Horse racing (gambling addiction )

I have lost more than £5k to horse gambling so I know how you feel. At first, i was like, wow i can make a million off this.. i will keep going... then reality hits and I lost it all. I chased loses, upped bets to thousands, the whole lot that left me sick and brain fried by the end of the day. Gambling in the long-term means the house always win. You can bet on favorites for the whole day and win, then another day, all the favorites lose. Its not worth it.. not your health "that rush of adrenaline when your favorite shoots first place" nor your money pockets. The sick feeling of losing and wanting to do loathe yourself and the end of it is just worse. I had lost sense of the word money. when i had money, it would be used for gambling. It didn't change my happiness if I won. I wondered why i was this way. I realized i liked that adrenaline feeling, not the money (the house always wins). Now, I want to use my money to do doing other adrenaline activities I loved. I'm in the same journey as you and as soon as lockdown ends, i will be doing more outdoor activities such as rock climbing at my local gym and going out to eat on these eat out to help schemes. I'm currently learning web design and doing my best to stay away from gambling so I can better myself and get a better salary. I hope this helps you a bit and we can get through this together.

When you're addicted to gambling, everything you spend on things that you actually need is always questioned. In the back of your mind, that money could be gambling money. Which is what a gambling addict only wants at the end of the day. To feed their addiction, they need money. So ANYTHING that is bought, there is always a thought (sometimes subconscious) that the money you spent could be used on gambling. It's horrible. 

I'm 32 days gambling free. The horrible thing is that I lost my gf, dog and home with her because of gambling and strangely enough I've found it easy to do these 32 days. Because I've lost everything that's important to me and no money won can ever replace that. I don't want you to ever feel like this that you lose everything that actually matters. 

Hello Bettz88 and welcome to the forum.

I hope you will keep using the forum and become a long term member.

You say you love the sport which is actually giving you a life of stress and misery. The gambling is a drug addiction and it hooks people fast. Its taken your self respect and dignity away. I often wonder if people would even care about horses if it wasnt firmly linked with big gambling operations

Its not set up for the punters to buy new cars and nobody is offering you life changing odds on the only horse in the race which has four legs and is not lame.

Think about what you can lose and what you have lost. Think about your debts and constantly borrowing and paying it back. Its no way to live if you want your head held high.

You are better than gambling and you dont need it in your life.

Telling people close will seem natural when you are ready for the born again moment.

You need to sit down with NON gamblers and start talking about it. Your behaviour is not normal...gambling to extinction is a sure sign of an addiction which totally destroys people.

Your cravings to gamble again are delusional because you know that you have no control when gambling and gambling is a progressive illness. The odds are well against you.

Start a recovery and take back your pride. You have a reasonable salary so should count your blessings. Its there to live within your means. You will find that your family wants you and not false dreams of being mr big provider.

We have been there and we understand. Tell your mum you dont want to gamble anymore and you can protect your family by not putting them through the stress of lending to you and worrying about you.

They shouldnt actually be lending to you because they are actually enabling you and its doing none of you any good.

Get your money protected. let your mum or girlfriend manage your money and buy them a giant bunch of flowers at the same time. Face the truth about this addiction

You will recover when you are ready and you will feel a real serenity that you can build pride and respect from others

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

Hi there. For 20 years I’ve loved horse racing but the love of the sport goes when the gambling takes over. I’ve thrown thousands away always wanting that big win. I’m on day 19 of a long journey. Gambling is hopefully in my past now. Even with the Cheltenham festival looming I just want to enjoy the racing and not let the gambling take over. 
All the best to you. 

@bettz88

For me the only question should be "have you had enough of gambling?"

Gambling treated like a hobby is going to cost money, just like any other interest, but as long as it's affordable and not interfering in your life then it shouldn't be a problem. From your introduction though it sounds like it might be a problem.

You aren't alone though, a lot of people who love horse racing but are trying to stop still get involved in these big meetings. The truth is I would try to only bet on specific races but because of the addiction I maybe did the first race then did something at Fontwell or Beverley or wherever the next race was, or jump on the Fobt or slots or virtual racing! As much as I loved horseracing, it just came down to me wanting to place a bet wherever I could.

If you've had enough start getting your life in order now. Don't worry, the gambling will still be there if you decide to go back to it but maybe try not gambling and see how that feels. There's lots of help availabe.

Good luck in your decision.

Chris.

replace horse racing with football and it's the same as me.

just think, you are 32, lucky enough to have a good job, gf and kid. is it worth losing this all to Gambling ? that's the reality, you know you've done it long enough to realise it's not going to solve any financial issues, just make them worse.

quit gambling and find time for other enjoyments.

Good luck.