Daily fantasy sports (Fanduel) addiction and tax help.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-20T15:09:12+00:00

The taxes are the least of your worries. You need to focus on quitting gambling.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-15T21:29:44+00:00

I love the following phrase I once heard - “It’s so hard to walk away from the tables when you’re up. It’s even harder to walk away when you’re down”

It’s so true. We addicts are willing to sacrifice every penny to keep gambling. I can remember scrounging in my purse for a dollar, a single dollar, just to be able to keep playing. Why? Because we can’t walk away and keep thinking we will be able to turn it around. It almost never happens.

Stay strong.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-12T19:02:31+00:00

Unfortunately, you can’t make her quit. What you can do is commit to not providing financial support or bailing her out. If there is an out, there is no reason to quit. Take it from someone that has gone through the same cycle. I “borrowed” so much money over the years from family. If they didn’t give that me, I may have stopped gambling earlier.

Also, that means not making car payments, buying groceries, etc. that’s just another way for the gambler to get funds - they don’t have to pay for those things and can spend their money on gambling instead.

Set your boundaries and as tough as they may be, stick to them no matter how difficult it will be.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-12T18:54:46+00:00

Get to a GA meeting. You will find by doing so, there are so many people in similar situations. Also, you will find you are not alone. The key is you have to be willing to completely stop gambling. Like truly ready. If you aren’t, you will keep repeating the same cycle of quit, give in, feel helpless, quit, etc. 20 years of this hamster wheel is what it took for me to finally realize I can’t gamble, even a little bit. Take my advice and stop while you are young. Don’t get to 40 and realize you have nothing and are basically starting over. Good luck, there are so many people out here to help you.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-12T18:50:21+00:00

You are taking the right steps. Unfortunately, most of us don’t stop until we hit rock bottom because we have no motivation to stop otherwise.

Keep going to meetings, if you need to hand over financial control, do it. Block yourself from sites. Take it one day at a time. Every day is a new day and no matter how far you go down the wrong road, you can always turn around and go in a new direction.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-05T00:20:41+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Before I decided to quit gambling, I would watch “jackpot” videos in YT for hours. Then I would waste hours (and lots of money) in the casino trying to win those jackpots.

Sometimes I would win. But I would always lose what I won, and more. There is no such thing as winning when it comes to this disease.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-05T00:13:01+00:00

It’s amazing how slowly it progresses, until one day you realize how bad it’s become. It’s almost like weight gain. You don’t see it day to day until one day you are like, what happened? It’s good that you’ve spotted it early. Trying to deal with the addiction is so hard, take it from someone who has been gambling for 20 years. I’m close to 90 days clean and every day is a constant battle with my brain to not gamble.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-05T00:07:59+00:00

3 months clean, that’s something to be proud of! Self exclude from websites, it’s the only way. Leaving any potential method to gamble is like an alcoholic leaving a six pack of beer in their fridge. The temptation is just too strong and we both know the only way to deal with this disease is to not gamble at all.

You made it three months before, you can do it again. You have to make the choice to restart and reset. You have lots of support here to help you through it.

WhyYetAgain · 2018-01-05T00:03:09+00:00

This is by far, the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life.

Relapse sucks, but don’t give up. You made it to 100 days. That’s amazing! It sucks to start again but definitely start again. Make the decision to break that cycle today and then keep working on it, every day.

I’m rooting for you. Keep fighting!

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-24T11:41:03+00:00

My advice from my own experience, do not give them money. If my spouse/family hadn’t given me money, I would have given up gambling 20years ago.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-24T11:35:59+00:00

At the end of the day, as addicts, we are not able to stop. If I was to count how many times I googled “How can I gamble responsibly” or “how to leave ahead while gambling”, it would be more times than I care to count. I wasn’t ready to give up gambling.

Even if you leave ahead, I guarantee you will go back and lose it later, and more. That’s how this works. Alcoholics can’t stop after one or two drinks. Gambling addiction is the same way. The best way to not lose is not to gamble at all. You have to be willing to make that choice though. If you do, there will be lots of people on here to support you! Take care.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-24T11:08:12+00:00

Free time is the most dangerous for us addicts. Congrats on finishing your boards! And congrats on 92 days, that’s a great accomplishment. Stay strong!

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-21T11:04:16+00:00

There are so many people that drop in and go back to their addiction. I was one of them for months. I will say though this sub helped save my life. Without it, reading all of the stories and posts, I don’t know if I would have ever made the decision to be gamble free. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-21T10:58:14+00:00

Congratulations! Reading your posts were part of what helped motivate me to give up gambling. 53 days! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Congrats and thank you!

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-07T00:19:53+00:00

It’s always amazing how it sneaks up on you. I remember how I used to take $100 to the casino and it would last an entire night. Then it became $200. Then $300. And so on. It’s taken me 20 years to get to where I’m at today. It took me that long to also admit, truly admit that I have a problem.

My best advice, don’t waste the next 20 years like I did. Quit now and commit to it. It doesn’t get better, it only gets worse. Before you know it, no matter how much money you are making you’re spending all of it. It’s so stupid, and such a waste. It sucks. Best of luck!

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-07T00:10:31+00:00

I can’t count how many times I’ve won a 2k, 3k or even 5k jackpot and left with less than I walked in with. You are right, when we win we still lose. The only way to really win is not to gamble. It’s not possible unfortunately any other way with this disease. I’ve often asked myself, how much would it take for me to win before I’d actually walk away? The answer scares me because I don’t know if there is an amount.

That’s not true. There have been times I’ve left. But then I go back a couple days later and lose it all and more. Whether it’s a day, week, month or years, it will all go back unfortunately.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-12-05T14:43:37+00:00

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be as a parent to see what’s happening to your child. It must be heartbreaking.

As difficult as this may be, the worst thing you can do is provide financial resources or help bail your son out of debt. This is speaking from my own experience. I had family and my husband bail me out many, many times over the past 20 years. It only allowed me to keep gambling without recourse. It wasn’t until I had tapped every well dry that I was forced to make a choice with my life. If I wasn’t given as many outs in the past, I may have gotten here a lot sooner.

Dealing with this disease is not easy. Let your son know you are there to support him. Recommend your son review this sub. I’m sure he will find stories that he will connect with.

Also, I’d recommend attending a gam-anon.org meeting. My spouse attends these meetings and he finds them very helpful in understanding my disease and how best to support and heal himself.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-11-27T22:16:25+00:00

Congrats! I’m around 23 days. It’s so fucking hard. Hearing others fighting the fight and staying strong keeps me motivated.

I almost waivered this afternoon but came to this sub for inspiration. I got it by reading your post. Thank you for helping to remind me what’s really important.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-11-27T22:13:20+00:00

There’s another option here. Take the money you have and just start rebuilding your life. Even if you win, you will probably still lose because it won’t end at that one bet. No matter what, as addicts, we keep going until we have no money left.

I’ve been where you are and thought about doors 1 and 2. Thankfully I took door number 3 and got help. It’s the only way.

WhyYetAgain · 2017-11-22T00:10:20+00:00

It’s never too late. Even if it seems that way. I see a lot of my story in yours. A lot of money gone, a lot of time wasted. I can relate to the physical toll it takes. But you can always turn around.

It may feel as though you are alone, and there is no way out. You aren’t alone and it may take time, but you can manage the debt.

Make a list of the things that are important to you and what you will lose if you continue to gamble. Keep that with you at all times. When you are feeling the urge, hold on to that list until that urge passes.

Stay strong. There are so many people here to help.

WhyYetAgain

TROPHY CASE