Day 2 gamble free

Hello just reading ure post...I've been on and off these roulette machines for years lost a small fortune.. including loosing £1200 last week they are " electric serpents" biggest mistake I make is bringing my visa card into the place I only carry 50 quid cash so I can't gamble above that ...then once I loose that the card gets used usually with disastrous consequences..asked my bank to block payments to all high street bookmakers but refused to which I think is unreasonable.. I am presently on a heavy downer ..and now leave card in the house and pay cash for everything..I can only advise u to do the same if ure bank won't assist you..

I did similar things to gamble. I talked to my bank to stop it and they put a block on that I could easily turn off in my banking app so that was no use. The crypto stuff was so dodgy I would worry about losing it all just moving it about. It was so stressful moving thousands around.

Eventually I got counselling because I had enough. This made me realise I was telling myself lies about my ability to win. Once I was ready to accept I had a problem and gave up hope of winning I found it easier to abstain. I just passed a year Gamble free and even the gambling ads don't really make me want to gamble most of the time.

Once ready to seek help, seek it from professionals (i got free gambling counselling from NHS website - took about 6 weeks of waiting. Was worth the wait).

Also thinking about the bi - polar. I had to say to my counsellor I have schizophrenia and it complicates things. So I would have delusional thoughts where I thought I was special and I was going to win because I was special. I was able to talk this through with a counsellor and see where I was deluding myself and that has helped.

But I was left with some of the more negative mental health symptoms like depression because I feel like I am not achieving anything at the moment. The gambling would have congratulatory messages like "you've won" and I would feel like I had achieved something. Talked this through and saw that I wasn't actually achieving as much as I thought because I would get all these messages but many of the "wins" were less than I put in. Or I would have many little wins but lose overall in a session. Seeing that these weren't real achievements helped.

Now I have replaced the gambling with things like my running where I have run 3 marathons this year and raised some money for charity doing so. This has helped quite a bit with the depression but I still miss the highs of gambling a bit.

Some of that is also helped by rewarding myself for not gambling. I treated my family for a meal out for my 1 year of not gambling. I bought myself new running shoes for 6 months. I went out with my partner for some of the monthly celebrations to a restaurant. And for my birthday me and my partner went on holiday to Devon. The first proper holiday I have been able to go on with her since we got together. I would never have been able to afford so much on benefits if I hadn't stopped gambling.

Its taken hard work but I do now feel that I have achieved things by not gambling. Its not all great as I don't have a job but its a lot, lot better than before. 29 years of gambling from 15 to 44. Then 397 days gamble free so far. I try not to expect instant results anymore.