Is my gambling a problem? Learn the warning signs and where to find help in Guildford

Quick takeaway

You have a gambling problem when betting starts costing you more than money. You’ll compromise your time, your honesty with the people close to you, and your peace of mind. The clearest warning signs are chasing losses, betting more than you can afford, hiding the amounts from your family, and feeling restless or low when you can’t place a bet. In the 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain, 2.4% of adults scored 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, so this is far more common than the silence around it suggests. You can find help through a confidential face to face assessment in Guildford by calling 01483 533808.

It’s a gut feeling of panic, usually late at night after checking your bank balance. The bet that was supposed to make back last week’s losses didn’t, and now you’re working out what you can move around before anyone notices. Does this ring true?

I’m Peter J Davies, and I’ve worked as an addiction specialist in Guildford for more than 20 years. Gambling is one of the addictions I see most, and one of the easiest to hide, because there’s nothing to smell on your breath and nothing to find in a cupboard.

Here we’ll explore the warning signs, lay out four questions you can ask yourself honestly right now, and identify the help that’s available near you in Surrey.

What counts as a gambling problem?

A gambling problem isn’t defined by how much you stake. Someone betting £5 a week can be in serious difficulty while someone betting far more is not. What matters is whether gambling has taken on a job in your life beyond entertainment: filling time, lifting your mood, settling your nerves, or promising a way out of debt it created.

Clinicians measure this with the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The Gambling Commission’s 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain found 2.4% of adults scored 8 or more, the band described as problem gambling, with a further 3.5% at moderate risk. The same survey found that 43.2% of adults have someone close to them who gambles, which is why so many of the people who call me are worried partners and parents rather than gamblers themselves.

Warning signs of a gambling problem

The signs usually show up in your behaviour long before you start worrying about your bank statements. You might recognise some of these:

• Chasing losses, returning another day to win back what you lost
• Betting more than you can comfortably afford to lose
• Needing to stake larger amounts to get the same lift
• Borrowing, selling things, or moving money around to cover gambling
• Lying to your partner or family about how much you gamble
• Feeling restless, irritable or flat when you try to cut down
• Gambling to escape stress, low mood or boredom
• Betting through the night, or during work hours
• Promising yourself this is the last bet, repeatedly

One of these on its own might be a bad month. Several of them together, over time, describe a gambling addiction that rarely resolves on willpower alone.

Four questions to check where you stand

These are drawn from the screening questions clinicians use. Answer them honestly for the past 12 months. You don’t need to share your answers with anyone – this is just for you.

1. Have you bet more money than you could afford to lose?
2. Have you gone back another day to win back money you lost?
3. Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including stress or anxiety?
4. Has anyone criticised your betting, or told you that you have a problem, regardless of whether you thought it was true?

A yes to any of these is worth taking seriously. Two or more, and I’d encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later.

How to enjoy football without betting

For many people who I see about betting and football, the dependency grew with the love of the sport until the match stopped being watchable without money on it. Untangling the two is possible, and the game itself is moving in the same direction: from the 2026/27 season, Premier League clubs have withdrawn gambling sponsorship from the front of matchday shirts.

What helps is putting something in the space the bet used to occupy, rather than sitting in front of the same fixture with the same phone in your hand.

• Register with GAMSTOP, the free national scheme that blocks you from all licensed gambling sites and apps in the UK for six months, one year or five years
• Turn on the gambling block your bank offers on your debit card, and delete the apps rather than logging out of them
• Watch at the ground or in company, where the phone stays in your pocket
• Give the match a different stake: a five-a-side game of your own, a fantasy league with no money in it, or taking your child to watch a local side
• Plan the two hours after full time, since that’s when the urge to bet on a late kick-off usually arrives

Losing the bet doesn’t have to mean losing the sport. Most people find the game becomes easier to enjoy once the result stops deciding whether the week is affordable.

Where to find face to face gambling addiction help near Guildford

Online tools and helplines do useful work, and for many people they aren’t enough on their own, because gambling addiction is driven by feelings that need talking through with another person. Sitting in a room with someone who understands the pattern is what changes it.

Support	What it offers	How to access
Addiction Care, Guildford	One to one therapy with a specialist addiction counsellor, face to face in Guildford	Call 01483 533808
National Gambling Helpline	Free, confidential advice, 24 hours a day	0808 8020 133
GAMSTOP	Free self-exclusion from all UK licensed gambling sites and apps	gamstop.co.uk
Your GP	Referral to NHS gambling services and support for related anxiety or depression	Book an appointment

Addiction Care is based at consulting rooms in central Guildford, within walking distance of the town centre and the station. We usually begin with a confidential assessment: an honest conversation about what you’re betting, what it’s doing for you, and what recovery would need to look like. Some people wonder about residential treatment, but this is just one approach, and there are practical alternatives if you’re holding down a job and a household.

If you’re reading this because of someone else’s betting, my Family Programme for partners, parents and adult children offers support and guidance for loved ones. There are ways to start a conversation with the person you’re concerned about that allow you to make the journey to recovery together.

Taking the first step

Gambling problems get heavier the longer they stay hidden, and lighter almost immediately once you say them out loud to somebody who won’t judge you for it. You don’t need to have stopped, or to have a plan, before you pick up the phone.

If you would like to talk, either for yourself or for a loved one, please call 01483 533808 or get in touch online to book a confidential assessment. That call is the hardest part, but know that you will meet an understanding ear.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get gambling addiction help near me in Surrey?

At Addiction Care I offer one to one therapy for gambling addiction from consulting rooms in central Guildford, covering Surrey and the surrounding area. Call 01483 533808 to arrange a confidential assessment. For immediate support at any hour, the National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133.

Can I still gamble occasionally if I’ve had a gambling problem?

For someone who has become compulsive about gambling, one controlled bet almost always leads back to the old pattern. Abstinence is the goal I work towards with clients, and most find it a relief rather than a loss once the first few weeks have passed.

Should I tell my family about my gambling debts?

Telling someone you trust is usually what stops the debt growing, because secrecy allows gambling to continue. Bring it to your assessment if you’d rather plan the conversation first, and take advice on the debts themselves from a free service such as StepChange or Citizens Advice.