Hi everyone my name is Shane, at the moment I am currently gambling heavily and know I need to stop, the sinking feeling that follows me everyday is horrible and Im losing friends and family over this, I lost both my parents when my mum passed 5 years ago I seem to have slipped into a huge spiral of gambling as I used to play the machines with her and so keeps me close (probably my mind finding an excuse for why I gamble), I have a bad feeling everyday and I completely lose track of how much money Im spending, I got an inheritance last week and have nearly blew through it all which has lead me to do this as I know my family will hate me for what I've done, I am also impacting on my partner as she doesn't know what to do with me as I can't stop. What I am struggling with is that I seem to like losing I win and spend it and play till Im skint no matter how much money it is I won 2,500 the other night and played that Til it was gone, I am feeling a bit down today as I was in the casino last night and lost about 1000, and Im hiding all of this from my family and partner and that makes me feel worse, I struggle to open up as I have always had to be strong for my sisters but now I need them to be strong for me but that seems backwards in my life. On the brightside though I have given myself Exclusions from Sky accounts online and am going to the bookies today to exclude myself and take the first step to sorting myself out, I can't go to ha meetings as there to far away from me so thought here would help, thanks for reading
This (posting n reading here) will help u immensely.
We are ALL here for u.
U are no longer alone.
Thanks jenni I thought this would be good for me as I can keep it on me all the time
I see you manage to travel to a casino but a GA meeting you wont travel to
day@atime wrote: I see you manage to travel to a casino but a GA meeting you wont travel to
Dan, I understand your frustration but Shane is new on here and looking for support. I'm sure you're quite aware of what he means - I expect the casino is very much closer to him and his closest GA group is further away. I've had it with this forum.
Its a simple point Rach, Shane seems to want to stop gambling. If that is true then what he needs is some kind of commitment to making that happen. I understand you think everyone should be treated with kindness & thats fine but i believe people also need to face their reality
I understand what you mean dan, my friend drove me to bristol last night my problem is I don't drive and the GA meeting is an hour away from me or 2-3 hours on a train and as its at night I ccant get a train home, which frustrates me as I would like to go to one as I think it would help, but as I cant I decided to come here
Probably worth pointing out that what someone has said is illogical, from what i have seen CGs think the it's rest of us that are mad, when really... well you know what i mean, i can laugh at these things at the moment while my CG is in recovery, he couldnt get to a GA meeting because of work commitments etc, all sorts of excuses, but now he's going, nothing will stop him.
Shane, A GA meeting is also good place to start, dont let your inner gambler talk you out of it.
I'm a gambler's wife, your loved ones are not going to be as unforgiving as you think, come clean, start talking. You're addiction means you have really lost sight of how exactly we feel and think, dont assume anything, there will be harsh words and there will also be kindness in places you least expect it. Be brave.
Keep talking
Hi Shane I am feeling the same as you I joined on Saturday I too won 3000 pound on Friday an played till I had nothing left an when I'd done that I gambled 200 away on on line slots I'm still kicking myself as now I have no money for gas when I don't gamble I am level headed an in control but when I gamble all thoughts go out of the window it's now two days since I last gambled an I am full of regrets my head feels too busy. I think it's brilliant that you have self excluded your self from sky me too I have just one more site to close an am done although the thought of this scares me to death, be strong an no in the future this is what is best for thousands of people take care 🙂
If you can get to the bristol meet again Shane there may be someone who could give you a lift if you ask. Are you in somerset as i know thats quite a sparse area for GA meets?
Thanks everyone, feels a bit easier with people to talk to who have gone or are going through it, I plan to sit down with my sisters and partner tomorrow, I live in newquay in cornwall so transport and things are very sparse here frustrates me that I could be driving now if I didn't gamble my money for driving course
There are no GA meetings within hundreds of miles of me either (I checked). Yet there are 5 casinos within 100 miles. Jus' saying. But, if you want recovery bad enough, you can find other resources such as this forum.
Luckily the nearest casino to me is 50-60 miles away so I can't go there often but I am mainly using online and the bookies, but that's also where the nearest GA meeting to me is which is why it's so difficult as its in plymouth and Im in newquay and don't drive, I just find it hard but when Im not gambling I am very on top of things this is just destroying me, I run kitchens for a living and have very good financial acumen just not when it comes to my own because of the gambling
Hi Shane, I don't think you need to get too bogged down in the need for GA, there are plenty of people on here doing this without outside counselling & I for one was gambling for many years through inheritances & remortgages but am now doing really well! I think Gamcare offer phone counselling so may be worth a call to them?
You don't enjoy losing, that's just what this addiction does to us, it keeps telling us to play more, play harder, the big win is coming! It took me about 30 years to find the big win & that started back on the 2nd August & has been running ever since with every gamble free day!
For now you need to concentrate on breaking the Time-Money-Location triangle because without one, we can't gamble. Telling people is hard but hopefully they will support you as much as we do on here & you will find a way through this using the tools that work best for you!
Recovery is a difficult journey but well worth it, be strong - ODAAT
Have set exclusion orders for every bookmakers in my town today was quite a difficult thing to go in on my own and do it, but am happy for being able to, wanted to play but managed to just go in and out and fill the forms :/
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