Busted bankroll - seeking advice

[melioris]

Ok, first I would take some time and examine why you play. Really look at your motivations and figure out why you play. Once you have a good idea of why you play and what you are hoping to get out of playing, it will help decide what action you should take.

After reading this post and the post that TP linked, it seems to me that you like to play and find it fun, but also have a some problems with risk management. Without constant attention, this could totally ruin your life. No shit. And it seems like you got it pretty good with a lot to lose, wife, kids, friends, home, etc.

2tone may have offered the best advice for you. Just stop it all.

If this is something you are not going to do, then you know you have a problem. The problem is the escalation. Maybe go cold turkey for 6 months. EVERYTHING. And if you can do that, maybe then, check with your wife, and make this deal with her. No more online playing, but once a month you will host a $25 buyin tourney (or max $25 buyin cash game) for your friends. Get yourself a set of chips, invite your friends over, and have a great time. The money is enough that it will make it exciting, but not enough to get into trouble. And it will be fun as hell. But take 6 months off completely, evaluate why you do it, and if you find it difficult to be truthfully with yourself, or the real reasons you gamble are fucking insane, don't do it.

In the mean time, read this

I recommend checking out this thread. Read what I posted in it. I have a wife and kids and reread this post often. Fucking up your family life is really easy and something that needs constant care to avoid.

Good luck-and tonight, check on your kids as they sleep. When shit is hard for me, or I got to make a difficult decision, checking on my kids as they sleep always gets me in the right frame of mind.