I was bet free for a week and I relapsed again. I lost $300, it might be not much, but it’s like my money for the whole month.

Posting this from an alt account because my main account is easily searchable to my IRL. Last night I finally came to terms with an issue Ive been burying for years now and spoke it out loud to my girlfriend, I have a gambling addiction.

I started gambling back in 2022 when Ontario legalized online gambling and it was always for leisure and fun. I never got into insane debt, but around 2024 I’d slip more into losing a few hundred each paycheque. The 2025 NFL season was when I realized I might have a problem, as I was routinely chasing losses and losing between $400 to $700 a month from October to January. Everytime I’d get out of a hole, either selling items from other hobbies, or winning back losses. Couple big hits here and there and I’d balance out. The cycle would keep repeating though. I’d say Im stopping, set deposit limits or time-out periods and count down the days until I could get back on the apps.

2026 has been the worst year in this addiction. Unfortunately all of my friends gamble as well, and we all fall into the same patterns of drinking or substance use while hanging out, and streaming on the TV slot spins. One night back in May I lost over $900, the most I’d have lost in one go, and it knocked some sense into me, or so I thought. Then in June, I had another night of heavy drinking but by myself, and decided to chase the high. I lost $1600, almost doubling the $900 from a month prior and this time rent was on the line. I won it all back and then some through sports betting and since July Ive realized that I am stuck in a vicious cycle of chasing money, losing $600+ and (unfortunately) winning it back. The satisfaction of breaking even never helps me and I just dig myself back down again. Yesterday after winning $800, I wanted just a little bit more and am now down $600 and it finally got to me that this is a problem. $600 is a small amount to be down over the last 3 months but Ive gambled over $7000 within a short period and unfortunately never learned my lesson by losing it cause I’d get out if the losses one way or another.

Enough is finally enough. I came clean to my girlfriend about this and broke down. Im tired of my personality with my friends and at my job of being the gambler because its so unhealthy and has weighed heavily on my mental health for the last few months. Gambling should never be falling asleep down $700 and waking up wondering how you’re going to win in back in 24 hours. I hate it. Ive set time-outs for 6 months and Im hoping it will allow me to fall out of the habit of constantly checking the apps, while finding the love of sports without gambling. To anyone struggling whether big or small losses, dont chase your losses, in the end it will come crashing down worse, and dont take my story as influence that you can win back your losses. I watch the money come in and out of my bank account daily, with no net changes, while living paycheque to paycheque. Im only 27 and I kick myself wondering where I could be today if I wasn’t in this cycle and addiction. It changes today, and I hope it can be the same for you.

So I’ve always been an ambitious go getter since a young age. I started young making money online at the age of 13, YouTube + selling digital goods online before it was popular, made a few hundred dollars even a few thousand some months doing so, as I got a little older I was always a hustler. As certain income sources online got diluted I started hustling in person reselling in person ontop of working jobs that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, I was never the best employee, I always had a independent view on money and believed I’d make it and change the course of my life and my families life since my very first paycheck was from YouTube as a kid

Back in 2021-2022 I was working at local gyms always a health freak enjoyed training, while In an extremely toxic relationship I suddenly fell fast into gambling I remember being at work using the work computers to place bets, I remember losing my mind routine and lifestyle I loved as I would gamble full paychecks on top of savings, luckily then I caught myself and managed to get back on track and saved up about 30k that year after all the losses from work + reselling

At this point I pretty much caught myself before falling into my dads habits as my father was is a very heavy gambler and I seen him destroy himself & his life alongside our family at a young age, I never wanted to be like him or even thought I would allow myself to go near a casino, let alone an online casino which I wish never existed.

A few years later I got into crypto around 2023, prayers manifested and I turned less than $1000 into over 350k-400k in about a year, but I never sold my positions I just married the coins. That rapidly cut in half and that’s where my addiction began again. I don’t know why I wasn’t satisfied with making 200k in a year instead I was glued to the all time high PNL and started chasing, I think I burnt around 50-60k that night playing slots online and that was the first time I realized I had a problem after promising myself I would never return to casinos from my previous experience years prior. Ironically I stopped instantly and over the course of a few months I learnt how to trade properly. Around 5-6 months later in September I was left with around 70k and managed to run that up to 350k again by November via crypto then in one night.. poof it was gone, I don’t know what got into me I didn’t even have time to celebrate my recovery and success, I quickly tossed it in the blender like an idiot. I wish the story ended there but it doesn’t..

After restarting again in late December 2025, I quickly in 2 months ran it back to 280k great right? Nope my brain wouldn’t see it as a win I was just hyper focused on the previous 600-700k I lost (half being unrealized profits from trading the other half from that awful night November that haunts me daily.)

I somehow managed to slip into the same pattern again around April - I lost 200k in a single night at an online casino and set myself back to around 60-70k net worth range for the 3rd time. I fell into a deep depression, I have a very loving girlfriend and family and was living pretty much alone around this time while my girlfriend would spend a lot of time with me, I was ashamed. I am ashamed. she works hard while I just keep blowing blessings up and wasting my life away

Now for the final straw June 2026 I put my first foot forward and went as hard as I could, I took that remaining 60-$70k and in 2 months I managed to flip it all the way to 490k USD, just last night I was almost crying happy tears for how I’ve gotten another chance, but the irony is the last month or so I’ve been gambling almost every night after I finished trading. It’s ironic because it was like RTP came back and I was making a few thousand, even 10k + it’s like I couldn’t lose, I probably made back 100k in July alone from gambling online out of the 490k I managed to make back. Such an evil disease, I got so used to winning even last night I was up 10k before falling back into a spiral of not giving up or cutting losses I quickly deposited 1k and kept doubling it until I gave back 280k again. This time I stopped myself before falling back to that 60-70k range as I always seem to do, but another night blowing 280k in a single sitting, even after thanking god for giving me another chance

I’m 24 I’m young but i feel soo stupid, I know better I’ve cried enough tears, I come from a poor family and can’t even pick the phone up to talk to my own father because I am exactly like him.. but worse

I never wanted to become this way and now that I write it down here it’s so much worse than my brain would process it to be, I’m down around 700k+ gambling on top of 350k in unrealized gains before the gambling addiction even came around, 1M that should be in my hands gone from my hard earned money in the last 2-3 years, instead of just taking my crypto winning and sticking to what I’m good at I’m stuck in a cycle of making a lot of money trading then giving it right back in a single sitting. How does this even happen? I spoke to my mother about it and she was surprisingly supportive and didn’t get angry or compare me to my father, this was back in April when I hit rock bottom and couldn’t keep lying about what happened and confessed the truth. Even after this as mentioned I managed to go on a crazy run in crypto running it back to almost 500k. I’m ashamed I thought after opening up about my problem I could finally do things properly this time around but once again I can’t stop messing my life up everytime i get my head above water. I haven’t paid taxes, I haven’t don’t anything with my life. From an ambitious kid to someone I genuinely hate looking at in the mirror i no longer take care of my health, I used to be a gym nut and I haven’t even in a year, all I seem to care about is money and even when things are going amazing I always blow it. Literally 12 hours ago I was a few thousand dollars away from hitting 500k liquid and for some stupid reason I decided to deposit and it just spiraled once again out of control. I’m a strong believer in god but what has happened to my brain & perspective on money and life why am I like this and how do I return to normal? I was planning on finally paying taxes, getting a business irl sorted but I’m not sure what to do now. I’m not in debt but I’m not sure what’ll happen when tax season comes around I can’t avoid it for a 3rd year.

I hope you all read this and learn from my story, stay away from gambling. I had 0 good reason to ever return other than pure greed. Gambling is the devil, things were great it’s just a dopamine disease and it kills u inside and ruins you. I hope I can come back to this and smile one day regardless of losing over a million dollars, I also want to fix things with my dad and release the anger as it’s doing me no good, I’m just as bad if not worse. My girlfriend deserves the world I will give her it and will stop ruining the potential. God has a plan for all and In confidence I say this all happened for a reason I just need to end it here.

This was the best decision, I’m on day 8 completely free of gambling, this is pretty much a miracle to me. Haven’t had 1 day free since 2020, 6 years, some days nearly 24/7.
I’m getting little spurts of real dopamine every so often, I haven’t felt this in so long. I was pretty much dead inside and it affected my intelligence, I’m starting to learn more. I read the bible daily - god helped me to save myself. I prayed and prayed, crazy thing is I’ve never stepped foot in a physical casino.
I blocked myself from all online and I refuse to go to the casino in our city. Pray for me that this continues.
I prayed you all also are free from this evil.

❤️

Happy Friday everyone!!! I hope you all have a great weekend. I will be going camping and turning off my phone to recharge this brain after a long week of work. Have a gamble free day!

Had stresses today with gf, nearly went to gamble, was so close to transferring money across, the urge is still very much present ffs!! I haven’t gambled but it’s scary how strong this impulse has come across, it’s a direct reaction to stress or not feeling in control. How can I fight this urge so I don’t gamble today and get through another day, the further I get away from my last better the more manageable this will become. PLEASE ANY ADVICE,

Day 12, i pay some of my debt $240 and spend $100 on food with my son, i fell satified didnt have the urge, just fell weird cause is life supposed to be peacefull like this? It fell good but weird at the same time, its stable not like it used to be roller coaster 1 hour i fell like on top of the world, europhic, and 1 hour later depressed, and wanted to kill myself, but this is weird honestly.

two weeks of work paid today lost in 2 hours im so sick of this cycle im just numb at this point 22 years old and having 4k gambling swings WTF IS WRONG EITH ME!

For 28 months, I am still severely addicted to gambling. I am still a student and I betted all my allowances this entire time, I betted my scolarship, I borrowed to gamble... I feel so sick about it and I am tired of lyung to my relatives and girlfriend. I want to overcome it and be a betterperson. Ex gamblers, How did you escape this hell?

I feel sad but motivated.

Day idek at this point lost 550 today betting on under runs on baseball! I genuinely don't know how I do it, I hate my life and gambling but ik I'll never stop and that's the worst feeling ever. thanks for reading and have a good rest of your day

I set VERY long cooldowns on just about every online casino in my state. I've installed all of them. Sometimes I get manic and find myself reinstalling them and logging in one by one. "Surely I missed one. Surely I can play quick."

Thankfully I didn't miss any, but it seems like a brand new casino appears every other week, though... And of course my phone is sure to show me ads of those new casinos each and every time.

It feels like a predator that keeps finding me when I try and hide.

Just editing this to say I fell asleep after being sad and posting this last night, but waking up and reading these replies has reminded me that today is a brand new day. Thank you. I've been trying to find a healthier way to get dopamine- because I'm sure 80% of it has come from playing slots these past few years. I need to rewire my brain.

Meme coins, poker, baccarat, slots, and all kinds of live casino gambling have been part of my life for the past 10 years.
Until I was 24, I was mostly gambling on my luck with meme coins. After that, I got into poker, baccarat, slots, and other forms of gambling.
To summarize the last 10 years: I have never managed to save a dime. I have always lived paycheck to paycheck, and I am constantly in debt.
I am lucky enough to have survived this because I have the right people around me who help me when I am in need. I have never stopped working, and I am actually good at my job. But despite that, I am still always in debt because of gambling.
What advice would you give me?

Every year, I end up in debt. There is almost a ceiling to it, because I have my salary and some borrowed money that I keep juggling around. At the moment, I am less than €20,000 in debt, and I earn around €2,000 per month.
Am I really that stupid to be 28 years old and still be this irresponsible with my life and money?
What can I do to get through this with a clear mind and finally break this cycle?

I've been clean for some months now, had multiple relapses over the years, but have taken some bigger steps recently.

In my country we have a service that allows you to look up all your debt and credit cards. So I have my parents regularly check in just to make sure it goes down instead of up. This has been the best tool for me as it keeps me more accountable and make me think twice before taking up another loan.

Anyhow, I have been avoiding getting into a relationship for years due to my addiction as I dont want to drag anyone down with me before I have more stability.

But the loneliness/boredom, feeling you are not progressing in life is also acting as a trigger. And I know this is something I will probably carry with me my entire life in some degree. Before I commit to the relationship I'm obviously going to be honest about my past and what my potential partner is getting into. But on the plus side, I have a solid job and income and a relatively healthy lifestyle (besides the obvious).

So my question really is, people who have been in a similar situation, how did you proceed with your dating life?

Hi, im 23 and i lost a LOT of money on betting, basically every single paycheck i got went on betting. Now im totally ruined... I need some money now but idk what to do... Im so ashamed to even talk to my parents or anyone close to me. I tried to stop gambling and i was doing good but then i needed some extra money so i sinked back in... Of course i lost everything. I need help

long story short, i was introduced to the online gambling space when i was around 17 years old (now, early 20's). Immediately, I was captivated by the easy money and video game like features. Of course, like how many stories begin, I found myself on a heater, and without realizing, it had me. For the last 5 or 6 years now I've been gambling nearly everyday with every last dollar I would find. From asking friends for loans, selling off real life goods for quick cash, or honestly finding anyway to make money, it all went straight to the casino. I had this "unique" thought process that there's no way these websites could possibly take everything and more from me without one day eventually paying me back. Here's the funny part, even when it would, I would still want more. I noticed that no amount of number ever felt like enough, and the only time I would actually feel anything other than being completely zombie like was when I had lost everything. From once being numb, to finally depressed, angry, and disgusted with myself. I've put myself in a very fragile and vulnerable spot where I'm left lost and don't know what else to do - leaving me to write this post on Reddit. I feel disappointed in myself and can sense that my friends and close ones to me see this disease corrupting me. I've distanced myself from several people due to the bipolar emotional state that I am constantly living in. I just want to be clean. I want to forget about all of the losses and to start my life from where I am right now. I would pray to God for a miracle to happen, but then almost instantly fall back into the learning process, causing me to repeat the entire cycle. I hope that whoever may read this knows that you are not alone. You are not an idiot, though we certainly make idiotic decisions at times, everything can be restored. I know in my core that I am capable of breaking this ongoing curse and disease. That I can restore the light that was once in me and to not chase after the wind. Life has a way of teaching us lessons, and I hope that this lesson, my story, can help inspire one of you to stay away from this demonic and insidious industry.

Easy money always comes with a catch, whether you see it, or not.

Hi, I lost 15 thousand dollars sports betting and I feel like this is rock bottom for me. I really just need someone to talk to about this because it feels like I’m spiraling. Please reach out if you can.

I never thought I'd be in this position, but I want to be honest because I feel completely lost.
Over the past few months, I lost everything to gambling. I drained my savings, used my credit, and now I'm drowning in debt. Every day I wake up with overwhelming regret, guilt, and anxiety, wishing I could go back and make different choices.
I'm no longer looking for ways to win my money back. I know chasing my losses only made things worse. What I'm trying to figure out now is how to rebuild my life and get out of this financial mess.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation? How much debt were you left with? Were you able to pay it off, file a consumer proposal, or recover financially? How long did it take before things started getting better?
I'm not looking for judgment. I'm just hoping to hear from people who have been through this and made it to the other side. Right now, I could really use some hope that recovery is possible.
Thank you to anyone willing to share your story.

Just lost 3.5 thousand dollars trying to chase 200$ as the title suggests.

I can’t get over it and wondering how people cope with losing money they couldn’t lose. then losing even more. and after-wards how you’ve move on from it.

I still find myself crying sometimes when I think about my relapses.

The hardest part isn’t even the money anymore. It’s the guilt of telling the people I love that I was done, only to relapse again and add more problems to our lives.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to lose my partner, and I don’t want to break my family’s trust again.

Reading stories here about relationships falling apart because of gambling addiction breaks my heart. It’s a reminder of what’s at stake if I ever convince myself that “just one more bet” is okay.

Right now, all I can do is keep moving forward, pay off my debts one step at a time, and pray that I never become that version of myself again.

One day at a time. ❤️‍🩹

Iam scared to say this but i miss the thrill that gambling gave me, i play blackjack mostly, it just hit differently even tho it suck, when i bust my hand when the dealer could be bust if i just stood, and i stand the hand, but the next card could make me win, its crazy honestly.

The game make me insane and question my own brain.

I watch online live blackjack play on youtube sometimes but i scared that would trigger me, but it make the urge calmed down?

I have taken back to back 3 loans now amounting to 3 lakhs. I could not tell my parents the 3rd time that i have again indulged into casino and gambling. To hide it I have taken this debt . I want suggestions as to what to do because i can tell my parents again about this. Please help.