I'm 3 weeks clear.. and I thought I'd pop by and let you all know
For me it had gotten to a point were I was waiting for money to go into my bank account, as soon as it was in..I had gambled it all away. Followed by excuses to everyone the direct debits would then fail for.. honestly I felt weird having any money in my account as it had become normal to throw it all away.
It all just clicked. I didn't want to live like this anymore as I'd spent yet all the money that had entered my account just a few hours before.
And although I'd not self excluded before, hooked on the fact that id get 10-20% of my loses as bonuses, sometimes a few days after a loss, that I could maybe win with.. but no! Not this time! If I was going to listen I had to go all in on myself for once. So I self excluded... and o*g breath of fresh air.. best thing I ever did.. first couple of days I played a bit on demo mode (which can still be accessed without account) and once it just wasn't the same and in honestly totally boring! I don't bother with that now... my bank accounts looking a little better and bills are actually getting paid... I'd been lost for the last 5 years but I know if TRUELY woken up xx
All sounds very familiar. I've now self excluded myself from every online gambling site that currently exists, only way to be really sure! I've gambled non stop online for 18 years, lost thousands chasing that big win. Even when it came i just gambled it all a way again, that's when i realised no amount is ever enough and this all had to stop else i'm gonna lose everything including my family.
Stay focused and stay strong, we are all here for you!
Wish you all the best.
Chance
Thankyou chance.
That's it no matter how much you win you don't stop till the wins gone as is every pound you can deposit. And your left feeling empty and destroyed then the worry of the effect no money left for weeks sets in. You stop enjoying your life and take your family down with you... I'm looking forward to watching how much enjoyment my family has, now that I'm living again.
How's it all going? Hope your doing well and still gamble free!!
Hey chance, yes I am and it's feeling good. I think because I gambled online, and could self exclude, it's been a blessing. Iv had niggles on occasion late at night which is when I'd usually play but the fact that I know I no longer have access to my accounts it quickly goes and I remember all the reasons I excluded and am content again 🙂
Hi Totalmess,
Thanks for your post, and well done for sharing your story with us.
It seems like you’ve been struggling with your gambling problem for a long while, and you’ve been in denial, and thinking that you can control your gambling without self-excluding.
I’m glad that finally the penny dropped for you, and you’ve now banned yourself from various gambling sites. Well done you!
Perhaps there’s more that you can do to help you stop completely. Have you thought about installing an internet blocking software to help stop you from accessing gambling sites?
Well, Gamcare has tested and recommends the following software to stop you in your tracks:- Gamblock, Betfilter, Net Nanny, and last but not the least, Gamban. This means that you can use your computer, laptop, desktop, smartphone, etc. for all other programs but, it wouldn’t allow you to access any gambling sites. This will help to prevent you from being able to gamble. It would cost you some money but, that’s nothing as compared to the amount of money you’d be losing if you leave yourself unprotected from the urge to gamble.
Also, some of our callers have mentioned a free blocker called K9; maybe you’d like to research on that in addition to the above mentioned ones.
In case you decide to install one, please make sure you read about all of them first, and try and choose the one that would be most suitable to your needs, ok?
In case you feel you need further help and support on this, please don’t hesitate to contact our free phone Helpline on: 0808 8020 133, and speak to one of our advisers regarding other options available to you.
Our lines are open everyday from 8.00am to midnight.
You’ve actually taken a step in the right direction, so keep going, and also keep posting!
Kind regards,
Beatrice
45 days clean. Going strong and feeling great, finally feel in control of my own life again.
Hi there can use tell me how ye self exclude from every possible gambling site
I used a site called FIVERR and paid a small amount of money to be emailed with an entire list of online gambling sites. They also send you a self exclude template which you can adjust, then send this one email to all. You may be able to get this service for free elsewhere but I just wanted to get it done quickly so wasn't bothered about the service charge.
Hope that helps.
Chance
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
