I dont like the swings in gambling

Hi

The way you have worded that makes me wonder if I should reply but go on I will bite. You are talking about being up and profits which is classic delusional comfort zone. You dont seem ready to stop. My view is that you just dont want to lose.

Yes I am thinking whats the issue snoop69 because its an addiction so strong that it often takes a rock bottom moment for people to seek help

This is a recovery site Snoop . Do you want to stop gambling and do you feel you have a real problem of addiction? Your words are actually winding me up but I will try and remain calm and say you are welcome to talk it through more

I have studied this addiction for a couple of years. Its not a game and gambling is destroying people. Its too early for you to be giving advice and a gambling addiction is not really about greed. Its far more complex than that. We are all too aware of the cravings to return

So some tough talking because I care about you. I will probably get told off by someone saying let snoop word it how he likes but it just reads like a gambling diary to me by someone who isnt too bothered at the moment and makes a "years profit" rather than an overall loss.

I hope you will stop gambling because its not an income scheme as far as Im concerned

Best wishes

Hi Joydivider,

Thanks for your reply.

Im not sure what I have worded wrong, but anyway, yes you are right I don’t want to lose and i don’t like losing money. I think thats the case for most gamblers. I am however wanting to stop. Thats why I joined this page. Im not sure what delusional comfort zone means. Please could you elaborate.

I totally agree it takes rock bottom for people to stop. Some background on me. Iv been gambling 10 years and overall i am down a lot. I would say i am down 5 times the amount that i have made since march 2018. I have hit rock bottom in the past and stopped gambling. When i say rock bottom, i don’t just mean flat broke, i mean being depressed and suicidal also. But then I somehow end up starting to gamble again. There’s more reason to stop when you hit rock bottom but from my experience its more challenging to try and quit whilst you are still up. That is my issue here. I am clearly addicted. And clearly chase losses (even when they are wins).

Problem gambling is not about how much money you have left, its the psychological impact it has. So before you get wound up, know my full story.

Hi

Ok Snoop69...I have been harsh there but it is because I care about you. Its food for thought and Im glad you are talking about it on the forum because you are welcome here.

I thought you first post was full of positives about gambling and I dont really see any. What I mean by comfort zone is that it is a horrible addiction which urges people to gamble again even when there is no food in the cupboards.It creates a comfort zone that we can still handle this. So when I see people say things like " loving it", "won it back" or "profit"....there is too much slant on what your mind may consider to be upsides.

Yes I accept that gambling draws us in with an addictive chemical buzz but as a full blown addict I ended up numb more than anything. I consider it a drug addiction in the same chapter as substances

Your second post is more open about the overall picture. Win or lose a compulsive gambler can not stop. You are right in that its not mainly about the money when addicted

You will get help here and we will help you. It is possible to stop and reach a stage where you dont have urges which control you.

It is about a born again moment where you start to regain control of a healthy mind

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

I’m with JD’s 1st on this one...You made no mention of your gambling past in the opening just gloated about obscene amounts of money & then complained that you’d started losing! If you’d like to elaborate a little more on your story I will happily post some advice but asking for comments in general & then taking exception to them doesn’t bode well for constructive posting.

Hi,

Im in total agreement with joydevidider. I suspect if you gambled today and won a few grand we wouldnt hear from you for a while. In my 40 years as a gambler i remember 100s of big payouts. The problem was i got so high when i won it made me forget that the losses were far more frequent than the wins. Like you i was kidding myself.

Good Luck

AL

.

I think the problem with people like myself, is that I know i won't win back all my losses. i am just hoping to win a few k, that would be really sweet.

Snoop, you just need to find the motivation, unfortunately I do not think you've had enough bad experience to put you off yet as from what I see from your writing you are still definitly enjoying some aspects of it.

Thanks @JD I’m glad you understand where I am coming from, and I apologise for any confusion from my original post.

@ODAAT - sorry if it sounded like I was gloating but that isn’t how i was supposed to come across. I didn’t come on this page to brag, I came to get help as I feel no matter how much i win or lose, i will always go back for more.

@alwalm - the problem with winning a few is grand is that it will not feel enough. I feel i have lost the value for money and the only way i will regain is my continually losing and going broke. Im not in a bad situation financially but if i keep chasing “what could’ve been” then i could put myself in serious trouble.

@ben - i appreciate your comment the most. Thank you for understanding. The swings are horrible. It really is mentally draining. Just an FYI, i am not ahead. Overall since i started gambling i am still down ALOT. Probably 5 times what i have won in the last year. But i know what you mean and when you say i am still financially greater off, that really means something and does make me think yes i shouldnt risk it.

@urgh - i agree i have enjoyed it. I have had many many bad experiences over the past 10 years. Maybe the positive last year is disguising all of the horrendous times. Times where i was knees deep in debt and crying to my family for help. My main issue is now not falling back and playing such high stake because i could lose everything in a split second.