Joshua's story

I'm 22 years old and I've been gambling ever since I turned 18. I sit here thinking about the $30,000 of debt I'm stuck with, all thanks to my gambling problem.

It was only tonight that I went to the club thinking that 'tonight's the night'. That tonight I'm gonna win big because I needed to!

Thirty minutes and $1000 later I worked out it's not. In the last five weeks I have lost over $6000 and every time I say to myself that I'm not a gambler and I don't need help. Well, from this moment I have to realise that I need help before it becomes worse than it already is.

All my friends are thinking about buying investment properties or investing in shares or a business, while I think about how I'm gonna afford to pay my loans and credit cards after losing my whole pay cheque on the horse that was 'a sure thing'.

It has taken four years and $30,000 of debt for me to stop and actually reflect back and realise that I am a gambler and I need help.

I urge anyone and everyone who reads this to stop and reflect on themselves and take a serious look at why they are on this site and the choices they made to get themselves into the mess that they are in.

For all the wrong choices I have made, by far the best thing I have done is to sit here and write this hoping I can turn myself around and become the successful person I have always dreamed of being.

I've started my road to recovery. I hope you can all do the same.