Good you want to get help. This site is really good- alot of great people and very supportive community.
I can see why you feel that selling your house will send a negative message about yourself in regards to your reputation workwise- but in reality it is probably a sound financial decision- albeit brought on by unsound financial decisions. (but then again gambling is not about financial decisions)
Recognising you have a gambling problem and getting help for it is a really good move. Its never too late and your life will improve in leaps and bounds without gambling.
Stay connected here- alot of great support- and advice- especially about barriers etc.
Stay strong and gamble free.

well just cause ya sell your house dont mean that everyone will think your life is going bad and so what if it is.  the economy is just that bad anyways now days that i would think every area of buisness is getting hit.  **** if you can bale yourself out by selling your house you should. get something a little more modest and affordable while you recover.  can always go big again later if thats what you really need.

Hi Reallydumb,
A Warm Welcome to Gambling Therapy
It sounds to me that you are reluctant to take the necessary steps to fully engage with your recovery for fear of damaging your good reputation in the community.  Do you see going to GA meetings as a sign of weakness or strength?  In my opinion, its the latter.  Who is the bigger man, the one who pussyfoots around making excuses as to why he cant go to GA and cant ask for support from his family or the one who holds his hands up, accepts when he is beaten and determines to do whatever necessary to get back up?
Your reputation as a financial planner will be gone forever if you dont take real action now.  You can join GA now while you are still a financial planner or you can join GA later when you have sold your home and, potentially, are unemployed and insolvent.
Please dont think that your gambling will stop if you manage to pay off your debts.  It will stop when you take decisive action, go to GA, go and see a counsellor/therapist again, tell your family (get it out in the open with them), let someone you trust take control of your family’s finances (a hard one for you, I’m sure), exclude yourself from venues, etc.
I apologise if what I say seems harsh but it comes with the best of intentions.  Oh, and by the way, you are not really dumb.  You are here reaching out for help, I hope you can find the strength to do what you know is necessary. 
Having found us you have also found a diverse community who can help and support you on your recovery journey.
Here on the forum you can share your experiences in a safe, supportive and non-judgemental environment and by reading others stories am sure you will see that you are very much not alone in this addiction
Please click here to see our services page, feel free to use all that this site can offer…
To chat with others in real time you may wish to make use of the support groups, the ***** of these groups are advertised under "What’s on and When" or click here to see the weekly group schedule.
For one to one chat you may want to try the live advice helpline. Click "connect" when these options become available.
Also to say when you registered we would have sent you an email with an attachment, this attachment will help you navigate the site and find the support you so rightly deserve, alternatively this guide can be downloaded by clicking here.
 
Take Care
Mike

I dont think you’re really dumb, you are a compulsive gambler like many of us here. That dosn’t excuse you or make what you’ve done acceptable, but that is the fact of the matter.
If you were really dumb you wouldnt be living in a million dolltar house.
You do not have to gamble, and with the right support you can learn to say no to it. You seem to think that people will immediatley presume if they find out about your problem and your situation that they will instantly loose faith in you. This is only your perception of how others will see the situation and not neccasarily the way it will be seen. You are not unique in your position, many people will be surprisingly supportive to see you admitting your problem and taking steps to fight it.
Gambling is ruining your life, not you. If you didnt gamble your life wouldn’t be ruined.
You can not stop gambling on your own, you seem to have accepted that I hope that you do seek support from GA and although you have your reservations about it, I think you should at least give it a try. Maybe go to a meeting away from where you live. As the name suggests Gamblers Anonymous is exactly that; anonymous. Nobody will know unless they are there or you tell them.
One thing I think must be apparent to you is if you dont get help quickly you will end up in a far worse predicament. Earning the income you do but living in debt is probably worse than living on minimum wage but not in debt, so losing your job although a very serious thing wouldn’t be the end of the world. Hopefully it will not come to this, but please swallow your pride and get to a meeting.
Geordie.I gambled last year, but havn’t this year. Imagine that!!….Recovery is priceless.

Originally posted by Reallydumb

I am 53 and have ruined my life …Help!!!!
 
 
Larry

Thanks to my Higher Power, My 3G’s – God, GA, and GT,  "Day Two Is Another Day Behind" and with the help from all , I will continue to remain gambling free.
Good afternoon RD, my name is Larry and I am a compulsive gambler, my last bet was August 13, 2009. Welcome to GT, a place where "Reallysmart" people come to find help and work at the ways and means to stop their compulsive gambling and renew a life ruined by an addiction, not by them, but by a baffling and insidious  compulsive addiction to gambling.
You may find yourself in a situation that you feel is unique or one where others fail to grasp the seriousness of you position, but in the long run you will find that you are not alone, that others have experienced mush the same predicaments that you find yourself facing. The only difference could be that they have accepted that they had to do something different and not just hold onto old ways that did not work or ones that they refused to follow; they had to become Honest, Openminded, and Willing to make changes in their lives, and work at a recovery program that would afford them the opportunity to live a more normal way meeting the real standards of Life, not just arbitrary standards of an organization or profession.
For a compulsive gambler there are only two viable alternatives, "to gamble, risking progressive deterioration or not to gamble, and develop a better way of life". Once we are willing to accept that we are compulsive gambling and that our lives have become unmanageable, that in most all aspects of our lives gambling has caused growing, continuing, and progressive problems for us and those around us, the alternatives come down to just the one thing; not to gamble for anything.  Of course this is also where other choices come into play, choices that are more complicated and more numerous. However, these hard choice are what will make the difference in your future, not someone finding out your secret.
I would think that any standards for ethical behavior would include participating is activities that supported monitoring and broadening the development of the standards in your life, and ways to show others how to overcome any shortcomings that they could be facing by sitting another type of example.  Reaching out for help and participating in the programs that provided that help should not be looked on as a failure or denial of the responsibilities entrusted to you. I would also think that any sanctions of not practicing the high moral or ethical standards would include a requirement to seek out help before any out and out dismissal.  Your clients are like most other people, they are forgiving, they are also aware that some of the best advice comes from advisers that have faced problems and are still successful. Your success in your career is shown not only by what you have acquired, but by what others have. Any different arrangement you have to make in your lifestyle or home only shows that you are able to make needed adjustments to continue to be successful.  Paying off your debts may not come easy and could take more time than you would like before being able to clime back up the latter once again, but this obligation in no more than a large loss incurred through losing out on legitimate dealings that successful businessmen have to also face. In that loss you learn from and make changes in the way you invest, in the losses from gambling you make changes in your character and attitude and the way you live.
Having a successful practice in financial planning you most likely also have health insurance to cover emotional or psychological problems as well as other medical ones; check into the provisions that covers these areas and seek the profession help that you might need. Although a problem here might be the same one that you faced in your other attempts at therapy, your reluctance to accept the type of help offered and probably needed. And your coming here carries the same type problem, you must be willing to do what is necessary, but keep coming back and participation in the forums and chat rooms, work at gaining the strength and courage that you need to go forward with your recovery before any more damage can be caused.
God’s speed, use your Higher Power to guide and strengthen you.– 1/5/2012 12:20:39 AM: post edited by paul315.

Hi RD –
Here’s something to think about – put some barriers in place until you are a little further along in your recovery.  Don’t keep a lot of money in an accessible place.  I opened an online account to store my " extra " cash that is linked to my home bank account.  It takes me 3 business days to withdraw any money.  This helps to limit any impulse purchases or gambling. ING direct or Ally Canada are 2 of my favorites.  If they send you a debit card for the account, cut it up.  Stop the bleeding now.
People are not as impressed as you might think by external shows of wealth.  Many multimillionaires live well below their means.  Working in the tax business taught me that.  It’s not what you spend that ******, it’s what you keep.  
I found when I was ready to stop gambling I had to take some really tough steps. If we could do it on our own, there wouldn’t be 10 thousand gamblers and family members registered here.  Keep reading our posts and you will find the answers you are looking for.
redsJust for today, I will not gamble away my time, freedom or peace of mind.

there comes a time i guess when ya gotta say screw what everybody else thinks and do whats right for you. i think you know what that is ya just gotta muster up them nerves to do it.  i always think the worse scenario is bound to happen and feed off that.  when it comes down to doing it its never as bad as you think.