You ever read those stories of problem gamblers who lost 100K+ or even millions? Or people who had a successful career and a high income yet lost everything such as their house, retirement savings and more?
But you'll never get that bad, right? You have issues but they've got REAL bad issues right?
Wrong. You're on their exact trajectory, you're just not as far along as them yet.
Currently I'm about 8K in debt between overdraft and CC cash advances.
If you were to ask me 2 years ago (roughly when I started gambling) if I'd be in the situation I'm in now, I'd think you're crazy. "I would never let it get THAT bad".
For a long time I only gambled money that was available in my chequing account. I'd win some days, lose others. But inevitably over time, the losses outweigh the wins.
I remember when I first started, I would never let myself get below $1k in my chequing account. If I ever did, that was no good and I needed to take a break from gambling or just stop altogether.
What happened? Well over time, you get those big wins which start to distort your perception of money. "Losses" just start to become part of the "grind" on the path to that big win, that's how you justify it to yourself. Your tolerance for losses increases over time, especially as you experience those big wins and especially comebacks after you were down big and won it all back.
Eventually, I dipped below the 1K threshold and then from there $0 became my new threshold. "Just don't go into Overdraft" I'd tell myself. Well, I had Overdraft Protection due to a good record with the bank and then I started using it and then I maxed it out.
And then, the cash advances came. I always thought cash advances were a stupid idea and that I would never do them. The interest rates are atrocious and they're really a trap. But I started using them, because when you're out of liquid cash and then use all your Overdraft, you need something to keep that fire burning..
It's just been a gradual decline and stooping to new lows over the past 2 years. I sit now 8K in debt, but I could read a story of someone in far more debt and think "well at least I'm not THAT bad" but I know for a fact if I continue to gamble, I absolutely will be. It's inevitable. This is a progressive disease, meaning it gets WORSE not better.
It doesn't matter how smart you are either. I've always been a financially literate person and made fairly good financial choices. This addiction doesn't care. If you're a problem gambler the addiction is far greater than any common sense or rationality you think you have.
Just stop this horrible disease now. Put an end to it for good. There's no winning it back, it's gone. If you're $20K in the hole, you paid $20K for a Problem Gambling education. And guess what? If you use the education you've recieved, you can save yourself so much time and potentially $100K+ dollars in the future by quitting gambling NOW.
View Reddit by VentureCatalyst00 – View Source
When I was 21 someone I met in a casino was going crazy and said they lost 100k that night, thought it was unbelievable and crazy. Fast forward 6 years and it happened to me, lost six figures gambling online.
Lost a million and can’t afford. 401k gone and other money gone ! Nothing in bank accounts but the little left I know is there have been tapping into to gamble – just gambled away 30k in one night ! This weekend ! So ashamed ! Not rich and cannot afford what I have been doing it’s just eating away at all I’ve saved my whole life. Takes me a year or more to save 10k then I lost it in one hour ! What a fool! Still doing it and now finally am gonna stop ! This post is very true and very helpful!
Thank you, I really needed this. I relapsed the other day and it’s been hell since then. I’m a “newbie gambler” but I’m noticing myself slipping fast and I’m trying to catch myself before it gets worse. Just made it to 24 hours without gambling after 3 consecutive days. And I’ve reached even 2 weeks before. We can do this.
J’ai commencé à jouer sur les casinos en ligne y’a 4 ans, avant ça je jouais déjà mais rien de maladif (poker de temps en temps). La première année j’arrivais à gérer mais ça a empiré de mois en mois. J’ai commencé à contracter des prêts à la chaîne en me disant qu’il fallait combler mon découvert et aprés tout irait mieux mais tout partait dans les casinos en me disant que j’allais me refaire.
J’ai contracté 40 000€ de crédits. Le 1er du mois tout mon salaire part dans le casino. Des fois je gagne, et c’est le 2 du mois que tout part.
L’année dernière j’ai fait une demande de surendettement à la banque de france, qui a été acceptée. Ca m’a beaucoup aidé et ça m’a permis pendant 1 an de pas me faire submerger par mes dettes. Je vais encore les payer pendant 5 ans mais au moins le tunnel a une fin. Aujourd’hui c’est que mon salaire qui part, je passe le mois à refuser des invitations parce que j’ai pas une tune, à éviter les rencontres, à mentir à mes proches, à manger des pâtes et du riz….
J’ai découvert ce subreddit aujourd’hui et ça m’a fait un choc. J’ai compris qu’il me fallait de l’aide et je crois que je vais franchir le pas.
Force à tous les accros, on va y arriver. Vraiment quelle merde
It can always get worse. Everything is relative. $8000 can one man’s equal to $2.3m. This addiction does not care. Put this below for a PSA
Why Bipolar Disorder Strongly Increases Gambling Addiction Risk
Being bipolar significantly increases the risk of developing a gambling addiction because of how the illness affects impulse control, reward processing, and judgment—especially during manic or hypomanic episodes. In these states, the brain is flooded with dopamine, which increases risk-taking, creates exaggerated confidence, and weakens the ability to foresee negative consequences. Gambling fits perfectly into this neurochemical environment: it is fast, unpredictable, and provides immediate rewards, all of which intensely stimulate the same brain circuits already overstimulated in mania.
Mania also distorts thinking in ways that make gambling feel rational. People in a manic state often believe they have special insight, winning “systems,” or exceptional luck. They overestimate their ability to control outcomes, which leads to chasing losses, increasing bet sizes, and ignoring financial limits. The brain’s normal braking system—fear, caution, and long-term planning—is impaired, so decisions are driven by emotion and sensation rather than logic.
Even outside of full mania, bipolar disorder involves chronic mood instability, which makes gambling especially appealing as a form of emotional regulation. During depressive phases, gambling can temporarily relieve numbness or despair by providing stimulation, hope, and a sense of possibility. Over time, the brain learns that gambling is a fast way to escape emotional pain or amplify excitement, reinforcing the behavior through powerful conditioning.
This creates a destructive loop: mania fuels risk-taking, depression fuels escape, and gambling becomes the bridge between the two. That cycle is why people with bipolar disorder develop gambling addiction at far higher rates than the general population.
Thanks for posting this.
It’s so true. I would have NEVER thought I’d find myself betting 4K a spin on online roulette but there I was.
I’m a month & 4 days clean now but tanked my credit score and maxed all cards during my worst. And I’d have never thought “it would happen to me”.