A Day In The Life…Of Living With A Gambling Addict

When I say a day in the life…I of course mean many days in the life. Living with, being in love with, wanting to help a gambling addict will take over every day of any relationship. The eventual outcome of my personal relationship with a gambler was a particularly difficult and emotionally draining break-up and I left them knowing that they were still an addict and would be until somone forced them to get help. Did I feel guilty? Of course I did, but eventually I was driven away by the person that had put us both through hell for around a year and a half of our young lives.

 

Due to the personal nature of this blog, and the fact that I am referencing my real life relationship I will not be divulging too many personal details to protect the identity of the people involved. I will however be providing a brutally honest account of what it is like to live with gambling addiction from the perspective of the girlfriend/boyfriend. This may even resonate with the partners of people with other addictions. Too often the person with the addiction is focused on without taking into consideration the other people affected and I think a big part of the problem is the media. I have read many articles detailing how a certain person has lost thousands even millions to a gambling problem and as a result lost their partner/children/family and most would agree this warrants a certain degree of sympathy. However, these articles sadly rarely explore what said partner/children/family have been put through whilst watching someone they love deal with something so life destroying.

 

Maybe some of you identify with what i’ve been through, perhaps some of you are going through the same right now. Whatever the case, please understand I am not claiming to be able to offer support or advice, I am simply talking openly and candidly about a part of my life I have struggled to deal with until now, months after I ended the relationship.