I'm new here and have been reading quite a few on the posts on here and I'm glad to see I'm not alone in these struggles really helps seeing other peoples stories (although I wish none of us had this problem)
I don't know how it's started and when it took a turn for the worse probably about 12 months ago but I've become massively addicted to the casino slots, I have 3 in close vicinity to me and they have become my social life where I seem to know most people in there and all seemingly with the same problem. I used to play online then had enough of losing so self excluded from them now I'm onto physically going to the casino almost daily! My biggest problem is I handle cash for the company I work for which I have till the end of the week and handle hundreds of pounds a day combined with this addiction you can see where I'm going here it's totally ruined me so when it comes to transferring the money over at the end of the week I'm always late cos it's virtually always gone. It started out being a day or two late cos the amounts I needed to recover was only small then it's turned it to 4 or 5 days late cos the amounts have gone up! Every time it happens and I rescue my situation and get even it's like something goes off in my head and thinks I'll give it another go. It's crazy and like others am also having thoughts I shouldnt be having. I have an amazing girlfriend, an amazing daughter who I have on weekends and a pretty cushy job and I still want more and to risk everything for some selfish fun I don't get it. I'll stop for a week then somehow find myself returning. Here's the problem with me (I'm stubborn) I don't want to self exclude as I see this as a weakness in myself that I have no control over something. I want to somehow want to stop, stop gambling and going the casino like an addicted gambler but in time whether it be 1 or 2 or 3 years be normal again where if a friend or my gf suggest an evening in a casino I would be able to go like any normal person could and enjoy an evening there on a budget and have had fun if that was to ever happen without having to self exclude myself for life. Many will disagree I know but I'm the kind of person where I've ways had control of things in my life apart from this but I have been ruined by this and I'm literally at the verge of losing my house, my job, my girlfriend everything from it and I know I need help to stop this. Im so far behind on my company money I don't even know if I can rescue it as all my excuses have run out and I'm sure they won't put up with it much longer. I was there tonight after 2 days of blowing stupid amounts trying to recover my losses and a stranger even said to me you need a break and stop coming here and just made me realise I am a mug and I don't enjoy it anymore. My life has gone I have no social life its also strange as I won't spend money on normal things cos I think I should be paying bills with it yet I'd be happy piling in hundreds to a slot machine cos I think somehow it owes me. Anyway thanks for reading don't want sympathy just need people who can relate to my pathetic a*s so I don't feel like the only one in the world who's blowing his life away to slots. Peace out....
Hi DG, welcome to the forum 🙂
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but what you want & what you can have aren't always the same thing. I do completely understand the desire to want to go back to social gambling again but I'm yet to read a story (& I've read a lot) where that has happened...We cannot win because we cannot stop. Sounds like you are here like I was, looking for ways to control your gambling/stop losing...Scared the life out of me when I 1st realised that there is no such thing. I'm not gonna beat around the bush with you & this can be done without self exclusions, if you hand over control of your finances & get a new job but you need to stop kidding yourself you are simply late with your company money...That is not yours to be spending! Not wanting to self exclude because that shows a weakness is your addict brain twisting stuff, the same brain that is justifying you spending money you don't have on the very thing that put you in this mess in the 1st place. It's a trait of ours to want to be in control, think we can do it alone but the reality is, we are so far out of control that it's almost laughable. You switched from online to casinos because you are an addict, not because it was a sure fire way of making money. I feel your pain with not wanting to spend money on normal things, it's another text book trait of ours & there are posts galore of people spending hundreds on a pint of milk or a pair of jeans & coming back without.
There is a way out of this, just not your way & if you carry on, you will lose everything . Time to stop blowing your life away - ODAAT
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.
