Hi all,
Wow, what a community. Have been looking around for the past 30 min and this looks like an amazing place. I have had trouble stopping gambling lately and look forward to my journey alongside this forum. I am 22 years old and gambling has changed my life forever.
I work for a thoroughbred trainer and love everything about caring for horses. At the begining of the year I bought my first racehorse after winning enough money to do so through betting at the track. That horse earned good money, and to make things even better I scored on a racing wager paying over 50k. At that time, things could not be going any better.
Immidiately after, I continued to pursue my dreams as a successful horse owner (and eventually trainer), and subsequently purchased more horses. As you could imagine I contined to wager heavilly on the sport that has brought me such success in the past. As bills for the horses started to accumulate and funds began to run thinner, I turned to the one thing I knew best, betting more on horses. Recently two of my horses came up with injuries and I was faced with the realization that they would be generating major losses over the next six months. This triggered me to chase those losses by attempting to hit more massive wagers, and obviously that hasn't worked out.
Currently I am struggling financially, and although I have assets I am barely hanging on. I am praying tax day comes soon enough so I can reclaim all of the money that was withheld from my winnings, then continue paying vet/feed bills, and live out the rest of my life without placing a wager. This is my first day not betting, and honestly I feel like I am addicted to the mental aspect of handicapping a race more than anything. I am truely passionate about it and it is a huge struggle to learn how to do so without actually placing a wager. However, I am glad to have found this forum, and hopefully I will be able to move past this and be apart of the thoroughbred industry without the constant urge to wager on them.
Thanks for reading - I look forward to communicating with you all.
Hello horseman,
Welcome to the forum, and well done on starting a diary too.
Many people find that using the forum helps them to see things from the perspective of someone who is pursuing recovery, as you can share the views of like-minded people who have seen the harm they were experiencing in gambling, and who have now set their sights on achieving a better life by overcoming problem gambling. You can witness the struggles and setbacks that people can sometimes go through, and learn from how they manage the challenges. You can also gain inspiration and hope from their progress. I hope you find it useful to post about your experiences too.
Do feel welcome to use GamCare's other services too, like the freephone or Netline.
Take care,
Adam.
Hi horseman,
Found your post really interesting and I could really relate to it.
I too have been successful in the past and won about £15k. Love horse racing, particularly the NH. But like you being a CG gambler cannot walk away and end up losing on some stupid race and then chasing losses!!!
its really tough and I don't know what the answer is I can't personally watch it without linking to betting so I have to not gamble. It's the only way.
Gary
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