My brother has had a gambling problem since he was a teenager (he is nearly 30 now). It had been building up since he was about 18 and gradually got worse and worse until a couple of years ago when it all came to a head.
We all found out about his problem when he spent all the takings of my Dads business (he works for my Dad) while Dad was on holiday for 2 weeks and he was managing things. He bet and lost £4000 in a week.
He had no other option then but to come clean and own up to my Dad and his gf and all of us. It was a terrible time.
It turned out he had lost over £30,000 over the years. His gf very nearly left him (they have 3 kids) but they managed to work it out in the end with my brother agreeing to get help and stop completely.
They are paying off the debt gradually by living on the bare minimum. They can only afford a 2 bedroom flat to live in with 3 kids. They even had to cancel their wedding, which was booked for last year as they could no longer afford it.
His gf told him that if he EVER did it again she would leave him. Dad said he would sack him.
Today he turned up on my mums doorstep in tears. He has gambled and lost his entire weeks wages (£300). He couldnt go home without the money as he knew his gf would leave if he told her. He needs the money to buy food for them all this weekend.
Mum scraped together her whole weeks wages plus my younger brothers money for his school trip and gave him £250.
I am going to give him the other £50 but have told him its only to keep his family together. Its his last chance and its on condition he goes back to GA as of next week.
Feel terrible lying to his gf (we are all very close) but cant bear to see my brother lose her and the kids.. it would destroy him.
If I didnt give him the money and she did leave him I would always be thinking 'what if he meant it when he said he's learnt his lesson and i could have prevented him from losing his family'
Feel so torn about what is the right thing to do