23M - got myself into a bit of a mess with debt + gambling, trying to sort it out
Alright, so I’ve basically put myself in a hole over the last couple of years and I’m trying to actually fix it now.
I’m pretty sure I’ve had a gambling problem. At work I’ve got loads of downtime and I’d just get bored and end up gambling on crypto sites with mates. I’ve had some big wins — at one point I had like £15k sitting in my account — but every time I just end up losing it, sometimes all in one night.
Lately I’ve cut it down a lot and honestly I just want to stop completely now. I’m done with it.
Work / income:
I earn £2,750 a month, take home about £2,200. If I do overtime (like 6 extra days) I can get that up to around £3,100 take home.
I work as a live-in support worker (since Nov 2024) and I actually really like it. It’s rewarding and doesn’t feel like work half the time. I’m doing my NVQ Level 2 at the moment and planning to do Level 3 after.
Living situation:
I live with my nan and pay her £220 a month. I’m barely home because of work so I don’t really pay towards bills. Overall my outgoings should be pretty low… which makes this even worse.
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Debts:
Loans:
- Cashfloat: £824 (3 x £274 left)
- QuidMarket: £1,343.67 (£447 payments starting June)
- Mr Lender: £472 (split over 3 payments starting June)
- Credit Union: £450 (£90/month)
- 118 Loan: £1,116.90 (£74/month)
Credit cards (all maxed):
- Aqua: £1,350
- Barclays: £400
- Capital One: £200
Other:
- Overdraft: £3,000 (basically always maxed, costs me ~£60–70/month)
- Court payments: £90/month (long story… train fine + UC repayment)
- Phone bills:
- Mine: £71
- Sister: £40 (I pay one, mum pays the other)
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Where I’m at:
I feel like I should be in a decent position because I earn alright and don’t have huge living costs, but I’ve just completely messed it up with gambling and bad decisions.
I’m trying to sort it properly now while I’m still young.
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What I’m looking for:
- What should I actually focus on paying off first?
- How would you go about clearing this if you were me?
- Any advice on staying away from gambling long-term?
- Also career-wise, if anyone’s been in support work — where can I take this long-term?
I know I’ve been stupid with it, just trying to get my head straight and fix things now.