Hi,
I began gambling around four years ago when I started university. Initially the gambling wasn't an issue as such, it would be the occasional sports bet or visit to a casino with friends. I say it wasn't an issue as I would have no problem walking away having lost £10/£20 or stopping having won £30/£40. Things continued like this for the first year or so.
After that I discovered just how many only sports betting sites and casinos there were and I began to 'take advantage' of the sign up bonuses which they offered. This was, for a short space of time, profitable and did not lead to any problem gambling. Once I had taken the sign up offers available I looked for a new fix and began to play more blackjack (initially I had predominantly bet on sports, and limited amounts on the casino games).
Fast forward to now and after a couple of years of weekly gambling it has grown out of control and the savings which I have/had ammassed over the last 18 months have now gone after a few months of painful loss-chasing gambling on blackjack.
I now have the total amount that I have lost in the last few months saved as a note in my phone. I believe this itself is an issue. I'm reminding myself of what I have lost every day and constantly beating myself up about it. I am adding notes below the figure, suggesting to myself how I might begin to recoup some of my loss "weekend job, selling x or selling y, not doing x or y". Again I see this itself as a potential problem. As part of the recovery and self-help process do I now need to forget what I have lost and focus my efforts not on getting back what I have lost. But on overcoming an addiction before I lose more?
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Hello Mate and d welcome back...but coming here you are already admitting that you have a problem and ready to deal with it...if you want to move forward you will have as hard as it will be at the beginning forget all of your loses they are gone and you will never ever going get it back...it will be hard to do that at the start but the pain will ease as time passes...slowly but surely life normality will resume..try and break the triangle of Time-Location-Money...you take one out and you will be on the right path. ..to me access to money will always give me an excuse to gamble online....so cutting that out I can't gamble. ..if I can't gamble I am winning already...stay strong...stay on the forum...read other people's post...start your own diary....just remember day by day...we can beat this
Hi Anonymous93
You know you have a serious addiction so its now what you are going to do about it.
Is there anyone close you can talk to as the blockers must now be put in place
You need to get round to anywhere you have been using with blocking forms and you need to have access restricted online. That could be a strict as having your devices removed. Control of your money supply may well have to be handed over. No time to wallow as positive action is needed. Its not about being treated as a baby. Its about not being able to gamble with no access to money or the internet. Its about the good feeling of being free from it
Yes its that blunt Im afraid becuse sitting there with willpower alone is not enough.
Dont stare too hard at the money you have lost. It will play with your mind in a bad way eventually. Its gone and you will need your own systems of oh well thats what I did with it. Like me the draw of gambling was stronger than buying nice things. Its not coming back with chase betting because the gambling houses dont operate a get your money back later scheme
That is only replaced on an ongoing basis as fast as you can earn it in a job and any extra work you can get
Please do not wait 10 months like I did. Book the doctors and get a one to one call in with gamcare.
For now you need to make it impossible to continue gambling. When your mindset is right it will seep out of you.
All the best........ keep reading and keep posting
So... a few years on from my first and second posts and I still haven't kicked the habit.
When I read through my first two posts a lot of my focus was on money, it has finally dawned on me, just today, that I'm losing so much time to this. I'm making excuses as to why I'm late to bed, distracted from revising for exams and I regularly ignore messages from family and friends while I'm having my inevitable splurge on blackjack.
I now feel ready to accept help, and to talk with others about my struggles, and how I can beat this. I would like to attend one of my local GA meetings, but I don't know where to tell my girlfriend I'm going (or at least that's been my excuse as to why I haven't gone). My next local meeting is on Tuesday, and I really want to go and get help and share stories and listen to others.
Try reading Allen Carr - easy way to stop gambling - it was a real game changer for me
Hi Anoymous,
Thanks for sharing your story with us. It seems like you’ve been struggling with your gambling problem for a while, and looking for some sort of help to overcome your gambling problem.
As you may be aware, Gamcare is ready to help and support you with the situation that find yourself in.
We have loads of help options available, and all our services are free and confidential.
How about contacting us on our free phone Helpline on: 0808 8020 133, and speak to one of our advisers about your gambling problem. An adviser can also refer you for counselling if that would help with your recovery.
I’m glad you use our forum to seek help, and I can see you’ve already had a lot of response and encouragement from other forum members.
I wish you the best in your journey to recovery, and please keep posting!
Kind regards,
Beatrice
You sound like a very sensible person, I can tell you from my experience that for 20 years I was a sensible gambler and slowly, ever so slowly, the wheels come off and your end up completely out of control. I got to the point where I vouldn't hold onto money anymore and couldn't pay my rent. Well done for seeking help. Gambling will take everything from you. Stop now and accept that some can gamble and it's not an issue, you are not like that. Stop now. Seek new hobbies, meet new people, re-invent yourself. Life can be amazing! Don't waste another minute on such a destructive hobby.
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
