Hi, I think I am addicted to everything gambling wise, it's made me depressed and nothing ever intrests me anymore if it isn't gambling related, I have a child and with one on the way, and I need to try get this under control as I have a constant urge to bet and feel if I don't I will miss out on something, or I will be to late to make that winning spin, I would appreciate and advice anyone could give me to try help fight these urges, and how you overcame them, thank you.
Hw93 wrote: Hi, I think I am addicted to everything gambling wise, it's made me depressed and nothing ever intrests me anymore if it isn't gambling related, I have a child and with one on the way, and I need to try get this under control as I have a constant urge to bet and feel if I don't I will miss out on something, or I will be to late to make that winning spin, I would appreciate and advice anyone could give me to try help fight these urges, and how you overcame them, thank you.
Welcome to Gamcare! Creating this forum is now the start of your battle and you should be proud that you took this step. Recognising the problem is always a important step in recovery. Firstly, I would definitiely recommend reading through some existing forums. Im sure you will find stories which you can relate to and reading there methods of how they overcame this may be helpful. The guilt of continuously losing money and feeling like you have let yourself down can be eased slightly by accepting that you have a common addiction. It is useful to examine your situation and recognise the triggers of your gambling. These might be mental health issues such as depression or just plain and simply boredom.
Your brain is now used to the adrenaline rush of gambling and the only way of changing this is by stopping NOW. Take each day as it comes, make sure that each hour is a gamble free hour. You will be surprised at the strength of this addiction and the first couple of days will be the worst and you may be most likely to relapse in the early days so you need to put barriers in place whilst you are feeling down about it.
BARRIERS
GamStop- GamStop allows you to ban from majority of online betting websites with one simple sign up.
Self Exclusion- Self excluding yourself from bookmakers and casinos.
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These are the two steps which i recommend to you at this early stage. It can be hard to self exclude as it is a big commitment however, If you dont, nothing is stopping you from losing 10x what you have lost so far. 20 blacks in a row doesnt mean red is due which im sure you have learnt. Is it worth betting your life on a spin of a ball which is not in your favour? each spin makes your addiction stronger and your relationship with money damaged. Dont rely on your own self will, make it as difficult as possible to gamble.
If possible, it would help if you can talk to a friend or love one about your situation. They can potentially help you the agitation, boredom and guilt which you feel. Lets not forget. Time heels all and Rome wasnt built in a day. I am only on my 11th day gamble free, so far it has been difficult and i have had plenty of sleepless nights but it gets easier believe it or not.
Keep updating. All the best.
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