I've been gambling on and off for the past 14 years and have tried everything to stop. My biggest vice is trading CFDs/Spread Betting. Over the past two years, I’ve been down six figures and even in debt, but I somehow managed to claw my way back and end up in a better financial position. I know I’ve been extremely lucky in that regard.
But the financial side isn’t the only problem. Gambling has affected my mental health, my relationships, and even my physical well-being. I’ve socially withdrawn, neglected my health, and ended up in hospital due to stress-related complications.
I was two months gambling-free, but over the past two weeks, I slowly started trading again, convincing myself that small, low-risk trades wouldn’t be a problem. But it built up, and today, I ended up blowing £20K in one day.
I forced myself to stop before it got worse—though it was tempting to keep going. I closed my positions, even though they may have recovered, because the money wasn’t the real problem—the addiction was. I could feel it consuming me again, and I knew if I didn’t cut it off, I’d end up deeper than ever.
This time, I’ve installed Gamban, something I kept making excuses to avoid, even after therapy.
What today has taught me:
🚪 No matter how in control you think you are, you can’t leave doors open. Even a tiny “just in case” pathway will eventually pull you back in.
🔒 Stopping means closing all the doors, securing them, and getting others to help. You can’t rely on willpower alone.
⚠️ I now realize that boredom and feeling lost are huge triggers for me. When I don’t have direction, my mind drifts back toward gambling.
How do you avoid boredom and keep your mind away from gambling? What works for you?
Hi there. With me my go to so called skillset was risky shares and crypto I actually thought I was getting good at them well we all know where that money has gone and it’s not for the want of warnings time and again
Now I volunteer locally , work out , walk and be more social
Its a never ending battle to keep off the share deal sites even worse than football or horses in my opinion
I am helping others with advice as much as possible also
cheers. Mh
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