I cannot stop

I am 42 years old and gambling for almost 12 years now. this week, I lost around 25K dollars. I just don't know how to stop. Want to write a lot but i am feeling so sad that I cannot think of anything.


I don't know what to do.

Welcome to the forum, donewithgambling.

That is the first great step you have done. A posting. Give yourself a pat in the back.
I'm not sure if you had told another soul.

My advice is to spend some time in this forum first. Read real life stories here.
Explore the "Strategies to stay gamble free" thread.
Quitting is not easy, it takes effort. But definitely doable. I have quit for more than a year now (i did have my battles).
You could enroll in a Gambler Anonymous meeting in your area, if there is one.

Keep coming back here. The others especially the moderators do have awesome advices for you.

Welcome to the forum Done,

I am sorry to hear about your situation Done. I can imagine that you feel horrible and that you are in disbelief that you could have lost that much money in such a short amount of time. Your mind is probably racing and being flooded with "What should I do?!?!"

When that happened to me, my first instinct and my solution to the problem was "I can win it back. I need to win it back". However, we know what happens when we try this.

Try to stay away from gambling as hard as you can over the next few days. Next, try to formulate a plan if you really want to quit. As Ricardo mentioned, GA is a great option and the "Strategies to stay gamble free" is also great!. I am a firm believe on self-exclusion. The more barriers we put between us and gambling, the better!

Try to keep posting on this forum when you feel like you are struggling. We are all here to support you!

I'm adding my support and welcome to Aries 411 and RicardoG's .

Stopping the self-destructive cycle of compulsive gambling is a long and often difficult journey but it is not impossible , no matter how it feels now . This is war . Arm yourself . Make a battle plan to deal with the urges , to safeguard your money , to set up roadblocks between you and your ability to gamble .

Know that you are not alone . We're here for you because we're just like you , good people with a bad disease . Read our stories and ask us questions . If you fall down we'll pick you up , the same way we all picked each other up on our recovery journeys - with compassion and encouragement , without judgement . Because you deserve that .

Stay strong , you can do this !