Hello everyone. I am a compulsive gambler and I need a bit of support in my efforts to stop.
I have been gambling since I was 18 (I'm 31) and, in common with many people here, I have lost a lot of money. I started with the occasional tenner on the football and have gradually built up to losing hundreds a week on online slots. I have started getting into fairly serious debt because of my gambling and it feels a bit like it is getting out of control.
I am convinced that I can give up successfully and have resolved never to gamble again. I have done this once before - I gave up for about a year, and then for absolutely no reason whatsoever started again (I suppose I thought that, because I hadn't gambled for a while, I could have twenty quid here and there and not get pulled into it again). However clearly I'm not cut out to gamble responsibly and therefore I need to stop altogether.
I'll let you know if it goes well! I really hope it does. It may seem a fairly obvious thing to say but it's pretty bloody difficult to stop once you get started. Hopefully being here will help. Cheers
Hello badluckdean,
Welcome to the Forum. Well done for being so determined to stop and not allow gambling to rule your life. The fact that you managed to stop before for a year without help shows that you have strong will power and you can do it. The fact that you started again shows that there is always a risk of relapsing and it is important that you take those opportunities to understand your addiction better.
GamCare provide free counselling sessions that can help you with your recovery so you grow stronger and become more able to deal with urges when you face them again. We also offer in the moment support if you need to talk about what you are going through. Our Helpline and Netline are open from 8am until midnight, seven days a week. You're welcome to contact GamCare on 0808 8020 133, which is free on the main mobile networks. Alternatively, you can use the Netline to connect to an advisor:
http://secure.gamcare.org.uk/netline
Best wishes,
forumadmin
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