01/02/2024
The following is the story of an anonymous Gamban user from Ohio, one among many who've grappled with gambling addiction, experienced its impact and decided to take the steps towards recovery. Want to share your story? Submit yours to be featured on our blog at stories@gamban.com.
My husband and I met in Las Vegas, where we both lived at the time. I was actually a table games dealer at the Golden Nugget from 2008-2010. It was fun, I worked in the party pit, I made a lot of friends and enjoyed the scene as a young person. My husband worked as a cabana boy at the Mirage. We moved to Ohio in 2012 to start a family.
I had dabbled a little bit in online blackjack, roulette Nov 2022 - Jan 2023. It wasn't an issue for me yet, that is, until problems in my marriage surfaced that we both had ignored for 11 years. From February 2023 to January 2024, I accumulated over $25,000 in credit card debt from gambling.
The amount of ridicule, shame, etc, I experienced was unreal. My husband honestly didn't know what to do to help me. I didn't either. He reached out to my parents, his parents for support. They couldn't offer any real advice and perpetuated me being treated like a child at 36 years old, which I believe contributed to further my mental health problems associated with my gambling addiction. Even though I was in the depths of this addiction, I fought hard for months to repair what was broken between us.
Our last fight was when he found out I had gambled again around Jan 3rd. I moved myself out to the garage in freezing weather. I sat in a sleeping bag in silence for 48 hours. When I was finally cold enough, I came back in the house and looked up anti-gambling software on Google.
I found Gamban. It's giving me my life back, and already has made such a difference for my marriage. I feel like I can breathe again, be present, and no longer look for reasons to make an excuse to gamble. It's a secret addiction most people keep hidden, even me. I no longer feel the need to hide what I did. I can talk freely and openly about it.
That story is a reminder of how gambling addiction can silently take hold of our lives, often without us realising it until we're in too deep. But, there's also a powerful message of hope, showing that with the right support and tools, change is possible.
If this has inspired you to start your recovery journey, you can find support here. Gamban is also free through Time Out Ohio, or you can start a Gamban free trial today.
