Hi everyone
A follow up from a recent post I’ve lost around $15,000 in the last month on crypto, same patterns as before where I just keep chucking money into risky plays, chasing losses and never taking anything out
Looking back I’m around 100k down in the last 3 years
I’m having to take it one step at a time but the guilt and anxiety is quite high right now, I can pay the 15k off if I am tight this year but it’s the worry about keeping my job which currently I hate but have to suck up but also the economy being rubbish is making it double worse
Any tips on getting through this?
I cannot chuck anymore money in so that’s something but it’s the overwhelming anxiety I’m feeling about what I should have, mistakes made etc
Thanks
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I’ve lost a lot too, and the pattern you’re describing — risky plays, chasing, never taking anything out — is painfully familiar.
That anxiety after stopping is brutal. It’s not just about the money, it’s the constant replaying of what should have been and the pressure of having to keep going at a job you hate while everything feels uncertain.
Taking it one step at a time is honestly the right pace here. Right now the hardest part isn’t fixing anything — it’s sitting with the anxiety without letting it push you back into “one more move.” A lot of people struggle most in this exact phase.
If you can relate to the below you may be Bipolar like me. Doctor upped my meds four weeks ago and the fog lifted soon after and critical thinking returned
👇
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.
I’m there with you I lost six figures gambling crypto on stake. Distractions, journaling, excercise, those are a few things that help. It’s tough though sometimes it’s hard to be in the moment cause you get stuck in your head replaying what happened and what could have been. Getting out of your own head will make things easier but it’s so difficult, I struggle with it.