first time poster

Hi Rob2488,

Welcome to the forum, and well done for posting here.

It is not unusual that you thought you were in control of your gambling when that wasn’t the case. Sometimes it is either due to being in denial or, not being aware of your gambling addiction situation. Some hit rock bottom before they wake up to their addiction problems. Gambling gets out of control very easily as you may have noticed, and you need some professional help to overcome it as trying to do it on your own is actually very difficult.

You managed to seek help in the forum as soon as you realised you’re gambling more than you used to, and rightly so. Here you can get a lot of advice and support from people who have been through what you’re going through now, and also learn from their series of strategies and boundaries that helped them to overcome/ manage their addiction problems.

Also, I do agree with you that those who don’t have proper knowledge understanding of problems that come with gambling addiction wouldn’t know how it feels like to be an addict. At GC, we provide help and support not only for the gambler, but for their friends and family as well. There is also a lot to learn from the postings here regarding strategies and boundaries to distract you from gambling, and also to be aware that you’re not alone in this, and that there’s no need for you to suffer in silence or isolation.

Maybe, it would be advisable to call our free phone helpline on 0808 8020 133 to speak 1 to 1 with one of our specially trained advisers, and who would be happy to discuss, help, and advise you on the maximum support that we can provide for you. We can also offer you 12 sessions of free counselling if you think that would help you to overcome your gambling addiction. You can even open a diary here to help you monitor your own recovery process.

I wish you all the best in your efforts to overcome your gambling addiction.

Thanks again for your post, and please try and post as often as you can.

Kind regards,

Beatrice

Hi

Welcome to the site, I've only just joined this week and have found it a massive help. I'm only on 5 days without gambling but have found that coming on here has helped a lot.

I set up my own diary to which gives you something to jot your thoughts down on,

Support on this site is really inspiring seeing what others have been through, stay strong,

Andy

Thanks guys as you all know it feels great having people around who support you, I can't help but thank my partner who despite the initial shock has gaurenteed to be my rock right up till I can see a betting shop or watch a game of football without feeling any urge to stick (what I was known for saying) a cheeky tenner, I will start a diary and hope to encourage others around who are just beginning to come to terms with their addiction also,

Rob

Hi Rob - As King1984 says, giving support to others is a great way of helping you come to terms with your problem. Keeping a Diary is a good idea too, as is joining the '2014 Challenge' on the 'Overcoming problems gambling' page. This is a team effort - all you have to do is to introduce yourself and then check in before Saturday each week. Mr Brightside is our brilliant leader and keeps tabs on us, reporting on our progress every weekend. It really helps.

Best wishes for your journey.

Joanna