Hi... Ways to stop?

Hi Matty, sorry for the delay in welcoming you to the forum & yup, this sure is the right place to have started 🙂

Are you even aware that there is blocking software available? K9 is free but I am no expert (my damage was done in shops) & so maybe worth having a chat with the advisors to see what blocker would suit your devices best!

Well done for recognising that you are on a slippery slope & for coming here 🙂 The best advice I can give for abstaining is to break your gambling (Time-Money-Location, remove one & you cannot gamble) triangle...Downloading a blocker, handing over your finances, keeping busy (GT has a thread of tips). Finding your triggers for gambling is vitally important to some, for others not so much & there are counselling options, GA, all sorts of stuff out there & you need to decide what you need & just go for it! If you fancy getting up close & personal with your feelings, there is also a diary section on here which may give you a safe place to come when you get any urges...As long as you don't say any naughty words, you will be able to offload if you are feeling stressed, worried, confused or generally just proud of your progress. Have a look round the site, there's a wealth of advice but my biggest win was letting go of my losses! Much easier to look to the future when you're not stuck in the past!

Welcome & I look forward to hearing from you soon! Time to regain control of your life - ODAAT

Hi ODAAT. Thanks for the reply buddy. All sites I've signed up for have now been closed & self excluded for the longest time that was available to me ( 5 years!) I don't have a problem in the shops as I won't hand over lots of cash, but online when you don't see the money I get carried away. Today is day 2 of no betting, already I'm finding when I feel the urge to bet, just logging Into gamcare and reading the forums takes my mind off it. Once again, thanks for the reply. Have a great weekend!

Hi matty

My issue is online slots. I have now been 36 days gamble free and I have gone even past a payday without spending any online. I have gambled for 22 years but I now feel my time is right and the difference is I WANT to stop. Every spare pound I had went into these sites.

I have a teenage daughter and fella and I am finding that I am spending more time with them rather than being irritable because I have no money or just lost a bet. As I'm not one for much TV or films I am going to join the gym again as I know when I went before just how much better I felt.

Good luck with your journey and stay strong.

Ps. Look at it this way betting sites/shops, casinos are businesses out there to make money not give it away......the only way we will win is by not giving it to them.

Hi Tilly, thanks for the reply. I can relate to a lot of things you've mentioned. First of all, well done on going 36 days without a bet! I bet in secret all the time and when it loses. It usually causes agro between me and my partner due to the mood I go into. I have a 2 year old boy and as awful as it sounds I don't pay him 100% attention like I should do because I'm always looking for a bet. I've gone 4 days without a bet now. I've had a look once, but then logged onto here to read people's stories, by the time id finished on here, the football game I was going to bet on had finished. Things are a lot happier in our house already, and Instead of having my phone in my hand, I'm playing with toy cars haha!

tilly1976 wrote:

Ps. Look at it this way betting sites/shops, casinos are businesses out there to make money not give it away......the only way we will win is by not giving it to them.

Thats the best bit of advice I've heard in a while and il be taking it on board! Thanks a lot for that.

Matty6815 wrote:

Things are a lot happier in our house already, and Instead of having my phone in my hand, I'm playing with toy cars haha!

I know that feeling...I still use my phone a lot (games mainly) and drive the missus mad, but its free and no money involved, so I know deep down she don't care...But I find me giving more time to her and our son now too!

And welcome mate, hope this is the start of a happy life, I'm 6 days in now and get my week target tomorrow, then I'm setting myself for two weeks and then the month, maybe thats a technique you could use?

Hope it all works out for you from now on!

Hi matt, I am also a compulsive gambler and online slots were my addiction. I am only on day 3 gamble free but after finding this site and coming clean to my Oh I feel so much more determined to kick this addiction. I know what you mean about agro between u and your partner,was same for me if I lost would be moody and irritable even going to work early to avoid being in same room as him. I would definitely download the k9 blocker for the Internet and get someone else to put in password so your not tempted. I am fortunate not to have debt but things came to a head this week when I spent 1k of my wages in 2 days. With this forum my family's support and GA meetings I'm hoping 2016 is going to be a new start for me. Hope you find the strength to kick this evil addiction.