My blogs

Blogs I follow

Gender	Male
Location	'It was so easy to gamble it all away. Its so hard to rebuild my life.'
Introduction	My name is Tony Franklin & I am a 40 year old problem gambler. There is a growing understanding today that gambling addiction is an illness & that problem gamblers are sick. As with all illness I did not choose to be sick. Gambling has been a hugely painful part of my life since the age of 11 when I first played fruit machines in seaside amusement arcades. The UK remains to my knowledge the only country in the world where kids under the age of 16 are legally able to gamble. It is my responsibility to carry this illness with strength & courage & to do everything in my power to abstain from gambling on a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute basis. I am finding that it is easier when I share my pain with others, when I can make a difference by educating on the risks to help prevent others from going through the same pain, devastation & havoc that gambling wrecks on the family, the community, the gambler, & their close ones. Additionally I am becoming a strong campaigner for making gambling safer, including an advocate for increased legislation of the gambling industry & campaigning to stop credit being used to knowingly fund gambling. My twitter account is @GamblingHurts.