Gambling Problem? Let Someone Know

Recently a very harrowing story came out in a UK newspaper involving a woman who was a primary school teacher by day and a fierce gambling addict by night. She had started out with a sports bet, which would seem very unusual for woman, and when she was able to triple her money on Rafael Nadal reaching the finals at Wimbledon in 2006, she literally became hooked. It got to the point where she became more and more enamored over some of the other "products" she saw at the website she was using, drifting into online slot machines, bingo and blackjack, among other things, to the extent she has now lost 60,000 pounds in gambling.

She has two children who were living at home with her, and what she would do was wait until they were sleeping before logging on and going crazy at her favorite betting site. This left her tired after a long night of gambling, and of course, it crept into her work as well. Not only was she operating at less than full speed at school, she also wound up skipping days as well so that she could chase her losses.

This woman lived with a man who had no idea what she was doing. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to be brazen about it; in fact, lying next to him in bed at night, she would wait until he was asleep and then take her smart phone to play the mobile versions of sports betting and casino games. Nothing stopped her.

It was only at the point where she was cornered and didn't have money to pay her debts, even after taking advance payday loans, that she had to look for assistance. But it wasn't assistance to help her kick her gambling habit; no, she went to her boyfriend, a property developer, to bail her out of her jam. Unfortunately, the boyfriend did not insist that she go into some kind of rehabilitation program, so even though this teacher had made vows that she was never going to gamble again, that is exactly what she did. Maybe no one recognize the extent of her problem, but more than likely, she had some kind of explanation to wiggle her way out of having to admit she had a gambling problem.

Did she really want to quit? Well, that's a good question, but if you are like her, and are in a position where you would really like to get yourself out under the incredible burden of gambling addiction, the best thing you can do is tell a loved one. And then, together, you can get the help you need, both for your sake and that of your family.