Gambling Addiction and Debt

Written by Nicky on Tuesday 7 March 2006

I recently read about a man who has gambled since he was 12 years old. He believed he needed to gamble in order to survive. He is now older and married with 2 children, yet he still gambles. His wife does not know that he gambles and if he loses a bet, he gets moody with her. However, he is not sure if he has a problem. Does this sound familiar?

The guy gambles with money he hides from his wife, so whether he wins or loses he cannot talk about it because he has hidden the addiction from his family Along with hiding the addiction, he also has to hide his frustration or his excitement if he wins. He says life is boring if he doesn’t gamble.

Initially when people start to gamble they do not expect it to turn into an addiction, however, it does happen. Before you know it, you are kidding yourself with excuses that you have it all under control, yet the truth is, you have lost control to the addiction.

Gambling Addiction and Debt People gamble for a number of reasons:

  • Survival
  • For the buzz and excitement
  • To socialise or to be part of the crowd
  • To escape from real life and situations

I’m sure there are more reasons that can be added to the list, but for whatever reason people turn to gambling, this can cause problems in real life.

People with a gambling addiction generally find themselves in a heap of debt and have no idea what to do about it. Gambling debt reveals two problems, firstly there is the addiction, and secondly there is the problem of getting out of the debt hole. Thankfully, there is a solution for both.

Free help is available for both gambling debt and gambling addiction. If you can accept that you have a problem then you already half way to finding the solution. The next step is to talk about it.

Online websites such as Gamcare offer advice on gambling addiction and include an online forum for people who are looking to find ways to deal with their issues. You can chat anonymously to others who have experienced, or experiencing similar problems to yourself without embarrassment.

Debt Questions also has an online forum where you can talk to other members who have also experienced debt issues due to gambling. You can talk to them and find out how they dealt with their debt and addiction.

Payplan offer free help and advice on gambling debt. No matter what your problem, there is always a solution, you just have to be ready and willing to allow people to help you. You have heard the saying “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”? Well, anyone can tell you what you need to do, but it’s up to you to do it.

Sometimes it is the hardest thing in the world to admit you have a problem and ask for help, but if you can bring yourself to do that, then you are on your way to not only resolving your financial situation, but regaining control of your life.

So if this is you, take action by taking control!

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Comments

5 Responses to “ Gambling Addiction and Debt ”

  1. babu on July 20th, 2006 11:10 am

    how can i get rid of my debt

  2. Nicky on July 21st, 2006 8:48 am

    You need to get some debt advice. Its hard to give a solution without knowing your circumstances.

    Generally, you would pay your creditors what you can afford based on monies that is available from your monthy income after your priority payments have been paid.

    You have a few options to begin with - Contact Payplan would be one of them… you could also go over to Debt Question where there is a forum full of people in similar situations.

    You can anonomously ask questions and people will be willing to offer their help.

    Whatever it takes to help you find a solution.

    Cheers

    Nicky

  3. Clive Sayers on September 21st, 2008 12:56 pm

    Due to my addiction I have fallen into nearly 50k in debt and 5 k of that is overdraft can that be addressed to.

  4. Paul on September 22nd, 2008 8:22 am

    Hello Clive

    Yes, an overdraft is classed as unsecured debt in the same way as a personal loan or credit card (unless it’s part of a ‘one account’ style bank account that’s tied in with your mortgage - this requires careful consideration). So you can include your overdraft debt in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) or Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).

    It is then always safer for your income to place it in a new basic bank account with someone to which you don’t owe any debts - further advice can be found here:

    http://www.payplan.com/weblog/2008/05/01/problems-opening-a-new-basic-bank-account

    It may be best for you to discuss you debt problem with someone from Payplan directly on 0800 9177823 or online here:

    http://www.payplan.com/debt-calculator/debt-calculator.php

    Hope this helps
    Paul

  5. Clive on July 30th, 2009 11:11 pm

    After following your advice back in September,I am now in a Protected Trust Deed for three years,the Scottish equivalent to an IVA.Thanks for your advice….

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