[pauld1]

I have just turned 17 I have been gambling since I was 16.
I go into William hill all the time and play the roulette nearly everyday! In the last week I have lost around £300 and have a job but barley get much. No matter how much money I’m up I just can’t walk! Every time i lose I go straight to the bank to get money out, then chuck that straight back in! I’m totally hooked and can’t get away for it it’s always on my mind and I’m only 17! I don’t want to know what I’ll be like when I’m older I won’t have a penny to my name. What should I do?!

[stupidgirl34]

It’s good that you recognize this problem for what it is. I’m going to tell you something you may not want to hear.. quitting is hard and you need help. The first thing I would recommend is talking to your parents or a trusted adult who can help you. They can help you put barriers in place that make it harder for you to gamble. I did that when I first began recovery. My boyfriend, my mom and my best friend all helped. I knew that if I needed money I had to ask for it and that they would hold me accountable for it by making sure I always had receipts for what I needed. I couldn’t secretly gamble with it. I also put myself on the self exclusion or ban list to the casinos that operate close to my home. So now that I have my finances back I still would have to drive at least 2 hours to gamble at a casino. This site is also a great place for support. Read what others have posted it will help you and keep posting.
Congratualtions on this new phase of your life! You can do it. Take it one day at a time. I still pledge every day not to gamble that day. I can make it through one day. Those days now add up to almost 6 months and it has gotten easier and easier. Plus knowing that I would have to give up all that I have worked for and start back at square one is another thing that keeps me from going.
 I will make this work!

[janey]

Hi Paul
Thank you for posting on the Gambling Therapy forum. As you are a GB resident you are entitled to free online support through the Gamcare website at http://www.gamcare.org.uk/ .
You could also consider residential treatment which you can find out more about by following the below link:
http://www.gordonmoody.org.uk/
As Gambling Therapy are unable to support people from Great Britain can I suggest that you now copy and paste your post into one of the Gamcare forums where you will receive responses from others in a similar situation to you from all over Great Britain.
You can also access online or face to face group support through Gamblers Anonymous:
http://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
We wish you well in your recovery.
Kind Regards
The Gambling Therapy Team
 

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