When I read about people struggling to quit gambling, I’m reminded of a quote from Allen Carr: "What’s the difference between a smoker and a non-smoker?"

At first glance, it seems obvious—one smokes, and the other doesn’t. But the real difference is deeper: one has the desire, and the other does not.

This is the key for gamblers too. Even if you stop gambling, a part of your subconscious may still believe it offers pleasure or escape. This lingering belief creates inner conflict, leaving you feeling like something is missing. But here’s the truth: gambling is poison—it offers no real benefits, only the illusion of pleasure.

The good news? You can free yourself from this illusion. The belief that gambling makes life better is false. True freedom comes when you no longer have the desire to gamble—not just the willpower to resist it.

Here’s what helped me:

1. Allen Carr’s "How to Quit Gambling" This program opened my eyes to the trap of gambling. I no longer crave it because I now see it for what it is—a cycle designed to keep us hooked.

2. "How to Get Out of Debt" (Book) Jerrold Mundis If gambling has left you in financial trouble, this book is an absolute game-changer. It gives you tools to rebuild, step by step, and regain control of your life.

Remember: quitting gambling isn’t just about avoiding it—it’s about changing how you feel about it. Once you see it clearly, the desire fades, and you’ll find real happiness again.

You’re not alone in this journey. If I can do it, you can too. Stay strong and believe that freedom is possible.

To anyone reading: What strategies helped you shift your mindset and move forward? Let’s inspire each other.

30k gone and that’s the only thing I have done in 2024, gambled. Every paycheck lost to gambling. To save 30k again seems like a whole life of working and saving.

When I was gambling my life had an objective, I worked the whole month to be able to bet. The thrill was nice and it gave me a reason to do stuff even though I only lost. I am now a regular broke person, I can’t go through the idea of gambling 1000$ in a single game and now struggling to buy a box of chocolates. It honestly feels like I was happier gambling everyday.

Working the whole month so I could gamble 4k and lose it somehow feels more exciting and reachable than working for years to save some shitty money. And what the hell can 30k give me? It’s not even 10% of a house. I’ll never be able to afford a house but I am sure able to afford more bets.

I'm starting again, I'm tired and exhausted from gambling, my mental health has been damaged, gambling is pure evil and stop gambling everyone, I've had a problem with gambling for 13 years, I have to stop looking at the past and I know I can't return all the money I've lost, I have to come to terms with the past and move on and push forward, I know it will be difficult, and I know that I wrote a lot of posts here on reddit and I had relapses again, I know that now I will have episodes of depression and anxiety because my brain will lack that dose of dopamine and excitement, I know that if I continue gambling I will lose my family and home and everything, I have a debt to the bank of 10k Euros, I earn about 2.5k Euros a month, I am currently experiencing hell here on earth, but it's my own fault because I brought it on myself with my gambling, stay strong brothers, we all have to stick together and defeat this evil.

Hello everyone. I'm writing this post as a way to deal with reality after loosing a cool 4k over the past week. The guilt and sadness of it all makes me hermit crab and give up after loosing. But the reality is I give up while gambling too as the only thing I care about is having more funds to play poker .I always find the holidays the hardest, as everyone seems so damn happy and able to deal with life.

I have a daughter who makes me so happy, she is the best baby ever and why I can't give up. Without her I think I would have spiraled into suicidal thoughts today. I play poker as I somehow think il give us a better life and feel like a failure as a father and man. The reality is I have debt of 2/3k that never seems to get to 0 as I keep borrowing more and more to play more poker

The reality is I have gambled almost every last dollar and will be self excluding the few poker sites I play on.

I feel so empty and alone. It's so hard to talk to loved ones about gambling as it feels like the stupidest addiction of all time.

Does anyone actually learn to enjoy anything without gambling? GA made me feel uncomfortable because of the religious cult like approach and I'm not sure how to accept life for what it is. Reading stories here helps, and I have gone months without gambling before but always return.

Happy holidays

It's been 1 week since I acknowledged that I had a problem and decided to seek help. Thankfully I haven't had urges to gamble since that day. What I'm really struggling with is trying to distract myself from all the thoughts.

I'm constitantly thinking about all the money I lost, all the debt I'm in, how much of an idiot I am for putting myself in this situation. I wake up every morning so low because a part of me wishes that it was all a bad dream but then realizes it's not. I know I should give myself grace and be kind to myself but it's just hard. I can't help it. The thoughts just flood my head like a virus. It won't go away. I'm constantly on the verge of breaking out in tears from being so overwhelmed.

People say distraction is really important in the recovery process. I've tried to go out and do things to distract myself but still can't escape the thoughts.

People also say to pick up a hobby. But that's easier said than done. To actually find something I enjoy and can get fixated in. Maybe video games? I used to play video games so it could be something I get back into and enjoy. But it also feels like a waste of time.

I just feel lost. What a doozy this has all been.

It has been five days since I last touch any casino or pokies. I have really been distracting myself with studying for various work certifications, video games, mind game exercises (Elevate app), and working out. It will be hard next year, but I got this.

ODAAT

I hope to help anyone out there suffering like me with some very thought out feelings of my gambling. Hopefully this will resonate with you or eventually help you find the way.

I truly believe 100% that I cannot quit my gambling addiction with a win. It needs to be a loss. A win is like giving you a “extension”, a extension of time similar to like a video game. I’ll play, and a win will just make me want to go back and get another win/feel that feeling again/get that distraction which we all know or should know leads to recycling the money back into the gambling industry with a loss or losses that ultimately lead us to $0 and back to square one. Of course, it’s easier to speak on it, but these are my findings and my thinking to quit this evil addition, protect myself from financial ruin, and find any salvation.

Of course none of this matters if you do not want to quit. I was in denial for years and even when I wanted to quit, it was and still is a slow process. Tomorrow is my Day 1 but I know I’m fighting the good fight. I know that relapses are part of quitting, and I know to give myself some grace especially because I am trying, I am trying to stop. you need to want to quit. quit. For me, it’s barriers in place and now it’s mind over matter to kick this thing once and for all. It’ll always be there I’m sure, but there are success stories and I’m hoping to be one of them.

I told myself that 2025 will be gamble free. It will be easy to track from 01/01/25.

But now my cooked brain is telling me I only have 3 days left so make the most of it and finish on a high. We all know that doesn’t work, but the urges are through the roof right now. I feel like I’m running out of time to gamble as much as possible. It’s such backwards thinking and the fact my wife has a things planned for us is upsetting me. If I had the sources, I would probably do a 3 day bender/binge.

This shit has to stop! It will stop.

I wish everyone the best for 2025. 🙏

I’m 20 years old and a university student. Since turning 19, my addiction has advanced. I’m currently 16 days sober, after relapsing and ruining 3 months of sobriety.

I’m down around £7000 lifetime, which isn’t a massive amount in the long run but it is a large sum for a student. Especially when I lost that sum in a total of 4 sessions across 2024. On my most recent session I lost £2500 in two hours.

I’m now half way through university, and I’ve realised that this is a pivotal point in my life. If I quit now, gambling will simply just be an expensive lesson I learned when I was young. I’m hopeful that I can continue my sobriety. I haven’t been having urges at all recently, my last loss was just so devastating and I actually had a borderline manic episode.

I’ve got the potential to have a good future. I go to a top 10 uni in the UK and I have my career path planned out. I just want to leave this period of my life behind now, it’s dragged on for far too long.

I hope that you see the New Year how I see it, especially for those who are of a similar age to me. We can leave this behind us if we keep taking it odaat and using our resources.

Thanks,

Wishing you all a gamble free 2025.

Confused.

Learning to choose boredom.

Doing nothing is still better than gambling.

oh well we keep going, fucking hurts a lot, waiting for my girlfriend to get back from work to hug her, i love her so much, i need to change. I know I have potential

I inherited around £380k in the last 3 years, I’ve gambled close to 150k of that away I don’t know how. I still have 200k I can’t fuck up.

I’m scared I need this to be safe, the temptation is a lot. I’m 23 I have a chance tn create a new life, just don’t have a job because my mental health is crap.

I hope people understand the pain physically and mentally if causes.

M

I been in the worst losing streak of my life. I know I got a problem and keep relapsing. Thousands after thousands gone. I already owe 4k on this one cc not to mind the 50k debt I’m already in and just used $$1200 off it 😔😔. And lost in the worst way my bet was losing so I cashed out a measly 100 and lost that and my initial bet I cashed wind up winning. I’ve been losing in the craziest ways and everytime I think I can just recoup something I wind up losing in a crazier way. I’m down to fucking nothing I hate this shit. Like i don’t know what’s wrong with me but it’s killing me. I’m 23 no job and 50k in debt so fucking sad. I feel I have no future im just so fucking tired 😔😔💔

Sorry for the rant I don’t know where to go.

Today I hit rock bottom,I gambled all money I had....

Last day 24 ever.

Over a year since betting and I still feel this intense sadness. I derailed so hard and to this day it's a constant struggle not to fall back. I'm proud though, for bouncing back, having access but not indulging. I have nothing to prove myself anymore. I can do it, but I have to always remember to not fall into the same trap no matter how tough life gets and how easy of an escape it can be.

Waking up every morning feels like a ton of bricks hits me. I just want to be able to wake up without immediately thinking of this horrible addiction

No gambling for me today, thank you

I'm 28 and have been gambling for fun since I turned 18. Think poker games at a friend's house, very rare casino visits where I'd lose maybe $100 at most and call it a day. Unfortunately, about 6 months ago my friend turned me on to online gambling sites. I don't blame him at all, he was just talking about how he used them and at the time I didn't even really realize they existed.

I pretty much have exclusively been playing video poker and I swear to god the first 3-4 months I would hit at least 1 or 2 royal flushes each month. It was crazy watching the $200 I put in turn into $1000 like it was nothing. This kept going on and on for months, I was winning money and so I kept placing larger and larger bets to try and win more because I felt unstoppable.

Well lo and behold November rolls around. I got in a car accident a little while back and got a $16,000 payout. I bought myself a new computer, fixed up my car, took my girlfriend to disneyland for her birthday, bought new furniture for my house and still had about $10,000 left. I've also been really bad about relying on cash advance apps in the past so I paid them all off and deleted them from my phone and said I'd never use them again. Now I owe them all money again.

And then I started losing. And losing and losing and losing. I was going to invest the remaining money that I had but that's all gone and I'm going to have to pull out the remainder of the money I have invested currently to get by this next month. And I'm done. Luckily I'll scrape by this month and didn't do enough real damage but holy fuck I am so pissed at myself. I had a very long lucky streak and thought if I just kept going I'd hit something again. So here's to going into the new year broke and disappointed. I'm getting paid an extra $1,500 in February on top of what I already make at my main job for some work I'm doing which is a silver lining as I'm hoping to use that to pay off all the cash advances I owe and get ride of them once and for all and have an excellent 2025.

Hello guys, long story short i have been gambling for 4-5 years, but its getting worse. Few months ago i told my parents about it(they knew but tought i managed to get over it, they still pay some of my debts), they were devastated and even threatened to kill themselves after i did it again, they still try their best to help me get out of this, took all my cards and said they will try to help me with the debts. But i did it again today, because i forgot about one revolut card and took 2.5k€ loan again, lost it all ofcourse and have no option to pay them back. I should pay all this by 15.01.2025 because its a shot term loan, but all my income goes to my mom My monthly income is 1500€ ish, living in Romania which is kind of alot of money. I know 2.5k€ debt is not that much and i ve seen much worse around here, but im thinking of suicide since i am at work and i have a loaded gun with myself. The thoughts of my parents finding out again it kills me, i felt that they just cant take this anymore, and i m afraid they will hurt themselves. Merry Christmas to you all and hope you can stop gambling! I dont know if its kinda a goodbye.. or just looking for help.