People Who Won The Lottery Are Sharing How Their Lives Actually Changed For The Worse, And It's So, So Dark

Winning the lottery might seem like a dream come true but for some people, winning big changed their lives for the worse.

NBC

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us why they regretted winning the lottery and they shared how their — or someone else's — win turned into a nightmare. Here are the surprising results:

Note: Some submissions were pulled from this Reddit thread and this thread.

1."My younger siblings had a high school teacher who won $21 million. He had to leave his job teaching (which he loved) because students and fellow teachers were harassing him for money."

2."I won $20k from a lotto a few years ago. It was like a saving grace for the medical bills I had but a death sentence for my relationship with my family."

"I had family members whom I hadn’t talked to in months and/or years reaching out to me asking for money. I became the 'inconsiderate,' 'money-hoarding' cousin/niece. I don’t regret winning the money; it’s helped me get into my own home. However, I do regret accepting the money publicly. But unfortunately, my state doesn’t allow anonymous acceptance."

—Anonymous, 27, Colorado

3."My ex-fiancé won just over $86 million a couple weeks after he proposed. He kept it under wraps for a couple months while he figured out the details and made solid plans. However, in Illinois, you can't claim lottery prizes anonymously so once it went public, all hell broke loose. He quit his job and became a recluse."

4."Regret isn't the right word. I do regret that I wasn't educated in how to deal with winning, as no one is. I regret that it eventually contributed to the demise of my marriage."

"The money became a bargaining tool within our marriage and also somehow caused us to work less on our relationship; it divided us."

—Anonymous, 60, Florida

5."My ex-girlfriend's aunt and uncle have won three times: $1 million, $50k, and $1.2 million — all in the span of 4 or 5 years. They bought new cars, remodeled the house, didn't pay off any debts, and didn't pay off their house or cars. They are currently in more debt than they were before the lottery."

6."My dad's neighbor won about $500k from the lottery. Within two weeks, he bought a new double-wide trailer, a brand-new dually truck, and a MASSIVE ring for his brand-new girlfriend."

"A month after that, he had added a new four-wheeler, a new car for his girlfriend, and an RV. Fast-forward to just over a year later, and his trailer was already dumpy, his truck was totaled, his girlfriend had suddenly disappeared, and he was wondering where all his money went."

—u/SpookyBowser

7."Someone I know won years ago and it was shocking how quickly he went through the money. Gave so much away to 'friends' and family members. Basically anyone who asked (or demanded) money. He partied and drank the money away."

8."My dad won a good amount of money from doing an office lottery buy-in and eventually, I started seeing less and less of him. I guess the money inflated his confidence and he left my mom for another woman. The money was gone within a few years, the other woman wanted nothing to do with him, and he tried coming back to us — but my mom had moved on. He’s said to me several times he regrets winning that money."

"He said that it turned him into a terrible person. IDK. Sometimes, I think the money was just a catalyst to whatever behavior he already had."

—Anonymous, 29, California

9."I remember a local family who won $10 million, like, 25 years ago. They bought a giant house and all the cars, quit their jobs, etc. Today, they no longer live in that house and last I heard, they don’t have a penny left."

10."Years ago, someone in my hometown won the lottery and it went right to their head. They bought a red Ferrari, crashed it a week later."

"It was a write-off so they bought another one. They currently have nothing to show for it, which is sad because it was enough to change lives."

—u/Whoneedsyou

11."A former coworker of mine won $24,000. He immediately quit his job and came back for another a week later. He obviously didn't get his old job back."

12."My uncle won the lottery and it went to his head. He quit his job and started to buy unnecessary things. Family members asked him for money all the time and he'd always give it to them. In the end, he had lots of debt and most of the people who owed him money didn't pay him back."

"He's an alcoholic now, and my family almost never invites him over for family gatherings because of how he gets after drinking a little."

—tamsnomoney

13."I had a family member win a pretty sizable amount of money about 16 years ago. They could've paid off their debt, bought a home, saved the remainder, and lived comfortably for years. Instead, they gambled, gave away money to friends, and needlessly spent money on things they didn't need. And now, they are flat broke."

14."My brother came into $140,000. He spent $50k on a car and wrecked it within a month. He is now back to zero and is living paycheck to paycheck."

—u/DeCoYDownUnder

15."My mom's uncle won a couple million in the regular state lotto. He blew it on a huge house and fancy cars. He forgot that property taxes on a mansion are outrageous."

And finally...

16."The absolute worst catastrophe I saw was from one friend. He received $2.3 million as an advance. He immediately spent $1 million as the down payment for custom-ordered exotic cars that would be arriving in months. He then proceeded to spend $50,000 a day on sex workers, drugs, and alcohol for his friends."

"Eventually, he overdosed and died. Less than a week."

—u/holomntn

Have you or someone know you won the lottery and regretted it? Let us know in the comments below.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.