How to overcome gambling-related debt problems?

It is well known that a gambling problem can lead to serious emotional, family, and, above all, lead to financial pitfalls. Waking up after a night of heavy drinking with a headache is one thing, but gambling also puts your home, savings, dreams, and ultimately your health at risk.

If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling debts, you will find links at the end of this article to some organizations whose purpose is to help you overcome this devastating addiction.

What is very particular about gambling is that it requires not only an intervention at the individual level (behavior, habits, support, etc.) but also on a personal finance level since gambling directly attacks its victims’ wallet.

How to recognize gambling problems?

Here are some indicators to watch out for to help you identify gambling problems:

• You keep your gambling habits secret from your spouse and entourage.
• The balance of your credit cards or line of credit is constantly increasing
• When having to choose between small pleasures that you used to grant yourself or gambling, you choose to gamble.
• You have started borrowing money from family or friends to be able to gamble.
• You play online at night, out of sight of others.

Obviously, the financial situation of those seeking help varies enormously depending on the duration of the addiction and the starting point of the person’s finances.

How to get personal finances back on track?

Admitting to having a problem and deciding to seek help at a personal level is the first step. More often than not, the next step is to seek help for your personal finances. You can do this alone or with the help of professionals such as Jean Fortin’s personal finance advisors. The goal is to assess your current financial situation to determine the level of severity (or not) of the situation. From there, it is possible to know what solutions are available to you.

Here are the steps we suggest for those who have debt problems resulting from gambling problems:

1. Establish a budget using our online budget tool.
2. Measure your level of debt to know where you stand.
3. Check the status of your credit report.

Depending on the result of the analysis of the first 3 steps, we will be able to suggest the solutions available to you.

To definitively solve a gambling problem, ensuring healthy personal finances are the only way to regain your quality of life.

If you need help with your finances, call us at 1-877-Liberté or book an appointment online and we will help you restore your financial situation.

It’s free, confidential, and without obligation.

Here are some interesting links for the “personal” aspect of the addiction:
Centre québécois d’excellence pour la prévention et le traitement du jeu (CQEPTJ) 
Gambling: Help and Referral
Addiction resources from the Government of Quebec
Centre de réadaptation en dépendance de Montréal (Cendre Dollard Cormier)
Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale (CAMH)
Gamblers Anonymes
Joueurs Anonymes

Note: Please note that we are not specialists in treating gambling problems. Our expertise lies in personal finances and more particularly in financial problems resulting from gambling. The organizations mentioned above are for your convenience, but they are not the only ones that offer help. A search will allow you to find the one that best suits your needs.