Gambling Recovery Journey

So guys, I’ll start from the beginning another time. For now, I want to give you a snapshot of where gambling took me—about two weeks before my last bet.

At that point, I was handling some of the household finances. My daughter’s birthday was coming up, and we needed to pick up cupcakes from a nearby town. I was keen to go, even though I had already lost all of my own money—because the cupcakes were paid for.

On the way, my wife suggested we stop for pizza. Based on what I had told her, there was still a healthy amount of money left. The truth was, there was nothing.

We stopped anyway. Full of confidence, I ordered the pizza and told them I was just going to the bathroom and would come back to pay. I stood there, trying to make a plan. I couldn’t ask anyone for help—I already owed everyone who had trusted me.

But I’m a compulsive gambler, so of course I came up with a plan within ten minutes.

And then it hit me—what the f**k am I doing?

I asked myself: what if my daughter needs something tonight? What money is left when I’ve gambled it all away?

In that moment, I realized I couldn’t live like this anymore. My life was completely unmanageable. I was making myself sick. I was screwing over my entire family. And worst of all, I was stealing from my daughter—not just money, but security—by living this life.

That realization hit home.