My significant other refuses to get help with a gambling addiction that has taken over our lives. He spends every dollar he earns, nothing goes to bills or other monthly expenses, his word no longer means anything, he takes money and doesn't pay it back, he's ruined my credit along with his, and used up every resource I (we) had. Our every day living has been destroyed. He can't make it to the gas station, instead of putting gas in the car he goes to the casino. There are days where he'll spend everything to the point that we have no groceries, and where I haven't had money to take BART to work. The stress has effected my health, caused problems at work, it has caused humiliation and embarrassment. I've put a distance between me and my family because I feel so ashamed of the constant struggle. I've always been responsible and in control of my life. I've stood by his side in hopes that he would see the light and seek help, but my trust and loyalty is also being manipulated. I see him suffering. . it eats at him . . but at the same time he finds a way to justify it to himself. He thinks about gambling every moment of the day, and how he can get money to go to the casino. It's obvious that this is an addiction and he can't or won't control his behavior . . honestly I don't think he wants to stop. He's devastated our daily living. I am angry all of the time and no longer have patience. I don't want to abandon him because I know it is an illness, but I'm at the end of my rope and I can't get him to seek treatment. Do you have any advice on how to get someone with a gambling addiction to seek help and how to best deal with the destruction that it can cause? Any guidance and/or advice on how to deal with this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
You can not force someone to seek counseling for problem gambling. However, I would recommend that you consider going to GAMANON and attending credit counseling and seeing a counselor for your self.
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