Hello to anyone reading this today. My name is Teresa, and without doubt, I have a gambling problem. I'm 45 years old and from a very young age played fruit machines at the seaside where we lived. As I got older I have gone to bingo halls and ALWAYS had to play the machines. I feel that was a problem I was able to control and fortunately never got me into "serious" trouble. Having read lots of stories on these forums I consider myself very lucky compared to many others. I haven't got myself into dept and because I live with my partner of 8 years I always have food on the table and clothes on my back. No problem with bills because he pays them all. I moved into his hourse 6 years ago. About 3 years ago I started playing bingo online. Although this obviously can be addictive it wasn't my "real" downfall. I enjoyed playing and sometimes won, because of bonuses you receive when you first join and deposit just £10. About 18 months ago I started playng onlin e slots. For me, this is the real demon. I became addicticted without realising it. I joined a few sites which were similar (same machines, same layout etc.) and I won a few thousand. I would play for hours and it was great. The downside came when I started to use my "winnings" to play some more because I just love playing, I love the thrill of getting the features. Inevitsable my winnings disappeared and I have lost probably arounf 10k of my own money. I have a little savings which is put away, out of my reach, but I owe my b/f two thirds of what I have saved away and am supposed to pay him back on a monthly basis when I receive my wages. For the last 6 months I have not. I believe when you become addicted you lose all self control, and sadly, nothing else matters but where you are going to get your next bit of money from so you can have your next fix. I could go on to say so much more. One key thing i want to say is that on most of the sites I play, they want everyone to believe they promote all this gamcare stuff, when i don't believe one second they give a stuff, but they want to be seen to be "caring". Sorry for the very long post.......
hi teresa im joe im a a CG and my downfall is roulette , jsut can,t seem to stop playing and its crushing my finances , feeling i have to pawn my nice stuff to make it to pay day as i have a young child and family so its serious addiction and your get better advice than me from people that can STOP , but just wanted to sat hey and your not alone ,slot and roulette made to make money , like you said FUN is FUN if you can walk away but unlike like drugs , gambling still very legal and very acceptable so it has to be us thats makes decisions ,yh we lost money we earn it again but yh there is a point where we have to re evaluate before we get crushed . stay in touch
joe x
Hello Joe, Thanks for saying hello. Sorry what does CG stand for?? Like may who are on here, I don't see myself as stupid, but at the end of the day us wasting our hard earned money is stupid. I gamble on the pc at home and it's just far too easy. I know in my head I have to replace this "gambling time" with doing somehtng else, something that will take my mind off it. This is the logical person talking. And we all know putting all these good things into motion is a lot harder than saying you will!! All the very best mate xx
hey , CG stands for compulsive gambler or constantly gambling m yh your right im going go back into the gym and swimming this week or next as so much better for your health and finances and you do get a feel good factor after a work out , yh a CG does not think logically and actions are so much harder than words so if you re lapse i think the best optioon is self exclude from all your sites and bar yourself from local bookies , casinos , saying that i got really defensive when my girl suggested it as i do really like the banter in there nad watching sport and placiing low stakes sports bets which is fine but if the machines take me then i cant control it so suppose its bit like an alcoholic having a shandy in a pub , just playing with fire
but its a very long process to quit full stop and if im honest with myself im still in denial , but i love this forum and im trying to control . BIG RELAPSE AT WEEKEND THO 🙁
Hey Joe, Thanks for your reply. I've been advised by family and friends to self exclude, something I cannot bring myself to do. What I love/hate about the bingo sites where I gamble is the fact they promote you to VIP status. The hosts in chatroom constantly say the VIP status isn't just about how much you spend. Of course it is. But when you have this VIP status if you don't deposit for a while they send you promo offers, one of which is deposit £100 and wager it and they give you £400 which you have the CHOICE to withdraw. I received this yesterday, and blew it withn 2 hours. I had borrowed the £100 from my b/f promising him I would withdraw the whole £400 when I received it! Then the whole crying, regret etc comes back. I'm sorry to hear you had a relapse. I think that is all part and parcel. We need to be thankful for for all the good we have in our lives. Does your partner know the severity of your problem? Mine knows, but doesn't really understand. I also relate to what you say about small bets, I have tried this, but 9 out of 10 times as I start to lose, I ALWAYS raise the stake 🙁 until my balance stands at zero!!!
Hi tizzy , Just wanted to say welcome to the forum !
You really do have to exclude yourself and put all the blocks in place to stop gambling .
In order for you to stop doing what your doing now , everything needs to be as watertight as possible.
All of these sites will throw offers at you , left right and centre, its what they do to entice you back , and suck you back in into losing again !. There not gonna give you you up without a fight are they ?. Not when your throwing all your hard earned cash at them !.
I'm sorry to sound harsh but until you put distance between yourself and the sites you gamble on , things are unlikely to change . We cannot win because as Compulsive gamblers we cannot stop !.
Gambling sites are a buisiness, out to make a vast profit at your expense , unfortunately for us they are a buisiness that ultimately give us nothing but misery and they also dont do refunds !!.
Best wishes in your recovery tizzy and keep posting !! ........................... Alan who will not gamble today
Hello Alan, Thank you so much for the lovely welcome! You are not being harsh, what you have said makes total sense. And some of what you said made me smile!! 🙂 Good luck to you too my friend.
your so right alan , this country is so gambling crazy every other blody advert seems gambling relatated and i bloody fell for it ,
🙁
There really needs to be more done - don't you think? When you come on here and read threads it makes you realise there are thousands of people like us........so sad isn't it ......
Me again!. The problem is that when we gamble like we do , it isolates us in a fantasy world!, and as our addiction becomes stronger we truly believe that we are the only one this is happening to !.
It's not until we hit rock bottom and seek help , that you realise just how many people like ourselves are Compulsive gamblers , who simply cannot stop .
At the same time I found it a great relief in some ways to realise I wasn't alone anymore .
There does need to be more done ! But by who ? The government wont step in because of all the revenue they receive , it just needs more exposure, programes that show the real truth and all the heartache that a gambling addiction can have , not only on us but on our loved ones as well !.
Sorry started to ramble on then !!
Off to work now to earn and not to gamble !!
Catch up with you soon tizzy !!................best wishes .....Alan
Ps To Spraggy , I think we all fell for it Buddy and big time ?
Hi Dean, thanks for the welcome. I know you are right, no amount would be enough, it's the buzz for me, the features 🙁
Alan, there definitely needs more done. It does need more exposure, more exposure of the sadness and horror that can happen to "normal" people. Hope work is ok, catch up soon, thanks again ....Teresa.
Hi Half-Life, thanks for your reply. Us CG's are from all walks of life, from different ends of the country and all have different gambling vices and are of all ages!! When I read all the stories I consider myself very lucky. But I totally feel the pain for others. It makes me so angry inside the fact that most of all gambling establishments try and portray themselves as caring, - stay in control bull***. So, so sadly staying in control isn't a choice that we can make!!! I am glad to hear your husband is recovering. How long has he been? So lovely to hear from you. Teresa xxxx
I guess if a gambler makes that choice to play they will find some kind of means, no matter how many barriers are in place. I feel so fortunate I am not in debt and am find this posting sooooo helpful. You husband is very lucky to have you supporting him, I hope he appreciates you! The ridiculous thing for me is the fact that if my daughter, or partner or parents did something like this I'm not sure I would understand. Teresa xx
Hi tizzy , I can think of a few choice words but the true meaning of Fobt's is Fixed odds betting terminal !. The ones in the bookies shops ! The first parts right there definately fixed ? Alan x
Ps I had a funny feeling you might pick up on that one ! , all these new words eh! Ha! Ha!
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