Hello
I'm new here. I didn't know this kind of platform existed until I googled for help.
In the past couple of hours I've taken the time out to read numerous posts about other people who are in the same boat as me, trying to kick this terrible habit.
Like a lot of you, I've been gambling for many years. Started off with £5, £1o stakes on the Football and Horses etc and gradually increased over the years to bigger stakes of £100 and beyond. Some stakes I'm even too scared to mention. It's frightening really the stakes that I've gambled and lost these past few months. I guess that's what made me think twice.
I really can't afford to do it and the pain I suffer when I lose these bets is quite frankly unbearable. I'm not in a position where I have no money but I know for a fact it won't be long before I do unless I change my habits.
It's trying to switch off from betting that is my biggest concern. I used to spend so much time checking upcoming fixtures, horse races and odds etc. I watch football literally every night of the week, not always having a bet I must admit but it seems to have taken over my life. I can control my gambling to an extent whereby I'm not betting in every game. I might only have only one bet a week, maybe even one bet a fortnight but the stakes I'm losing are as I said, frightening me.
I believe so strong in my opinion that I can't lose, then when I do, I'm lost for words and find myself numb and looking for comfort, which tends to come in the form of looking for my next opportunity. How to get the money back that I lost. It's a vicious circle as many of you know.
This may only be Day 1 for me but I've vowed to try and stop gambling altogether. I know it's going to be really hard and that's why I'm glad I have found this platform, to read the views of others who are also in the same position that I find myself in.
It's trying to find things to do with my free time which I find really difficult. I don't have many friends and rarely find myself out of the house. I do work long hours but it's outside of those working hours that I find the hardest to deal with. I usually want to know who's playing who, which horses are running etc. Trying to switch off from that is so so hard.
Just wanted to put that out there. This will be the toughest thing in my life to conquer. I just hope I don't fall back into old habits anytime soon.
I respect each and every one of you.
Well done for admitting you have a problem, that's definitely the first step! You've come to the right place for help and advice, I would suggest putting some blocks in place and opening up to a friend or family member, it's really hard to do but the more support you have the better. I dont feel in a great position to offer advice as havnt done so well myself and only been gamble free a couple days, but read as many diaries as you can and keep posting, it really helps. Good luck!
Hi @thefiend
You’ve taken a big step in the fact that you have recognised you have a problem so well done!
After reading your post you sound exactly like me, I am a massive football fan and like you I was constantly looking at upcoming fixtures and digging out bets. In the end I was betting on absolutely anything on leagues and teams I knew nothing about from the Uganda premier league to the Peru reserve league, it was just getting stupid and way out of hand. I am in debt, and live with my girlfriend and 2 step sons so I had to do something about it now before I lost everything. And I am glad to see you’ve come here for some advice on how to stop.
I would definitely recommend signing up to gamstop. They prevent you from online gambling which solves part of the problem. The maximum time you can sign up for is 5 years which is what I’ve done so if I wanted to put a bet on I’d have to drive to a bookies and I don’t live near one and I have no intention of going either. I am now 11 days in and haven’t had a bet at all and before that I physically couldn’t switch off and couldn’t go 5 mins without having a bet. Now I can’t do any online gambling my mind has just gone off it because I know I can’t do it anymore.
Do you have any hobbies at all? I play football and go to the gym which fills up some free time and it definitely helps. But obviously I’m not doing that all the time and when I’m at home chilling it is boring when there’s nothing to do, the only thing I could suggest during that time is maybe start a series on Netflix or something along those lines which might take your mind off things.
I hope this helps you, it’s working for me so far. It’s not going to be easy but we can all help each other fight this battle and come out on top. If you ever need a chat there will always be someone on here who will take the time to talk.
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