hi im chris 31 and live in Shrewsbury
strange writing something like this cause i never thought it would happen to me!!
well i remember my first bet back when chelsea beat benfica in the euro cup final 2 years ago i think i put a tenner on an won 4 quid back i think, then it was a year later i bet again bayern munich to beat dortmund at wembley all winnings on that think i made another 3 or 4 quid. thought wow easy money, think at the time i started up with l*******s but cant be sure, i told my wife that as soon as i lose that money that my betting carear will be over.
jump ahead to last season opened up accounts with b*****r,B*****d,b****5 all because it had offers on sign ups free £10 bet for new customers etc so yeah hooked straight away cuz i thought i was getting sumut, anyway weeks go by moneys down decide to use te free bet from B*****d 1 win takes me from £5 all the way to £1100 betting on bayern munich each week using the system of say bayern -1 or -2 etc so happy days the day i won £1100 straight away £200 on madrid to beat atletico madrid boom £200 lost. wow my first big loss not happy decided to pull the plug on that account happy days brought myself some nice new £400 dumbbells and 2 tickets to les mis in london for me and the wife.
then dont think i won again after that kept on trying different things no go so decided to not bet on the world cup thought i was happy and proud not to do so then bang this season starts and dare not to look at how much ive lost my whole attitude has changed im more angry at home more snappy at the kids more silent and drawn back when its just me and the wife all things she picks up on, lost intrest in the gym and now more arguments with the wife over money, and then just last week started talking to a friend of hers that is very attractive and then on 3/11/14 went for a jog with her after txting most of the day about being down etc and had a kiss at the end of the jog, and now guilt has set in told the wife id stopping betting but havent told a support worker id get blocks onmy computer but havent and im now at a point where i owe £600 on my credit card £100 over drawn in another account and taking money out of our joint account on the verge of maybe cheating on my wife where does it end??
i then look at others and there stories and i think do i have a problem??
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your post, and welcome to the forum. It really sounds like gambling has been causing more and more stress in your life over the last couple years. Gambling's a very progressive addiction, so it's really a good idea to start addressing things now, before they get even more out of control for you. To start with practical steps, it sounds like you already know about blocking software, like Gamblock and Betfilter, but haven't downloaded them yet. That would be one of the best things you could do if you're mainly gambling online, as putting up barriers to gambling is very important. If you also gamble on mobile devices, some people have had success with asking their providers to block any sites requiring you to be 18 or older.
You mentioned having a support worker. Is that person providing individual counselling for you? If not, that's what tends to help gamblers the most, and we do have a partner agency in Shrewsbury called Impact that provide individual counselling at no cost to you. Counselling can go a bit deeper into the underlying reasons for why you gamble, and can help you look at ways to manage your urges more effectively and do healthier things for yourself. That could really help you work towards recovery from all this, and address some of the issues in your life that are giving you stress.
If any of this sounds like something you'd like to talk to us more about, feel free to call us on the Helpline (0808 8020 133) or the Netline from 8am to midnight every day. We'd be happy to chat with you and see what we can do.
Hope this helps,
Travis
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