Debbie is a self-admitted gambler who fears her 20-year addiction could ruin her family and her life.
"I'm addicted to gambling, and it has taken over my life ... I walk through a casino door and I'm not myself anymore. I become obsessed. It's like a demonic feeling ... I'm not Debbie in there. I don't know how to explain it. I can't control myself," she explains in the video above. "I've done everything possible to feed my addiction ... When I go on a gambling binge, I could stay there for days -- and I have."
She estimates that she's lost between $300,000 to $400,000.
"When I leave a casino and I'm broke, I cry. I hate myself. I scream in the car, 'I hate you! What is wrong with you? You have a family. You have to feed your children.' Then I run around and I go back." Debbie adds, "I don't want to hurt my children, but I can't stop, so I've become a compulsive liar as well ... I hate myself. When I look in the mirror, I see all the hurt that I've done to my family."
Her daughter Serena, has tried to help keep her mom out of the casino, but the attempts were futile.
"I would get explosive when I couldn't have a $100 here or there," Debbie explains about trying to borrow money from her daughter. "On one occasion, the police were called due to my explosive behavior."
Serena says, "My greatest fear is that my mom will be homeless ... My mom's addiction has taken over her life. Gambling has turned my mom into a monster."
Is Debbie ready to get the help she needs to save herself and keep her family in tact? And, what happens when she asks Dr. Phil to help get her out of debt? Watch Friday's episode of Dr. Phil, "My Gambling, Addicted Mom is $400,000 in the Hole, about to Lose Her Home and Possibly Her 14-Year-Old Son!" -- check here for local listings.
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