new member, filed ch 7 today

[nullbalance]

I spent 3 hours at my lawyers office today. It was the last signing and I was feeling good about everything until he showed up 45 minutes late. We sat down and immediately he said there was a new issue. My pay increase at work had tossed me above the means for filing. We went through all of the numbers again for an hour, trying to come up with an extra $200 in expenses or allowances. I was feeling hopeless until the paralegal found out about how old my car was and the allowance for older models with lots of mileage. Problem fixed.

Still, we signed the papers. I was scared. Scared I forgot about a creditor or that I would be questioned as to how all of this debt came about in such a short amount of time. He doesn't know that the bulk of it is from gambling off of credit cards and credit lines, or using those cards to try to pay bills when I gambled away my paycheck. I'm still suffering from my addiction now. I live 10minutes from several casinos. I'm scared this filing won't help. I'm scared that when I go to court, the creditors will point fingers at me and scream fraud or something and cause me to have to go through more distress.

I'm trying to find a job out of state, something to take me away from here so I won't be near a casino. So I can start getting my bank acount in order and living something close to a life again. Therapy only goes so far, and GA disturbs me to no end.

I hope this helps. I couldn't deal with the calls anymore, or only having enough money left to put gas in the car to go to work, eating crumbs, and having to ask my family for money.

I used to be independent and smart, but gambling ruined my life. I'm 27 years old, single, no kids or attachments...everyone things I am living the high life. I know bk isn't as bad as it used to be, but I hate to think of the job opportunities I may lose because of this. I worry about how I can afford to move with this looming over my head, or if I could even find a place to rent should I get a job elsewhere.

I just don't know.

[hopeforus]

I don't know what to say but didn't want to read and not say anything. I'm sorry, I can only imagine how hard it is to have a gambling addiction. If you used to be smart... you are still smart. You just became consumed with an addiction and that doesn't make you stupid. You made a mistake that snowballed is all. Moving away from the casinos is a wise decision.

You will be able to rent. You may just have to give 3 months rent or something but in this market ... you WILL be able to find a rental.

Chin up... it can only get better from here. But you have to not worry about being defeated again. Make sure you are attending therapy and don't stop. Don't use debit cards even maybe if that will make it easier to gamble.

Anyway, I'm sorry

[liz417]

Hi Nullbalance and welcome to this forum.

The 1st thing you need to do is tell your attorney about your gambling addiction. He needs to be prepared in case your creditors object (you don't want him to be blindsided by the Trustee's questions, *if* he asks).
Secondly, you are doing the right thing by moving away from the casinos. Hang in there, it will get better.

Good Luck and please keep us updated on your case.

[Andyman]

Please get some gambling counsleing. The only winners at a casino are the casino! I used to gamble alot and then finally just had enough. Really, I feel so much better and now I have a little money to spend on something that I will remember....and memories are more important that any slot machine win.

[epiphany]

Hi Null and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry about your addiction..hope you are successful at beating it.

I agree with the previous poster that said that if you used to be smart, you are still smart...start believing that. There are lots of smart people on the forum who found themselves in this predicament one way or another.

Also, don't worry about whether or not you forgot a creditor. You can ammend your petition (for a fee) if you remember one, but really, it doesn't matter. If you receive your chapter 7 discharge, all debt will be forgiven, whether the creditor was listed or not, unless a creditor objects and it is determined by the courts that there is some reason not to discharge that particular debt (i.e. fraud) . I am assuming that your lawyer knew enough to put enough time between your cash advances and your filing.

Depending on your circumstances, there is a good chance that your creditors will not even show up at your 341.

I do think you should let your lawyer know about the gambling. I know you are embarrassed but if he gets blindsided with that, it is only going to make your situation worse.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

ep

[applecake]

Hi,

Just wanted to offer some encouragement. One thing you can be thankful for is that you are YOUNG! You have time to turn your life around and get going on the right track. This could be a turning point in your life. I agree with the other posters - you definitely should tell you lawyer about your gambling. Everything I've read on BK says that total honesty with your lawyer is absolutely essential. I also agree that finding a job out of state where there are no casinos is a great idea. Maybe getting hooked up with a church or support group would help. Anyway, good luck.

Apple

[beyondtherapy]

We are in the same boat. I hope we can start a dialog and help each other out. With the exception of being 32 instead of 27, and that I'm at the start of the filing process, not the end, and that I gave my attorney full disclosure of my gambling problem at our first meeting- I could have written your post.

PM me.

-BT

[nullbalance]

thanks everyone for your advice and help.
it has been several months since i was able to get a cash advance or a loan for money, and then i couldn't afford to pay the minimum payments anymore and stopped paying all together. the last payment i recall making on maxed out accounts were back in janurary this year. the credit cards were charged off over the summer i believe. everything is a blur. i listed some of my losses on my papers and my lawyer asked me where did i like to play....cause he plays too. gambling is just a major part of the culture here. my mother knows about my addiction, and doesn't admit she has a problem. she still gambles, but tries to check in on me.

i read the forum about people's 341 meetings. my coworker recently went through her bk through the same office and she had no issues, even with having to deal with her truck that she was still paying on. i don't anticipate problems, i'm praying there are no more problems. i just bring trouble however. i hope it won't take 70days for things to clear, seems a lot fast for some here.

feel free to pm me if anyone would like to talk.

thanks