Gambling's hidden link to your cycle

A woman's life was once consumed by a severe gambling addiction, which escalated from scratchcards to online slots. She recounts a moment of deep despair on a train platform, contemplating ending her life due to overwhelming debt and shame from stealing.

Her path to recovery began by calling the National Gambling Helpline. She then attended a six-week NHS rehab center in North Wales, where she received Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and learned about the surprising link between her menstrual cycle and gambling urges.

She discovered that her gambling binges intensified during ovulation each month, attributing this to hormonal fluctuations like drops in estrogen and progesterone. Using this insight, she now tracks her cycle and actively manages her moods and therapy during these times.

Now free from gambling for nearly two years, she actively contributes to recovery services as a peer mentor. She is also diligently working to repay her debts, with plans to be debt-free by the end of next year, a milestone she once thought impossible.