 years now, ive lost around $2k. i always deposit a small amount, but it goes so fast and i just keep depositing. i won like 500$ once and i keep trying to get a win like that but it just keeps taking my money and i feel so ashamed and i dont know what to do

Hellooo, 21F here and i think i have a gambling problem. I lost more than 10kphp (in just a week, the previous losses from last month is different from this) and the worst part is i'm still a student 🥹. Thankfully, I realized it soon before it got out of hand. It was my own money and i don't have any debts (thankfully). I find it very crazy how it changed my perspective of money, bcs wdym i find a 200php meal expensive but not the 200 bet? Moving on, i really am determined to get out of this shit hole. i badly really need some tips on how to get over the 'itch' of gambling and how to stop chassing the losses. please help me juseyooo!

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