1. Lost It All Gambling Reddit
2. Gambling Lost All My Money

One of the most common searches on the internet is: “I lost all my money gambling – What do I do?” Trust us when we tell you this: You are not alone.

• Nov 03, 2020 The Greek lost nearly his entire $40 million bankroll within a couple of months. The losing streak started with a 3-week period in which Archie lost $30 million at the Binions Horseshoe casino. First, he lost $11 million at the dice table.
• Opinion On my way to meet friends, I'd stop at a TAB and lose all my money Every pay day for nine years, Lucas gambled away his wages. Last year, the 39-year-old applied for a treatment program as.

The reality and power of the addiction is that you were gambling with very important things like relationships. The money lost its importance and you lost all reality compared to your delusional thoughts to get a drug fix of dopamine and adrenaline. If you love them they need to know and they need to be protected by having the information.

Gambling addiction is a problem you can solve.

There are plenty of gamblers who have lost it all because of their addiction. This is a serious problem, which has seen thousands of people completely ruin their lives. It can happen to anybody belonging to any walk of life.

Gambling habit can start off as a harmless diversion for anyone. You never know when it will become an unhealthy obsession with huge consequences. It hits you from out of nowhere.

If you’ve hit rock bottom, stop thinking about the negativity. It is time to take matters into your own hands.

In order to resolve any problem, you need to first understand it. Crying over how “gambling ruined my life” will never help. You need to understand the full extent of this dangerous addiction so that you can fight it.

Contents

• 4. Make it Impossible to Gamble
• 5. Look for Alternatives to Gambling

What is Gambling Addiction?

Understanding gambling addiction can help gamblers regain control of their life. It will also help people close to them get a better perspective on the situation and help them out. Gambling addiction is an impulse-control disorder.

If you are a compulsive gambler, you find it hard to control your impulses to gamble, no matter how bad the consequences may be. It is almost like nothing really matters to you.

A lot of people see themselves betting on one thing after another knowing that the odds are not in their favor or if they cannot afford to lose. This addiction is actually related to different mood or behavior disorders.

Many gamblers also suffer from substance abuse, bipolar disorder, anxiety, ADHD or depression. In order to overcome your gambling addiction, you need to work on the underlying reasons so you have a fighting chance.

Here are the steps you should follow in order to overcome your gambling addiction. For friends and family members of compulsive gamblers, you should use this information to help them on their road to recovery.

1. Accept That You Have a Problem

You need to accept the fact that there’s a problem. For those who have hit rock bottom, it’s obvious. You have lost all of the money you worked so hard to earn. What more do you need?

Those who have not hit rock bottom yet, you do not want to wait for the day you go home and say “I’ve lost all my money at the casino” to realize that you have a serious problem.

Just take a deep breath and reflect on yourself. Look for the signs of a gambling addiction problem. Do you feel the need to be secretive about your gambling?

A prominent sign of a gambling problem is that you gamble till you lose all your money and then you want to gamble even when you’ve lost your last dollar. You’ll feel like doing anything to get more gambling money.

And the last sign that confirms the problem is that you have trouble walking away from gambling. Once you start, how easy is it for you to walk away no matter how good or bad your odds of winning are?

Lost It All Gambling Reddit

Seeing these signs and actually acknowledging that you have a problem is the most important step. Friends and family members need to help their loved ones with a gambling problem recognize these signs if they can’t on their own.

2. Self-Help for Gambling Problems

Acknowledging that you have a gambling problem is tough. It is important to recognize that as miserable as it can make you feel, there is hope. Remember the fact that you shouldn’t try and overcome it alone. It’s too tough.

First of all, you need to learn how to relieve the unpleasant feelings you have in a more proactive way. Majority of people gamble when they’re lonely, bored or when they are stressed out. Look for healthier distractions.

Instead of using gambling as a distraction, find better and healthier ways to manage your mood. Try exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble or perhaps even taking up yoga. The important thing is to stay away from gambling.

Perhaps your gambling problem derives from mood disorders. Substance abuse, depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety are some of the things that can both provide the initial trigger for gambling and even make it worse. It’s very important to address them.

Joining a 12-step Gamblers Anonymous group recovery program can help. It is a program planned following the effective Alcoholics Anonymous program to help gambling addicts. Finding strength in numbers and support from others is the best way to recover.

Ask yourself something: will a casino give you your money back? No. They are places designed to make you think you have a chance of winning but in the end, the casino makes the money and gamblers always lose.

3. Stay In Recovery

For a lot of gamblers, it is not quitting that is the problem. In fact, the biggest challenge for most gamblers is to successfully stay in recovery after they quit. Committing to the decision to stop gambling is very hard.

A lot of former gamblers find themselves feeling that they can probably make up for everything they have lost by chasing losses. Gambling is a lot more accessible now because of online gambling.

Maintaining recovery is still possible if you surround yourself with people whom you are responsible for. Avoid being in environments that can tempt you to think all those negative thoughts again. Find healthier ways to substitute gambling in your life.

4. Make it Impossible to Gamble

One way to stop gambling and stay away from it for good is to remove the things which allow you to gamble again. Replace them with something else. Here are the three important elements needed for a person to gamble:

Money

Make someone else responsible for your money. Give your credit cards to someone you can trust and someone who is invested in helping you stop gambling. It helps to not have access to the money to gamble away.

Gambling Lost All My Money

Time

If you do not have the time, you will not even be able to resort to online gambling. Schedule things to do in your free time and stick to the schedule so you don’t get time to gamble.

Game

If there is no game or any kind of activity for you to bet on, there’s no opportunity for you to even think about gambling. Remove yourself from any tempting environments.

5. Look for Alternatives to Gambling

A lot of the battle against gambling addiction is about maintaining your distance from the habit. Remember that you do not want to be the person who was known to say “I lost all my life savings” because of gambling.

Here are some alternatives that you can schedule for yourself in order to replace the gambling habit. These are recommended activities you can do based on the possible reason for your gambling habits and triggers. Now let’s go through them.

Rush of adrenaline

Take up a new sport. It should be something challenging. Maybe take up mountain biking, hiking or rock climbing. They’re all activities that give you a rush of adrenaline. You won’t have to rely on gambling.

Boredom or loneliness

Find something that you are really invested in. Sports, art, reading or music are good options. Look for other people with the same interests and start hanging out with them. It will be a good distraction.

Unpleasant feelings

If you’re plagued by a mood disorder or unhealthy thoughts and they trigger your gambling problem, the best thing you can do is to seek professional counsel. Try going to a therapist. It will really help.

Interacting with people

If you gamble to meet and interact with new people, discuss this with your family. Try and meet new people through them and increase your communication with your family. Join a social group.

6. Fight Cravings

Gambling cravings will come and hit you out of nowhere. If you have not lost everything to gambling, do not give yourself the opportunity to do so. If you have lost everything, fight the urge to gamble again.

Look to your friends and family for help whenever you crave gambling. Isolating yourself will never help. Call a friend over, go out for a coffee or perhaps even go to a Gamblers anonymous meeting that is happening near you.

Remember that if you are not able to deal with the cravings and you experience a relapse, you should not be too hard on yourself. Do not make a relapse an excuse to give up. Everybody slips up.

Be kind to yourself. If the gambling addiction is getting really bad, try getting into a recovery program. Every gambler’s addiction is unique. Getting into a program will provide you a solution made for you. Remember to hang in there.

• This topic has 47 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 1 month ago by .

• Hello my name is ray, I’ve always been successful and level headed person… Ive been working as a junior doctor for the past three years and I am currently 27 years of age…. However I was introduced to gambling one year ago and in the past couple months I have lost my entire savings of $50000 on roulette… Both online and in actual casinos…. The problem is Noone knows about this not my parents not my pathner…. It all started with winning 2000 the first time I gambled… I began to gamble every month and began to loose 1000 every month…. I began to chase losses and over the past couple months have gambled it all out… I’m sick to my stomach and suicidal…. My job is a good one but very demanding… I seem like I can’t even function properly in my workplace because of this depression…. My other problem is what if I can’t stop gambling… I dnt even have anyone to tlk to personally because I’m so ashamed.. That savings was to invest in a new house.. Now I’m stuck

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  Hello and thanks for starting a thread in the Gambling Therapy forums

  Here at Gambling Therapy we pride ourselves on being a caring and diverse online community who can help and support you with the difficulties you’re currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if you’re new to recovery, so come here as often as you need to and participate in the forums, access online groups and connect to the live advice helpline if you need one to one support. We’re in this together!

  Here on the forum you can share your experiences in a safe, supportive and accepting environment. The beauty of writing it all down is that you can take your time and you will be creating a record of your progress that you can look back on if it ever feels like you’re not moving forward. So, share as much or as little as you like but do try to stick to keeping just one thread in this forum so people know where to find you if they want to be updated on your progress or share something with you.

  And on that note….

  I’m going to hand you over to our community because I’m sure they will have some words of wisdom for you 🙂

  Take care

  The Gambling Therapy Team

  
  PS: Let me just remind you to take a look at our
  privacy policy and terms and conditions so you know how it all works!
  

  Your predicament sounds not to dissimilar to my own. I gambled away my entire life savings I was banking on using for a house. I too haven’t been able to tell my family or my partner. Talking to people on here helps and I can happily say I’ve been gamble free for just over a year now. Something I can’t say I’ve been since I was about 13. All I can say is, listen to the advice of the people on here. Stay strong. You’re better than any addiction. Each passing day will make you more confidant you can beat this. Take care of yourself and your finances will do the same.

  Hi Ray,

  Sorry to hear about you losing all of your savings. Unfortunately this is the typical end result of a gambling addiction. We inevitably hig rock bottom before we can stop and actually think about the full extent of the financial, psychlogical, and physical damage we have done to ourselves. How much we’ve sacrificed our time and energy, destroying our relationships with our family, friends and partners. Underperforming at our jobs. The problem isn’t that you lose money, the problem is that you can’t stop gambling until it’s all gone.

  You need to accept these losses and realize that gambling is futile and will only get you deeper into the hole should you continue. The addiction does not discriminate. I was similar to you, a good education, a good job, healthy savings, a loving partner and even have a mortgage for an upper class apartment. I only gambled recreationally prior to my 3 months meltdown of online/casino blackjack, where I had losing swings of up to 40k in one night (and winning ones too, but these are just as bad as they reinforce your addicted brain that you can win back your losses). I was confident I would not become one of these “degenerates” that somehow my intelligence and good upbringing shielded me from being a big time gambling loser. I was wrong. A gambling addiction can affect anyone, and is so strong that any logic you have is thrown out the window when you play. You lose your sense of money, take irrational risks and compulsively chase losses with ZERO control when gambling. That’s what the addiction does. It will trick your into thinking you can control it, that you can play small or just walk away with a small loss. That you’re smarter than that. It’s all just your addiction convincing you its ok to gamble. Truth is, for people like us, we simply cannot gamble AT ALL. We cannot control ourselves. You need let go of your pride and accept that you are powerless to this addiction. You can beat it but it will be the toughest battle of your life and it WILL BE A LIFELONG BATTLE. You need all the help you can get. Tell a partner/friend/family member. Otherwise go to GA. Most importantly, self-exclude from ALL land and online casinos you have access to and install a gambling blocker asap. I assure you that the chances of you gambling again is VERY HIGH, especially in your current state. You are still in the denial stage. Exclusion is paramount at this point (and recommended permanently). You must actively take action to stop yourself from gambling. The urges will feel unstoppable. You may relapse but don’t let that phase you. Do whatever it takes to overcome this and you can reclaim your old life back. What we lose most from gambling is not the money itself but we lose our former selfs. We become something else which we are not proud of.

  You have not hit rock bottom yet. A long term gambler who struggled with addiction once told me: “just when you thought you couldn’t go any lower, a gambling addiction can bring you a new low that you didn’t even know could exist.” The next step is to take out loans and gamble that away. Then begging/borrowing/stealing money to fund your addiction. The pit really is bottomless. If you continue you will lose your family, friends, partner and job. Most importantly, you will lose your sanity and everything good about who you are. True rock bottom awaits should you keep chasing your losses. Stop now before it’s too late.

  I wish you the best in recovering from this.

  I have taken a loan out to clear a car finance on a better rate. Suddenly thought I was rich. Lost 3/4 of it in3 months – suicidal (considered) running away (considered). Best advice I have read on here is to take each day as it comes. You feel like this at this moment in time. You will be in work for over 40 years earning a staggering amount of money – I earn £26,000 per year after tax, pension etc. x that by 40 years and its more than 1 million – put that into context with what you’ve lost – money will come and go. make sure you have food, a home (you don’t have to own one) and you have a hobby that keeps you busy or that you enjoy – excercise based is the best. It feels horrific, trust me I know…I am 4 days into hitting rock bottom and I am £16,000 in debt from gambling – I am recently married and my partner knows nothing. What has made me realist that if I continue – I will lose it all and not the money but her, my family and everything. With every day that passes you’ll feel better. Come on here and post – I’ll help if you need to talk.
  Stay strong

  Hi Ray,

  Well hopefully you’ve learnt that quitting gambling isn’t as simple as “ok I promise I will stop now.” Yes at that moment you feel 100% confident that you’ll stop but we know time will always tell an entirely different story. It starts with boredom or a stressful event and your addiction will tell you it’s ok to just play a little bit “for fun” and even set a time/loss limit for your session. This is just the trap to get you started back on that rollercoaster that digs your hole just that little bit deeper each time you go for another ride. We all know this inside ourselves yet we trick ourselves into thinking we are in control every time. Ray, you MUST self-exclude (especially if you are not handing your finances to someone else for control). You are in a very dark place right now and I get it, it’s living hell down there. You’ll feel physically and emotionally sick from the big loss (huge losses over small times are very psychologically damaging) and you need to grieve this loss. Not just the loss of your savings but the loss of your former self that you are proud of.

  Time will make things easier but your primary concern should be preventing yourself from all triggers or ways to access gambling. Keep posting here and we’ll be here to support you along you way but ultimately this is a battle only you can win by your own efforts.

  Hey Ray sorry to hear about your relapse, but sadly to say, I am not surprised. Having gambled away so much in a short period of time and experiencing such a huge loss is immensely emotionally damaging. It essentially “rewires” your brain and you can never be the same person again after it. The good news is that you are still young (same age as me) and you have time to change for the better, to turn your life around.

  The hardest part about getting over gambling is the losses you’ve incurres. It’s extremely hard to let go of. I might say that without other supports in place, it is virtually inpossible to do alone. On top of extreme willpower and a WANT to actually stop gambling, you will need two things assist you:

  1) Blockers/self-exclusion: this is the most critical element – whichever online or offline casinos/bookies you use, self-exclude from all of them now. If you really want to quit you will do it. It you don’t, it means you’re not really ready to give it up and I can guarantee that you return to it (with whatever reason your addiction tricks you with) and your rock bottom will only become deeper. After countless relapses, full self-exclusion plus computer gambling blocking software got me clean for 6 months+.

  2) Now this one is optional but highly recommended. That is emotional support and honesty. Gambling thrives in the dark and keeping your secrets from your partner + family will only make you feel more alone, ashamed and guilty. These thoughts alone can sometimes drive you back to relapses. Disclosure not only ensures emotional support, but also gives you the opportunity to hand over your finances to someone you trust as a further preventative measure. If you really cannot bring yourself to do it, go to GA. Stay active on these forums and post often. Read other people’s diaries and tips. Know that you are not alone in your struggles. But let me tell you, given the extent of your gambling, full disclosure is HIGHLY recommended as it will inevitably come out in the fall out.

  Please be proactive about step 1 and seriously consider step 2. Not to sound harsh but if you do nothing except tell yourself you’ll stop, you will repeat the above cycle multiple times until breaking point, and everything in your life will crumble. Do not let this happen as you have many years ahead and a great career which will earn you way more than what you’ve lost recently in the long run.

  Hey Ray,

  Great to hear that you’ve self-excluded. That’s a great first step. Now one thing to keep in mind is that online gambling has SO many different options. If you even have an inkling that you might open up another account elsewhere, I highly recommend installing Gamblock of Betfilter (for less than $100 it probably saved me many thousands during those first few months after I installed it). I also encourage you to confide to a few people because let me tell you, those closest to you already know something isn’t quite right with you or that your behaviour is odd, they may be surprised as to the nature of what you’ve been doing but they won’t be surprised that you’re currently struggling mentally.

  As for the losses, I totally get it. It’s the hardest part about staying gambling free. I was actually going to touch on it in my previous post but I didn’t want to make it too long. The thought of the losses was also the main factor which caused many of my relapses. I know it sounds cliche but time will indeed help. The first few month or so is the absolute worst. You will constantly be beating yourself on it, self-hating, replaying those nightmarish nights over and over. Thinking about why I hadn’t have stopped there or why I was so stupid not to walk away when I was up at that time. It will tear you up inside. But over time, the thoughts will become less consistent. If you just think about your life and what you still have, your health, your family, your partner and your great job. It will help to ease the pain. Now even as you get better mentally, every now and that that figure of your loss will come back like a ton of bricks, you’ll sometimes wake up in the middle of night and think about it. You’ll have moments at work where you just cannot function. It’s times like these that you need to stay strong. Trust me, the longer you can withhold yourself from gambling, the more positive things you can do in your life, the easier it will get.

  Try to think of the loss as a business venture that didn’t work out. Alternatively, think of it as a life lesson to NEVER EVER touch gambling again, ever in your life. For us compulsive gamblers, that demon was always inside of us and it just needed for us to get the right exposure or to be in the right circumstances for it come out and take control of us. Learning it at a young age (and if you actually learn to fight it and to control your triggers) can be a seen as a lesson learnt that will prevent you from ruining your life at a worst time – what about when you’re married and have kids of your own? What about when your 30-40 and earning big $$$? You will have A LOT more to lose then. Money comes and goes, yes 50k is a very large sum of money, but consider this – during your life time you will earn well over $1 million dollars. As a doctor if you progress well in your career you will earn well over $2 million dollars in your life time. I know it’s not easy to think long term but dwelling on losses will simply drag you back to more relapses, and take you into a darker and darker place. The light is dim now, but if you can stop now, you can turn it around. The money is gone and it’s not coming back (through gambling). The addiction is the one that’s telling you to keep trying. I know, we gamblers don’t want to give up, we want to recoup our losses now. Well the reality is that’s not going to happen. Science has found that once we ACCEPT our reality, no matter how dire, we can deal with it mentally much better. So you must accept your losses and move on. There’s no easy way around it. I wish you the best of luck.

  I know exactly how you feel about the monetary loss, Ray . They say money is not the issue but it sure was/is for me. I found it very difficult to stop chasing and let go. It will come eventually. I think we need to mourn every loss we experience in life. There is a grieving process to go through. The loss of money symbolizes all the other losses a gambler experiences. This is the tangible one, so it hurts a lot. Give yourself time, Ray. Time without gambling. Time to put things in order. Gambling will increase the chaos. The more we try to undo the damage, the greater the torture. It’s a form of self destruction. Be kind to yourself. Deep breaths! The hurt will pass. Everything passes and life goes on.
  Best wishes in recovery. Gambling ruins lives.

  Vera is correct, we need to grieve the loss in order to accept it. Losses incurred from gambling is extra hard to get over because it makes us feel so stupid, ashamed and guilty to have lost our money like this. Society also looks down on gamblers and even relatives find it hard to fathom why an otherwise intelligent person would do such a thing.

  Ray you could get over your 15k loss because you HAD TO accept it. Insurance wasn’t going to pay you and you were never gonna be able to catch the person who stole your vehicle. The difference now is you still think that gambling can get your money back. The dream will win it all back, to get our “revenge” against gambling, to strip away all of our monetary/mental worries with that one big comeback. Unfortunately this is not how real life works. Even if you do win it back you’ll just give it all back and more. The only way to win is to not play.