Gamblers Anonymous (UK)

Steven’s Story

Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:38:18 +0000

Can someone please help me with the location of my nearest GA meeting? I live around 10 miles outside of Belfast, I see there is one there but it has no map beside it so I don’t know where it is?

Ali’s Story

Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:37:43 +0000

Hi, I have stopped gambling for the last 2 months but I have a lot of debt and in order for me to get an IVA I need to show that I am doing something to prevent me from gambling in the future. I would like to know if I attend the meetings would I get any documents to show I have attended?

Melanie’s Story

Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:36:34 +0000

I am very worried about a close friend; he is addicted to fruit machines. He spends most of his wages on them and when his money has gone he is always borrowing. His health isn’t good and is showing signs of anxiety and depression. He used to be bubbly and happy now he is withdrawn. He won’t admit he has a problem so how can I help him?

Nikki’s Story

Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:31:39 +0000

My son is a gambler and isn’t ready to admit it. He is in his early 20’s, has a girlfriend and a job. He never goes out, has debts that he won’t pay and nothing to show for them. We receive letters demanding money from him regularly, he never opens them. I have opened some and told him, expecting him to be angry yet he never reacts. He appears beaten. He lives at home and has become a very unpleasant person to live with; he’s sullen, angry and aggressive. I have reached rock bottom with him, however he’s not there yet. I’m scared about how far this will go and what rock bottom will mean for him. He is clearly unhappy, but won’t admit he has a problem. He has threatened to take his own life as he says we will be better off without him. We have all been too scared to push him too far, just in case. I finally decided to make the call to the helpline today and I’m both relieved and frightened in one! I know now that I’m right to think he has a gambling problem and that things can and will get much worse if he doesn’t admit to it. I have got his girlfriend on side and when the leaflet arrives from GA we are going to discuss our concerns with him. He knows I love him and believes I will never do anything to hurt him, what he doesn’t realise yet is if he isn’t ready to admit his problem I may need to be cruel to be kind as will his girlfriend. We can’t and won’t continue down the path he is taking us, but will support him wholeheartedly if he helps himself by attending GA. I hope this turns into the lifeline I think it is and thank you for being there. We have made a start.

Johnathon’s Story

Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:29:11 +0000

Three Months ago I hit an all time low and confessed to my wife that I was a compulsive gambler. I am 26 years of age and since the age of 18 I have been gambling on and off. I have always had a well paid job, which is where the trail of destruction started. The more I earned the more I gambled beyond my means to the total of tens of thousands of pounds. Not only did I lose money, I lost the trust of my wife. When she told me I was going to be a father earlier in the year, something which to most blokes would be the best news ever I found I was dreading it. How could I a compulsive gambler father a baby? I was in a massive amount of debt and with my wife going to be on maternity leave for a year my wages although good wouldn’t cover the bills and mortgage. So I had to get in a financial advisor who recommended an IVA or bankruptcy. What a great start in life for my baby! I had to expose my dirty secret to my parents who were heartbroken, they offered to help me. I now don’t have credit cards or a bank account. I get 10 pound per week for gambling. Strange as this may seem; I am enjoying life, no moods. This may be something GA meetings strongly oppose but for me it’s something that has changed my life. For the past three weeks I haven’t even used the money for gambling. I can now start looking to a bright future. I’m not going to disrespect the GA meetings because for most people they need this. I needed to do it for myself, my wife and my unborn baby. It doesn’t help bottling things up; if you have a strong family that are willing to give you a chance you can achieve it.

Emily’s Story

Editor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:09:36 +0000

What can I do to help my partner stop gambling? How can I make him see this will destroy our relationship? I discovered over the weekend that he’s still gambling. I found two betting slips in his pocket. His immediate reaction when I ask him will be to attack, as this was what happened last time. I will be the one in the wrong for looking in his pockets. He will then promise not to do it again. He will continue but will be more careful to hide it from me, this is what normally happens.

Sophie’s Story

Editor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:38:32 +0000

I recently found out that my boyfriend is a compulsive gambler. He has spent his last three months wages in one day at the bookies. He has lied to me saying he’s paid his debts and has money in the bank. Later he confesses that he has spent all his money on gambling. He has promised he will change so many times and I have believed him. But then it happens again and again. He owes so much money to people including me. I begged him to change because it was ruining our relationship, we were constantly arguing. At the start of this month I asked for his bank card and he handed it over. I thought his money was safe with me. We had planned to go away for the weekend at the end of the month. The week we were due to go I found out he had no money left. I am 16 years old in fulltime education and only have a weekend job. I earn 40 pounds a week. I have been buying his travel pass each week so he can go to and from work and come and see me. I never have enough money to treat myself, usually I have around 10 pounds spare each week. He recently told me about GA; straight away I agreed I would support him. Our first meeting went fine and I felt really good afterwards, but I have been feeling constantly ill for the past six weeks because I am depressed about the debt we are in. The last few months have been really hard to get through, but going to GamAnon makes you realise things can get better and you aren’t alone. Many people know what you are going through.

Daniel’s Story

Editor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:25:32 +0000

I’ve only been heavily gambling for the past two years. I started going to my local casino and losing a few hundred, winning a few hundred. After moving to an area where there is no casino I got into online gambling. I’ve gambled away several thousand pounds with only a few wins. I feel like my life has slipped away and I’ve no one to talk to about it. I haven’t told my wife as she would probably never trust me again. I’m trying to find a way out but it’s very hard.

Chris’s Story

Editor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:15:54 +0000

Can I just turn up to a meeting and will I have to pay for anything?

Andy’s Story

Editor — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:07:59 +0000

My name is Andy, I am a compulsive gambler. After having abstained for four and half months I went and lost everything. No thoughts whatsoever of the consequences until after. Today I couldn’t get out of bed, could not face the world and I can’t see a future for me ever on this planet. Gambling has done the usual thing and mutilated any hopes I had of fighting it. I know why I gambled mainly due to several things all going wrong on Saturday and because I was down and very depressed. I went and made things even worse by gambling. Is there really ever going to be any hope?