Hi all,
Today i have decided to quit gambling, it has been a long lasting problem, the issue is that i am only 20 years old and feel as if i have grown up in the prime time of gambling, it's on every set of tv adverts (being a huge football fan) it seems to be part of sponsors, kits, tv adverts, the lot! I have decided to self-exclude from all sites and realise my predicament.
My Story In Brief (I know there are people in a lot worse predicaments than me,but im trying to stop whilst i can)
I had a long time away from gambling after about 3k in losses, had about a year away and was doing really well, i just found myself puting £3-£5 accas on when i was abroad on holiday, it felt not much of a problem, but about 3 more weeks down the line i was chasing losses/staking hundreds, eventually thousands and i was back with the same problem that i thought i'd left behind before.
Today i sit here after staking hundreds on my cards/credit cards,eventually as much as £2000 on a tennis set. only £70 down now which i know is very lucky, i can get that £70 back, the issue is the gambling itself getting me down, taking over my life,if anybody can give me some tips on best ways to avoid gambling that would be greaty appreciated and i know a lot of you are in the same boat as myself, if i don't stop i will lose everything, simple as that.
Hi mynameanon,
What strikes me - You are 20. "After 3k of loses, I stayed away from gambling".
So read that back.
That's an incredible amount of money to lose at 18/19. People in their 40's with kids are going to foodbanks and writing on forums that they can't remember the last time they had £10 in their wallet to treat themselves to a haircut!
I'm not saying that in judgement - I'm saying that at 20 you have fallen into the trap that we all have fallen into - losing the value of real money. Numbers on a phone/laptop screen going up and down. Digital numbers up, we are happy; digital numbers down we are sad. Numbers, numbus, NUMB US! Numb us to the true value of things in the real world.
Install Gamblock across all your devices (it's free to install). And then, at 20, everytime you feel that urge to gamble walk out the adrenaline by physically walking to the cash machine and taking out the money you were about to s***k and stick it in a jar. After 6 months you will have enough to go and travel somewhere amazing in the world and see how 80% of the planet live hand to mouth, and the gratitude you will feel will keep you real.
I'm honestly not saying that condescending or judgmental - If despite that you are feeling an uncontrollable urge to risk everything despite knowing you will lose yet feel the need for a buzz/or to punish yourself because you deserve to lose - then I would suggest CBT therapy which is free from NHS. (It helped me massively, and I'm 44! So if it works for an old dog like me; there's hope for you!)
Keep posting, keep searching,
best wishes,
Max
Evening Max,
Thank you for that, it was very nice to hear some constructive support, honestly!
I understand exactly what you mean,numbers on the screen portray gambling as ‘a game’ when in fact it is life destroying. I’d class it in the same category as drugs if not potentially worse. But that’s my opinion! I will give that jar thing a go 100%. Thank you
.
Hi Ben,
Sorry to hear about the hurt it has caused you. Reading that was basically reading a mirror image of my last 3 years. I WILL stop myself/already have over the last few days.I will persist with that and not allow the same mistakes to happen, I hope you’re doing well now buddy if you ever need a chat hit me up on this thread!
DAY 1
I blipped again yesterday, lost another £130 on football and tennis bets. I have gone a day now without placing a bet, a day which all i have thought about is not betting again, trying to get my head around the temptations and urges that push you to place a bet. I feel the best way to get out of this rut is to learn about the problem we are all here for, learn what triggers my brain into pushing me into putting a 'cheeky tenner' on the footy which all the time turns into at least 10 times that after i chase my losses. I am 'as lame as it may sound' proud of myself for getting through 24 hours of not having a bet.
Stay safe, Anon
Day 2
I've realised that myself and anybody who is going through this problem, 99% of you on here i'd say need to set short term goals to get through this 'illness'. Find the healthy points of our lives, eg. My girlfriend of 5 years, Family, Friends, Good Job, Sports. Then weigh up against gambling itself. Ask yourself every time we have that feeling of a 'cheeky fiver/tenner' on a spin or an acca, is all of that worth losing? Get through this day by day and it'll get better, we will all beat this together.
Stay safe, Anon
Hi Anon,
Hope you are having a great day. Don't worry about having a relapse it happens! I am only 18... yes 18 and I am on here. My birthday was Nov 2018 and started with £10 free bets here and there. And then it just went downhill. Fortunatley I am not in any debt but the recovery is still hard to get through. But today I reach 28 days GF and the fact the number is getting bigger is the best feeling.
The first 2 weeks are the hardest, as you know make sure you are signed up to GAMSTOP and have blocking applications installed on to all potential gambling devices. I like the idea of setting short term goals, I use the 'Notes' section on my phone and every night before I go to bed I tick off that day that I have not gambled.
Get those GF days up, we can get through this!
Matt
Hello Matt!
Brilliant news mate, 28 days is something to be very proud of, glad for you! Thank you for the kind advice too. I like the idea of notes, might have to give it a go! The young age we both were is no surprise as we are targetted with these free bets to reel us in, it's very sad how the bookies do so, ever need a chat you know where i amm mate, keep going!
Anon
Day 3
Today feels much better than the previous two. Using gym as a bit of a get away. Relieving my build up of urges and stress at the gym and feels like a detox. Work has been good this week. Kept busy. Onto Friday!
Anon
Hi guys, haven’t posted in a while as been struggling a lot. Had a relapse with gambling and finally decided enough was enough 3 days ago. I decided to speak to my parents and my girlfriend and am going to see someone who speacialises in addictions. Just want anyone to know that as bad and hard as speaking out may seem. It’s the best thing to do and you WILL thank yourself for doing so afterwards. I will keep active on here now as I feel this site is a huge factor of recovery. Keep speaking guys and believe that you can do this. We can 🙂
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