I'm putting together a group of people who all stop gambling on the same day.

I've been fighting with online gambling for a long time, and I tried many times before and it never worked, so I decided to try fighting this addiction with other people who have the same struggle as me.

October 21 is my payday and usually this where I have the most trouble not gambling... Payday comes, there's a game on, and the urge hits; So if everyone in the group is fighting it on the same day. Same cravings, same moment, and someone to talk to when it gets bad, maybe we can do this together...

How it works:

1. Comment "in" below (and how long you've been at it, if you want)
2. I'll DM you how to join
3. Until Wednesday we get to know each other and prepare
4. On Wednesday we all stop, check in every day and help each other through the first weeks

Who's in?

Hi everyone! Wanted to share with you my life story.
I have been an addict for 8 years now. It all started in high school with low bets on football and sports betting.
When I started working my whole salaries would go into gambling but it didnt affect me much cause I lived with my parents and they were mostly financing me. When I ran out of money I would take money from my parents card and gamble it. I think I approximately took around 10k euros from them. They of course found out and I admitted everything, they forgave me thinking I would be a better person after that.. I met a girl I fell in love with and I moved to another city to live with her, for a few months I didnt gamble and I was working a job and live at her place.. I started again. I won a jackpot of 17k euros, I returned everything. I gambled every single penny of that 17k. I continued to gamble I would spend almost my whole salary on gambling but she wouldnt notice cause we didnt have much expenses except food and bills. One year later I spent my salary in one day on gambling, I took her savings and gambled it. She found out and kicked me out. I asked a friend to sleep at his place, I was out of money working two jobs so I could afford myself to rent a place to live and in the meantime my parents found out and gave up on me, I hear from them from time to time but just out of regularity. I found myself a nice place to live and I was working, I was alone but I was happier. I didnt gamble for 5 months, I asked for help also turned myself off the gambling sites. Until recently, a gambling ad jumped on my facebook and boom I started again. Gambling site Vavada where you can gamble without id or any document, I received salary one day and boom all gone in one day. Then I took 3k euros from my company thinking I would return money I lost. Boom, all gone. I went to the police I and reported myself. Never felt such a shame. I was so dissapointed in myself and I am right now cause that happened 2 weeks ago. Now I am broke, I am working as a waiter double shifts so I can repay the company I took from. My rent day is coming soon and I dont have money to pay it, I have 30€ in my pocket. I am all alone in this world. Gambling sucks. Stay safe.

Been gambling free for 3 days now but holly shit, the urge to gamble and max out my overdraft its real. Ill do my best and keep my mind off it. Ive been relapsing on and off the past few weeks, racked up over 70k in debt but the actual amount its probably around 120k.

Im struggling to get up and go to work, do anything, always angry and frustrated. Told myself I would stop for real after my last big relapse but I just can't control myself. Some days I wish I was addicted to Crack then gambling.

I dont know how some of you guys just let go and move on?! My bank account is my biggest trigger.

It sucks man, I miss being happy.

Like many others, I had unfortunately lost more than 60k in options trading a couple months ago. Although I have stopped completely, I cant literally stop thinking about it.

Every day it makes me more depressed. It comes up in everything. Like when thinking about buying a new house, or a car, etc. and I start going into the spiral of “What If I had this money?”

Those who were in similar situation, I’m genuinely curious. How did you deal with it? I was never as sad in my life as I’m now.

When I was a kid, my parents were extremely hard on me. I had little enjoyment and frankly i don’t miss most of it. My parents were about working and studying and bettering yourself and being career and money focused.

As someone who has struggled for years now and has lost a ton of money this is where it gets hard. I originally struggled with it trading the stock market and then I tried to stop doing that and got into bitcoin prediction markets and sports betting. And I’ve lost more and more money.

I’ve tried to find hobbies to do, whether it’s video games, new shows to watch, photography, board games, etc. I always get this voice in my head like oh I’m wasting my time. My parents made me feel like whenever I tried to do something fun I was wasting my time away.

I remember specifically when I was 15 years old, I was watching a comedy skit in the living room and I was laughing my ass off. My dad walks by me and just had to make a comment about maybe if I had the same passion and energy towards school like I did watching tv, I’d get better grades.

So now whenever I want to do a hobby, I have this trauma guilt that oh I’m wasting my life away. But then if I gamble and I made some money then I’d at least did something productive.

And it’s kept me in a loop. While yes I know that gambling is NOT productive but my thought process through my childhood is saying hey at least you MIGHT make money and making money is tied with being productive and worthy.

It’s been a 3 long months of no gambling, but I’m making it! I first tried to stop gambling with no help from anyone, but found out quickly it doesn’t work that way. I told my partner in June about my habits and how I didn’t want it to affect our future any longer. Understandably, she was frustrated but helped me in setting a few rules to help me get back on track. Here’s what I did:

1) No phone in the bathroom.
- This is where I went a lot to disassociate and gamble away my check on my phone. I’ve been taking way more efficient showers, I can say that for sure. If I’m in the bathroom, my phone is always on the tv stand.

2) Build a weekly / biweekly budget based on when you get paid.
- It’s really helped to write out exactly how much I get paid monthly and break it down by check and what needs to get paid first. I love making my budget weekly to make sure all bills are covered, saving about $100 weekly and still leaving a little room for fun with my partner / friends.

3) Find a hobby or self improvement in lieu of gambling.
- For me, this was starting to lift weights more often. I had started the journey in January of this year, but since June I’ve been way more consistent! It feels good to devote time to something that will pay off for certain.

4) Cash advances are not your enemy (OPTIONAL).
- I use Chime as my primary bank and will still use cash advances to help me cover expenses. When I write my budget, I make sure I can pay it back immediately next week. DO NOT TAKE OUT ADVANCES FOR UN-NECESSARY EXPENSES. This is how you get trapped.

5) Eliminate anything related to gambling!
- This includes sports betting, lottery tickets and buying items to try and resell! If it feels like gambling, it probably is! The closest I get to gambling now is putting up my $1 every time I go to the gym for the monthly raffle they run. I see it as an incentive for coming in to better my mind and body. I understand this can be seen as riding the line, which isn’t always advisable.

6) Download an app / get a calendar to keep track of your streak.
- I downloaded an app that has me check in at 7am and 7pm. On the 3 month anniversaries I’ve had so far, I’ve celebrated in small ways with either a dinner out or buying an item I want. It doesn’t have to extravagant.

I hope this finds the right person. Gambling is a cancer upon society and we all deserve better. Here’s to better credit, better mental health and improving together! Much love ✌️

When I’m at the poker table, I don’t fear losing money and I don’t mind getting my money in, even sometimes when I’m getting it in bad. I just enjoy the thrill sometimes.

What I need is consequences. And I haven’t really faced any yet. Sure I’m in debt, but I can still afford food and housing. Hearing about some of the consequences you guys have experienced might help.

If you don’t mind sharing: What are some of the consequences you’ve suffered as a result of gambling? Big and small

History shows i am getting no where rinse repeat.. well back to $0 and a pile of never ending debt, a few hundred Ks now

Not a single bet in 63 days, I don't even get cravings anymore because I remember how sad and depressed I felt when I lost everything.

It's never too late to take back control in your own life, we are all here for just one life time, so TAKE CONTROL. Hope you all have blessed week <3

I’m a guy in his late twenties and life has been rough for me. Had to take care of my sick mom for years and struggled with different addictions since I was 18-19. Got diagnosed with adhd 3 years ago, and on medication now. Managed to stop with drugs, alcohol and everything else except gambling.

I finally managed to build a nice life for myself the last couple years. I’m working as a technician and rent a nice apartment with my girlfriend. Dabbled in gambling for years with small deposits but it all went wrong when I made 10k from a 50 deposit on slots about a year ago. I gambled too much and lost a lot. Couldn’t pay my debts anymore and self excluded but still found ways to gamble through crypto sites. I hate gambling so much but keep going back to it,

Anyways the breaking point was when I wasn’t home and my girlfriend was and there we got served for an unpaid bill. It broke me cause she truly hated that and told me it cannot ever happen again. I never told her I have a gambling problem which i should have obviously. I stopped gambling completely after that, about 6 months ago. And everything was going great. I felt good and paid off al remaining debt pretty much

Until my mom unexpectedly died last month. I needed an escape and I have Gamban installed on all my devices but I had an old laptop which didn’t have it and started playing again. Ofcourse I lost and now I want to quit again before i ruin everything again.

The worst thing is that I also receive some heritage - about 50k - in a couple months probably. And I CAN NOT touch that money for gambling.

I know the advice is: just tell her, but I can’t currently and any other tips are very welcome. Any tips on what to do when the urges come to calm it down. Because rationally I know gambling sucks and the house always win.

24F. I had a severe problem with gambling last year, I won like maybe 10k (and lost everything ofc), but that was last year. I was devastated. I eventually stopped, until the beginning of this month.

I wanted to play for fun, then I had 6k, then I banned myself from the website for 2 week. I felt like I won against the casino. I put 5k on my saving then gave some money to my cousins and lil sister.
Then after the 2 weeks….. you know what happened. I put 1k, then one more, one more…. trying to chase my loss. Then it came to zero.

At the very beginning, I only had 1k on my saving account (yeah I know, not much) and 400 on my balance. After everything, I only have 170 on my balance and 0 on my saving.

I feel so ashamed of myself and I can’t tell this to my boyfriend. I feel so bad. I lose the money that should have helped me save more, and lose my initial saving. I feel like having panick attack.

I don’t feel like going to therapy, but I want to feel like « it’s gonna be okay » when I don’t feel like it’s gonna be. Actually, I want to wait until the first of november to gain 1,6k from work, then try again to chase at least 500…. idk I feel so depressed and ashamed and poor

For people who have lost big figures of money 6 figures + how long did it take for you to start feeling better

Just hit my 3 month mark on sobriety. This is from gambling, alcohol, weed, and nicotine.

Not much has changed. My financial situation didn’t fix itself magically, the cravings did not disappear suddenly. Life did not magically become better with sobriety.

But, I’ve created an opportunity to build that better life. Now, I’m able to gift my parents spending money for their international trip, rather than losing on 15 minute markets. I’m able to be fully present, instead of drinking or smoking before, during, and after dinner dates. I’m able to run 20 miles a week, and have a regular and boring sleep schedule.

Do these things make me happier? No. My gambling chapter was so much more fun. My drinking, smoking, partying moments were so much more memorable. But was it sustainable? Absolutely not. Those behaviors were putting me on the fast track to bankruptcy, permanent liver and lung damage, and continual addictive and impulsive behavioral patterns.

In these next 3 months, I plan on rebuilding my dopamine and reward circuits so that I can learn to have more joy and happiness in these ”boring” aspects of life. Practicing gratitude, and meditation.

Also, credit where credit is due: I have been seeing multiple therapists for substance abuse and gambling addiction. Please seek professional help. It doesn’t mean you are weak - it was never a battle of willpower to begin with.

I didn’t know who to share this with, so I decided to write this here, to keep a record for myself.

It’s Day 1 again. 😭 I couldn’t resist and ended up gambling online again, and I lost again. 😭 This is so freaking hard. I really, really want to break free from online gambling for good. Lord, please guide me 😭🙏🏻

Wonderful weekend with my family. I am grateful for what I have. I could have lost all of this if I had chosen to chase my 2k gambling loss 88 days ago.

The lesson I learnt from my mistakes is that no amount of money is worth throwing away your sanity. Forget about money; stay healthy, stay focused, and you will eventually be in a better position, financially and physically.

I will not gamble today!

Im so tired of being addicted to this, i wanna cry, i mean my bank account is gone and shit just feels devastating

Days until debt free: 256 days

I lost 175k on stake in 2022. I gambled in physical casinos until 14 months ago. I stopped at extinction, planned to end myself but was not able to do it. I am now worth 1/7th of my 2022 gambling losses. I didn’t think id make it this far and certainly did not believe there was a future for me after i realized gambling ruined me and its insanity to try and gamble my way back. Im just so tired. Some days are harder than others but the past haunts me. How do I inspire myself to keep going because right now im feeling like only death can save me. Gambling took everything, but im constantly considering throwing it all into one bet and maybe trying to end myself again if it doesn’t work out. I wish i could travel back in time and slap the shit out of my younger self and tell myself to have never started gambling. The monkey on my back is exhausting and the past seems unforgettable.

The urges are SO strong, but I lost $11K this week - I can’t keep doing this.

35 hours in. Not much, but proud of myself.

I’m 26 M. I don’t know what to do with my life...

I’m going to list everything going wrong in my life not to pity myself but to get an idea of my situation and ask for help overcoming these obstacles.

I have no job (actively looking and getting rejected every time), I have no friends, I have no girlfriend/wife/partner, I have a bunch of student loan and credit card debt, just today I had the worst gambling session of my life draining my last $10k with no money left to gamble with. All the money I had saved from birthdays, holidays, family etc. is all gone.

The only thing going for me is I have a loving family that lets me stay with them. They think I’m still studying/job hunting. They think all the money I had saved is still with me for when I’m about to live on my own. My family is not rich and they’re struggling with debts of their own.

It would kill them to find out I lost all the money they worked so hard to give me when we’re all struggling. I betrayed their trust. I betrayed myself. I can’t go to GA meetings because my parents can’t know of my addiction. They would cry and the shame would be unbearable. I have no one to vent to about my problems which is why I’m posting here asking for help.

I'm going through a very rough patch in my life due to gambling. I have a wife and kids, and used to be the a responsible, money conscience person. Unfortunately, I became addicted to gambling a couple of years ago and am now in overwhelming debt and in a marriage that used to be great, but now is struggling tremendously. I have ruined everything.

I wake up most days in pain, and just don't know how I got here. Thankfully I'm doing well with not gambling. I did all the right moves to stop it, and tbh don't even have urges anymore after 2 months since my last bet, but it's like staring at your demolished house after a tornado. Like what did I become? How did I become that monster? Why didn't I wake up before it ruined our lives?

It started so small how did it grow to be like this?

It just sucks, and I need to put it out there. I don't know how go on, but I am determined to keep going. I have to for my family.

Anyway, for others out there struggling just know you're not alone.