Often people turn to gambling to avoid other issues. I was a gambler from the age of 16 but it only became a real problem in my late 20s and I know now that it was because there were problems in my marriage that I was not dealing with. Then my mother died and I really went off the rails.
Gambling takes over all your senses so that you cannot think about anything else whilst you are in action. Perfect for people that don’t want to get into painful issues.
I would strongly suggest that if you know what your issues are that you tackle them with a professional. Again as I don’t know which country you are in, I can’t be specific – but if in the UK you could try to access counselling via your GP – try and find someone who specialises in your issue and if you have to pay, get a free or cheap first session – so you know if you can work with your counsellor. Often getting on with the counsellor is more important than the style of counselling involved.
If that is not possible – see if there is some self-help groups or more informal ways of tackling the issue – but don’t put it off or it will only gnaw away at you and you may find yourself with some other behaviour problem. There is a one-to-one service here that might help and the links that I posted to you earlier are there for anyone who needs to talk. You don’t have to be suicidal. I hope this helps. Keep strong.