It's much easier to get yourself a credit card nowadays - and it's much easier to find yourself in big trouble with debt. Credit cards aren't the only culprits, but they certainly have contributed to an alarming rise in personal debt. If you're in the situation where debt is destroying your life and you don't know what to do, then try checking out a debt management service.

Even better, look around for a free debt management service. Basically, these services help you to manage and over time get rid of all your debt. It's not going to happen overnight, so you need to be prepared to get some discipline back into your financial life, and stick to the plan. There are a couple of different styles of free debt management services, so you need to decide which one is going to be most suitable for your situation. Volunteers provide most of these services, so that there's no need to charge administration or set-up fees. Also check out how the service operates - do they communicate mostly by phone, email and letter? It can be a real nuisance visiting their offices on a regular basis.

The first type of organization provides a very hands-on approach to managing your debts. They can be very helpful if your situation is particularly grim. Basically, your adviser will draw up a debt repayment plan for you. This will include an amount you're required to pay into their trust account each month. So you make one payment a month, rather than trying to keep track of all your outstanding debts and their due dates. The debt management service then uses your funds to pay all your creditors. Often, the service will also speak to your creditors and try to negotiate lower interest rates or an extended payment period.

You can also choose to visit a debt counseling organisation. They will also take a close look at your financial status, and in particular what income is coming in and what expenses you have. They will then draw up a debt management plan, and give you advice about how to manage your expenses. With this type of debt management service, however, you will need to take care of all your payments and organise your own finances - they won't do it for you. So you need to feel confident that you can be organised and disciplined with your money. It's important to listen to your counselor and learn the financial management skills they teach you. Many counselors will also speak to your credits and try to negotiate a better payment plan on your behalf.

A third variation is a charity service. Again, you will be assigned a counselor who will take a close look at your situation and recommend some ways to handle your debt. They will also draw up a financial plan for you to follow. However, they won't contact any of your credits on your behalf, so you will need to do that for yourself.

All of these debt management services can be of great help if you find yourself in a bad financial situation. However it's not good just visiting them once, then walking away and ignoring everything they told you. You need to implement the plans that have been drawn up for you, and just as important, you need to change the way you handle money in general, so that once your debt is cleared, you won't just creating more. Once you've learned to handle your money responsibly, you will find it much easier to be debt free.