Only just seen this thread, fair play Dave and I hope you come out stronger soon. It's a twat of a thing gambling, but it is something that I feel gives you a buzz like no other. I wouldn't say I have an addiction as such, I'm only young and a student but I would much rather spend 50 quid on bets than have a night out. I have an uncle who is addicted though, and being pretty close it is very difficult to see him struggle. It's also a blessing in disguise, as I tell myself that there is no way I can ever end up like that and I back off a bit.
My uncle knows my password to my online account for Ladbrokes ( He used it for a bit when he shut down his to try and stop, foolish I know), and he knew I'd had built up recently and had a bit of a win. I had £550 saved up and one night I went on for a little game of poker and it had all gone. I wondered what the fuck had happened, and searched all the history on it and whatnot. He had transferred all of it onto the roulette and blew it in half an hour. He rang me up to apologise and somehow, got the money back to me the next day. I was fucking furious he had the cheek to do it, and he knew I had a right to go fucking mental. But in the back of my mind I acknowledged that he has a serious problem, and having a gambling addiction is a horrible thing.
I hope I never ever go down that route, but the addiction to gambling is a serious thing, something that many people who don't know about it seem to think is nothing major. It is, it really is.