Day 22 and a question.

@terrypowell Thanks for the question. I can only talk about my own experience but my addiction got progressively worse the longer I did it. I was a problem gambler from a very young age, but that normally meant that I would bet small but I would stay until I had lost everything. It could have been slots or fruit machines, it could have been on horses or it could have been a football bet.

Once I placed a certain size bet, it became easier to do it again, and again, until it became normal. My new normal was suddenly bigger bets on everything, most times until everything had gone. I then needed bigger loans to keep up with my “normal” bets as my wages weren’t enough. Even when I tried to just play poker for a few pound entry fee, I’d end up doing slots or whatever else was available. 
My experience, and the advice that I follow through GA, is that it isn’t possible to pick and choose what you control and what you don’t. GA say no betting of any kind, not raffle tickets, not a single lottery ticket, not even a free bet, so I don’t. Not one penny on any type of gambling, however trivial the reason or the bet. I do this because in over 40 years of gambling I have never been able to control it, and if I gamble it always ends badly. I’ve lost my family, I’ve lost jobs, my freedom, obviously money, and everything else you can think off because I’ve thought one bet can’t hurt. It does and it has.

Find other hobbies, other interests, there’s a world full of possibilities that don’t involve betting.

Hope that helps.

Chris.

@chris-uk 

Hi Chris and thank you for your reply, I to have gambled for years but always slot machines really, i have lost so much money, one wife, and then gambled away all the proceeds from the sale of the house, well my share of it anyway, Got myself back straight and narrow and now back to where I am again thousands in debt. 

I also had the issue with when I did play poker on line I would debit say 50 quid and then play 5 of poker then the rest would go on slots between hands. 

I can no longer do that as I have access to one site only and only have access to Poker no other form of gambling. I also have limits in place on the account so cannot deposit more than 20quid. 

I think though I shall take your advise into consideration, which is why I asked the question in the first place.

Regards

Well done to you on getting to day 22! I can completely relate in the sense that I have only ever been addicted to online slots. Betting on sports or other things just never gave me the same buzz. That said, since I have been trying to quit (I'm now on day 74) I have found myself occasionally getting tempted to do things like buy a lottery ticket which had never crossed my mind before. I have managed not to give in and do this but I think in some way my mind doesn't want to quit gambling entirely so is now resorting to thinking of other ways to gamble. I'm definitely not suggesting this will automatically be the case for you, but as you hopefully go longer and longer without slots just be careful you don't subconsciously try to replace this with more problem gambling in other ways. 

@cerrry93 

Congrats on getting to Day 74, great work, I am going to have a think about this some more. 

At the moment I am still trying to get through each day, 

Hi

I am new to this site as i have only just opened up to my wife and family regarding my addiction to online slots 

I also started small but the larger the winnings the larger the stakes i put back in as a result i now find myself 15k in debt because i was always trying to win back what i had lost which i now know is almost impossible 

I already feel better that people close to me know what i have been going through over the past 9 months as i found it difficult to admit to anybody how deep into gambling i had got myself. I am determined to never bet or gamble in any way shape or form again

Day 22 is very good going and the more the days go by the more your brain will ignore the craving to try it again. Keep it up you can do this ? 

Thanks