“Online gambling debts,” is definitely, not an unfamiliar phrase for the a fair portion of online gamblers. Over the years online gambling has grown tremendously and at present it is simply available at the click of your fingers. Just like drugs or alcohol gambling is addictive, it is like any other addiction, a mental disorder that often develop into stress, anxiety, depression and sometimes even suicide. At present data is showing that the occurrence of suicide contemplation is considerably high among the individuals who have enormous online gambling debts as opposed to individuals who are using drugs or alcohol.

The sad reality of the situation is though that by the time most of the online gamblers seek help, they are already overwhelmed in online gambling debts. There are three phases of gambling and many individuals claim that online gambling many be a lot more addictive than drugs or alcohol, because of the speed in which an individual can go through these phases. The first phase is ‘winning’ this is where the individual would achieve one large win or a series of small wins which add up to a large jackpot, during this phase the individual is on a high from winning and increases the amount of money they place on bets. The second phase is ‘losing’ this phase is where things start going downhill for the individual, they start borrowing money, become secretive and their mood changes, as they become more irritable and withdrawn from everyone and everything. At this point the online debts start piling up and the gambler is unable to repay their debts. The final phase is ‘desperation’ this is the point where the gambler increases their gaming time, blames all their losses on everyone else and their sole purpose of gambling would now be to repay debts.

Now that the problem has been explained in full I am going to give you the solution. See even though you have acquired online gambling debts, there is hope – all you have to do is admit you have a problem and seek help. I am going to give you three easy straightforward steps. The first step is in order to recover from online gambling debts you need to stop gambling totally, that means no spending, betting, ensure that you cut yourself off from gambling entirely. Even though you might be thinking that you could play and win enough money to pay off your debts, keep in mind that this was the same exact thinking which got you into this mess in the first place. The second step is to get in contact with someone you can talk to about your situation and would be able to lend a shoulder to lean on without passing judgment; it can be a family member, a friend or a counseling agency, you need to contact someone. The third step is contact a counseling service, at this stage any type of support group would be beneficial, but it is a must, don’t feel you can solve this problem on your own because you can’t.

Now you are probably thinking how do I get in contact with a counselor or support group. Well the simplest way is to contact a credit counseling agency, several of these agencies deal with online gambling debts as well as any other debts. The benefit of contacting a credit counseling agency not only helps you get in contact with a counselor but it aids in helping the individual to get rid of their online gambling debts and also give them the skills of how to make smarter money management decisions for the future. In closing, online gambling is supposed to be pleasurable and fun, however there is the negative aspect of you becoming addicted to it; therefore you need to be careful and if you wish to participate in online gambling set limits and ensure that you stick to them.

By Sarah H
Sarah Harrigan is a professional casino player and reviewer. For straight talking honest advice on online casinos be sure to visit her website for comprehensive reviews on the top USA online casinos and winning casino strategies.