all time low

Hi blue, I know the feeling, those machines are terrible I m totally addicted to them, I am going to struggle to quit them even though like you ve said we all know it's money down the drain.just keep coming on here instead that's what I m trying to do anyway.

Hey there,

You have absolutely come to the right place, even if, like me, it took you an incredibly long time to get here!

My story is similar with regards to the progression but mine lasted a little longer, cost a lot more & although he does not know the full extent of the damage (because I have not been brave enough to work it out), I did tell my partner. I have found strength in knowing other people like me are beating this & I feel sick reading youngsters in the grip of this because I know I have helped fund additional establishments! Chasing £100 loss with as much money as I could get my hands on, withdrawing on every card even though I was way over my limit! I couldn't go £5 overdrawn in a supermarket but £1000 in a bookies, yep, that's fine, just pop your card in! On the extremely rare occasion I managed to recoup it, I couldn't stop. Sometimes the shop closing stopped me but I'd be sure to drag myself out of bed no matter how tired the following morning & get there before it opened to make sure no-zone else got their hands on my money.

You are already one step ahead of me, I only came here to find a way to control it...Between various sites I was disheartened to discover the only way for a compulsive gambler like myself to beat it is to quit - You are already there!

There is plenty of help on here, plenty of people to support you as we all (addicts, friends, family) share a common goal. I am no expert but the rule of thumb is to break the Time-Money-Location triangle, take any one of them away & you can't gamble.

Gambling will never give you the joy your family can, throw gambling away, not them - ODAAT

Cheers pal,they are truly devastating people's lives,I've self excluded from all the local bookies but had to go to bank in town today and drop in payment from a job I'd just finished,bookies next door,half an hour won't hurt,you know the rest,I'm such a d**k,I keep thinking that I could have spent the money on the kids for Christmas or redone the bathroom I keep promising to do,instead it's in some bookies a**e pocket and I've worked the last two weeks for nothing,I'm gonna be low for days now when all around me are getting excited for Christmas.

Hi, i'm listening to you and hearing a story told a million times over. I'm reading a book at the moment and it says gambling becomes a problem the moment you believe it can help you. The best throw of the dice is when you throw them away. 1500 quid in a machine? hmmm, how many of us have been there, i have i know that and it hurts afterwards, maybe even during. The money's gone, don't write it off and keep chasing and you'll be heading for a lot more pain. You might win it back, you might win another 10k, but it's just ammunition to keep the addiction going, to feed that feeling, the desire to gamble. The book says the following and you'll understand as you have a beautiful wife and children, 'by gaming we lose both our time and treasure - the two most precious to the life of man'. It's as hard as you want to make it my friend. Help yourself at first by handing over control of your finances, you're not alone in this. Just for one day at a time don't gamble, as the time mounts up you'll feel/think differently about gambling and the money lost. Go to GA meetings if you like, read books on addiciton, do what suits you. Life must be stressful as it is with 2 daughters, gambling doesn't releive stress, it causes it. I too lost tens maybe even hundreds of thousands, but most of all i lost time and sanity. Money can be replaced, no money can buy time. Choose gambling and chose misery, choose not to gamble and you'll feel a sense of happiness. Even if things are c^&P you'll be happy you didn't spend a fortune and the pain that goes with the lies, the sense of being a failure, the embarrassment, the feeling of i did it again and i just can't stop. You can stop, you can do what you want to do if you fight for life, your life. Tell me in a few days you feel better, i'll be waiting.

Thank you,I'm amazingly lucky to be blessed with a loving family and we're generally very happy,I have this terrible secret that I have to share with someone and I just hope I'm strong enough to finally conquer it before my family have to suffer .

Me too! I am subscribing to this!

Wise words there...Maybe you could give us a Christmas present instead - Stay gamble free!?

Next time you go to the bank, take passport photos & march straight up to the counter to self exclude! This damage appears to have been done before you even started posting on here so tomorrow is your 1st Day 1...Only you can make it your last!

Have a sulk, feel sorry for yourself now use this pain to find your cure...The money has gone but without gambling you can give your family the gift of your presence - ODAAT

Orbits - what is the name of this book?

Blue in the red and all who have commented - it seems we are all in the same boat. Lost thousands and finally accept it.
Luckily I never got hooked on them d**n machines mine was tennis and football on my mobile but I have actually staked over 2 million. Probably lost around £150k. Its awful. We must beat this together.

Mba

Hi mba, the book was recommended by another poster on the new members introductions, it's called The Easy Way To Stop Gambling, by Allen Carr, it's a good read. How are you blue in the red? i wish you a happy christmas and hope you've not done anything silly.

Blue in the red, your story is very similar to mine and quite a few that I've read on these forums. As compulsive gamblers when we are down, we chase the loss, when we are up we want to win more. Either way we'll never win. I like you kept everything a secret, and there was a point where I couldnt hide it no more. Although upset I've received nothing but support and I'm sure your fantastic family will be the same.

I wish you all the best mate, and you are in the right place with these forums.