Help!! (posted by Andrew W.)

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the forum. It sounds like gambling has quickly become much more stressful to you than it's worth. I'm glad you're trying to address this now, before it gets even worse for you.

You don't say what type of gambling you're doing, but there are a few options for you. If you're gambling in the bookies, you could self exclude by filling out the forms they give you. A lot of gamblers do this, and helps put a barrier between you and gambling. If you're gambling online, you could download blocking software, like Betfilter ( http://www.betfilter.com/ ) or Gamblock ( http://www.gamblock.com/index.html ) which would prevent gambling sites from opening on your computer. That's another step a lot of gamblers take.

In addition, you might want to consider getting individual counselling. That could help you sort out any underlying issues that contribute to your gambling, and help you work on ways to manage the urges better. We could point you in the direction of that if you wanted, and it's all confidential.

If you'd like to chat with us about any of this, feel free to give us a call on the Helpline at 0808 8020 133, or the Netline ( http://secure.gamcare.org.uk/netline/ ). We're open from 8am to midnight every day.

Hang in there, and I hope this helps.

Travis