First day of my admission

Dear Ambr179,

Thank you for your post to the Gam Care Forum. I know it isn't easy to acknowledge that you have a gambling problem so well done for making that first step and for reaching out for support.

Even though some support available may be offering a reduced service at the moment, there are still plenty of other options available to you, including sharing your experiences with people who use this forum who  as well as listening will be able to offer you lots of good advice and support. 

If you are interested in trying out a group/meeting, in addition to GA you might also have a look at the UK Smart Recovery website who already have an established network of online meetings. We also run two daily chat rooms from the Gam Care website, one at 1.00pm and one in the evening at 8.00pm which are very well attended. 

Gam Care can also refer you to free one to one treatment support which at the moment would also be delivered online or alternatively over the telephone. 

If you would like to talk about any of these options and other gambling blocks that could be useful, please call us anytime on the helpline 0808 8020 133 or on our net line (web chat) both of which are available 24 hours a day. 

Wishing you all the very best,

Helen

Forum Admin

Hi Ambr.....

Just so you know we are all here thinking of you and sending you our best thoughts and hopes for your gambling free future! Doing it on your own is impossible... this fact you may already have stumbled across in the recent past when chewing over all the conflicting things going through your head... “One more big win then stop”, or “I think i got the sequence of the clicking now.. just a few more”, or even, “It might be me...?”... All these are just you tempting yourself or trying to persuade yourself that to gamble ‘could’ bring you wealth, riches and more importantly self-Kudos??? Most people on here will testament that these things are constant and are what kept us gambling for the most part.

If you REALLY want to stop gambling then promise yourself to just keep opening up this website, even every hour at the start if needed, if you think your brain is stretching you away And tempting you to the ‘other’ actual gambling sites...?

...and although some of them call themselves ‘gaming’ sites they are all ‘MAIMING’ sites that simply want you to pass all your, or others, money to them... Full stop!

There is a triangle of three important things i use to stop me from gambling... simply this;

Money.

Time.

Access.

Stop ANY one of these three things then you CANT gamble. SIMPLE.

Take away your money... give ALL access to your money, cards, bank accounts, loans, cash, EVERYTHING monetary wise, to someone you can trust and know will look after it to support you.

Take away your time... All the time you spent gambling now has to be filled with something else... I chose to write a journal to record all my thoughts about my gambling and how its hurt people around me...? I wrote for about four or five weeks solid... BUT I did not gamble in that time so it worked for me..

Access... Denying yourself access to something that you feel is a given right is a difficult thing to accept for most of us, but is most likely the MOST important thing for you, or someone very close to you, to undertake. Self-Exclude immediately is my advice, from wherever you can. Then, once this is done, GET SOMEONE ELSE to go onto each and EVERY site you EVER used to gamble and self-exclude from ALL of them... forget any ‘pence or pounds’ you have on any account, its gone! Give over your phone, iPads and access to any pC,s etc... Sounds a bit strong but if you do this then the embarrassment and shame WILL help you to stop... but will ALSOI give your friend/partner a tiny bit of confidence that you REALLY mean this!

I wish you the best in your journey and just know that whatever you have felt or done to support your gambling then there are thousands that have done much worse, but have come out the other side better people.

Stay safe...

Blessings,

John Pops.

Thanks for the response John Pops what a brilliant thread. I have already done some of what you have suggested and will now be looking for some online 1-1 chats and meetings.