People who lose more than £ 60,000 through online betting have urged people to know about the signs of an addiction.
Adam Wood from Chapatown in Sheffield said, “a little hobby” that he enjoyed with his father, as a teenager, “ending my life and ruining it” ended.
The 27-year-old said: “Emotions towards your feelings and emotions change and you start chasing your loss-they are two major signs to withdraw one step. It is not just worth it.”
Since his recovery, which began in 2020, Mr. Wood has taken to run, completing 14 half marathons and two full marathons.
He said, “All this started because gambling was out of my life. With many other things, it has been a big part of my recovery,” he said.
At the age of nearly 16, when he left school, Mr. Wood started betting on football matches with his father carelessly.
According to A quarter football fans in UK gambling, according to A Yougov StudyWhereas the Gambling Commission estimates that about 138,000 people may be problems gambling.
Mr. Wood said that he felt “under control of his gambling” until a few years, when he began to be “worried and stressed” betting on horset.
He said, “It was a make-or-break moment, where I could stop and felt, ‘I am probably a little too deep’, or I could do it and potentially win something else,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I moved forward. I was lying to people and keeping it hidden, something that I never planned.”
When Mr. Wood won the amount of money back, he was lost, he would go on, which he said that he was worn down physically and mentally.
He said that he lost between £ 60,000 and £ 70,000 on online accounts between 18 and 23 years of age, and even more in bookies, he said.
He said, “I got into a lot of trouble with Payday Loans, Credit Card Companies, Debt collectors – that at the age of 21 or 22 years is nothing you want to bear,” he said.
“You keep on assuring yourself that you can come back over it – but it was clearly never so.”
Accepting his family and friends that he had a problem, “one of the best things he had done”, said Mr. Wood.
Brian Cooper, the service manager at Charity Gamcare, who also supported him, said it was “luxurious” to see his recovery.
He said, “Gambling disadvantages are often a very hidden issue and those who experience can feel very ashamed and stigma about the effect on them,” he said.
“It is not easy to reach for the first time for support, but it can be an important step to help prevent the problem from increasing.”
Mr. Wood also signed up at the gamestop, which allows people to ban themselves from joining gambling sites.
Between 17 and 21 September, the organization is promoting this self-boycott and encouraging to include football clubs.
Katie Reynolds-Jones, Chief Marketing Officer said that more than 10 people registered with service used online game betting that registered with service.
“Adam’s story sheds light on an experience that is very common for many youngsters struggling with the loss of gambling,” she said.
“Importally, facing beliefs at four years of recovery of four -year recovery shows their journey that with correct support, people can rebuild their lives.”
