Finally asking for help

Not stupid, addicted! We cannot win because we cannot stop...Only thing we need to avoid is the 1st bet then it can’t destroy us anymore!

It hurts but there is hope...Well done for taking the 1st step by coming here.

Sounds like it’s online damage? Have a chat with an advisor about blocking software or maybe speak to your provider, I know some will block gambling sites. Barriers to get your gambling (Time-Money-Location, remove one & you cannot gamble) triangle broken are important whilst you figure out your next step.

The fun may have stopped but everyone here knows that it’s not as simple as the pathetic little signs in the shops! It can be done though - ODAAT

Thank you, it used to be online but I blocked them all awhile ago then started on the slot machines in town, I told my mam about it for the first time today and I was suprised how well she took it, starting to feel a little better already just wish there was a way of making myself never want to do it again! Feel like there's something wrong with my brain!

There is something wrong with your brain...But we can re-wire them! Blocking one form of addiction without addressing the causes often sends us elsewhere to get our fix. My damage was all done in the machines (too daft to figure out the online stuff thankfully) & when I stopped them, I made an executive decision to carry on with the lottery because it never gave me the same buzz...How ironic that I struggled with crazy urges for tickets & scratchcards that only stopped once I accepted I couldn’t gamble in any form anymore.

Well done for telling your mum (please let her know there is help & support here if she needs it)...Is she maybe in a position to manage your money for a while?

She's offered to do that although it's gonna be tricky I have a 5 year old daughter at home with me so really need to have money on me alot of the time but we're going to try and work something out. And yes the scratch cards were where it all started for me couldn't never just get one and the lottery putting loads of lines on to increase my chances, I know now I need to stop everything completely it's just so hard! Reading what other people have wrote in here I can see they all think the same way as I do, it's nice to not feel like the only one

You are not alone. My demon is online slots, this time I will fight until I'm rewired, I want a good 2018, that's what is driving me. Keep fighting early days are very hard

Good luck katiecoo hope you have a brilliant 2018! I've said I'm going to stop to many times but I've never been as determined as today, I've lost thousands, there's no way I can keep chasing what has gone all I can do is save myself from loosing more! Tomorrow is the start, I'm going to save all the money I would usually gamble and take my little girl to Disney land next year!

It's a great focus and I'm sure will be a wonderful experience for your daughter. Think what we can do with the thousands that we loose

Day 1 going well, managed to go to the shop without buying a scratch card, doesn't sound much but first time I've done that in a long time,plus borrowed some money to get me through the week and not even tempted to put it back in the slots. Gonna keep checking in on here everyday to remind myself how bad it gets!

Hard day today got dropped off in town after work right near to were I usually go on the slots, really strong urge to go in but I reminded myself how horrible I would feel if I did, always an instant regret as soon as I start! So beat the temptation, day 4 now must be the longest I've ever been without buying a scratch card aswell so feeling good!

Only on day 6 and it's already so hard, my hardest day so far, been regretting deleting one of my accounts, just a bingo site that I had limits set on, convincing myself earlier today that it was only the slots that caused me problems and I would have been ok to keep playing bingo and that I might of had a win in there, I know that this is the wrong way to think as even though I didn't spend huge amounts on it, I stopped cashing out any wins a long time ago, so still a waste of money and alot of time wasted too. I've went from feeling my lowest ever last week to starting to feel positive and thinking I'm gonna do this to now feeling low spirits, irritable and slightly depressed. Really hope this passes soon, if it wasn't for coming on this site, today would have been the day I fell back into that vicious cycle!

For sure you will feel high and low from day-to-day with this for a while. I went through that, things are already getting better though! Ride it out and as ALL the areas in your life start to improve you'll start having so many better days then bad days.

Have you managed to talk with anyone? Family? A friend? Counselling? Sometime all we need is to talk out how/what we feel at times to hear and better understand whats going on.

Keep at it, your riding through the hardest part.

Thank you every bit of encouragement helps, I told my mam about it now and a couple of friends but don t want to tell them every time I feel like this incase they worry that I'll give in to it, and I don't think anyone who hasn't experienced it could ever really understand. I was filling in the online form for counselling earlier but stopped, don't know why, I'll try again tomorrow. I won't give up no matter how hard it gets, I need to stop before this totally destroys my life, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

I know you probably think telling her will burden her with "your problems" but if she knows she probably expects you are having a hard time. If you are anything like me then it used to take something VERY serious for me to talk to my mum about anything really. Im sure your mum wants to help and talking to her about this will help you both. Open up and tell her what its like and when you're hurting and she will better understand. Its hard to explain why us gamblers feel/act as we do sometimes but if you keep talking to her she will get a better idea. I know for me personally its brought me closer to my mum. She feels good that she can help me by talking about it. To be honest its possible by just listening she can help you more than you realise.

Its up to you but something to think about. All the best =)

Thanks for the advice I'm going to pop an see her after work tomorrow, going to make plans to go shopping together next week, have a ciuple of days off while my daughter's at school that i need to make plans for, there the days I usually end up on slot machines so going to make sure im keeping busy and not alone. Just getting out how I've felt on here has actually helped alot, started to feel a little more relaxed now! Thanks for reading!