Hi

Hi Dave

Well done for posting on the forum and admitting you have a problem (you wouldnt be on here if alarm bells wernt ringing in your head) you know you are slipping and now is the time to do something about it or trust me its gonna get alot worse.

There is no easy fix to stop problem gambling but it CAN be achieved. It takes effort,determination and you must really want it. The best advice i can give is to tell your nearest and dearest about your problem (gulp!!) its never easy but you need the support of loved ones so they can help you. if you cant face telling your family then try a close friend. You need to put up barriers to make it hard to gamble i.e internet blocking software, banning yourself from the bookies etc. Can anyone you know control your finances? also stay on the forum, consider GA. interact with the forum and read peoples stories and you will work out which recovery is best for you and pick up tips and great advice from people who have been/are where you are now. I wish you all the best in your recovery. Good luck!!!

Appreciate the reply, thank's a lot and i really am determined, i hate that low feeling, everyone on here must know the one. Going to stick to this forum and just take it slow .

Hi Dave, welcome to the Forum and well done for posting what you have here,

I appreciate what you said in your other post about not being ready for counselling or GA. I gambled for twenty years before stopping six years ago - it took me a long time to do it, too long in all honesty.

With GA, you don't have to interact if you don't want to - you can just sit at the back of hall and listen to what people are saying. The best thing about it is that you are around decent, normal people who are going through what you are, and can relate to how you feel and what you are saying if you choose to say it.

Football Results drive you to spend more either way my friend - try and change your way of thinking; if you win, then all you will want is more of the same, which invariably leads to losing. If you lose, then you face soul-wrenching desperation to get it back again, which invariably leads to losing.

You have to ask yourself what the endgame is when you are watching the outcome of a match or waiting for a result. You will lose either way, even if you win ten times in a row - in fact, it will make things even worse because smaller stakes won't mean anything anymore.

I used to bet on Football and Horse Racing. I still watch both, and sometimes my mind turns towards how I think the match or race is going to progress. But now, I am relieved if a horse or match ends/wins that I fancied, because winning money, is effectively a form of mental poison to you, me and just about everyone here - change your way of thinking my friend; look at it from how it truly is - if you accept anything less, then your mind is accepting a lie; betting will always be a lose-lose scenaro for you and there is nothing you will ever be able to do to change that.

Draw a line under what has happened my friend. You have debt, but none that won't be cleared in time, you have some regret, but you are entitled to have some bumps in the road at your age - what you need to avoid is turning this into something that blights the rest of your life - the years have a disturbing way of drifting and snowballing when you are gambling; imagine yourself posting here and where your life would be aged 33, and 43.

There are a lot of open doors at your age my friend. Use them, push yourself to take advantage of them - gambling will only ever rob you of your time, money and the love and respect of everyone around you. You deserve a better future than that my friend.

JamesP

Hi James.

Really appreciate the reply. Makes perfect sense thanks very much, honestly. I took a big step today. Told my work andn my GF/EX GF (Thats another story) although very much has to do with gambling. I am also awaiting a call from a counsellor that my work have got in toch with to give it a try. Im going to keep on this site as well n hopefully move on to better things.

Thanks Again

Good on you Dave!

Onwards and upwards from here mate.

Yea i really hope so 🙂

As do I. Just remember you aren't alone. I'm only just over a day gamble free so early days here but need to

Change for my health and sanity, not to mention bank account

Yea for sure. No better time than the present. I will be one day at around 10pm. Im sure most people are the same to start out but gambling is the furthest thing from my mind and it feels good. I kn. Good luck mate

I 100% agree with what James has said, even when you are on a winning streak and the money is your pocket, you are never truly happy and will always want to win more until you're back in debt, I realise that, It's just being able to cement that in my brain permanently.

Good luck fella.