Hi
I am new to this forum and after years of on off gambling/lying/juggling money i need to stop. Â
So I signed up with Gamstop to try and block some of the sites. I thought I would feel relieved or empowered but I don't. I feel like I crying, I feel deflated but most of all I feel afraid. I don't know why but I am afraid. Is this normal? I don't understand what i am afraid of. Did anyone else feel like this? Will it stop?
Hi Mummy
Yes it's normal. It's all part of withdrawal symptoms and rewiring your brain to not need the huge amounts of dopamine that gambling addiction creates and we don't need. It generally takes 4 to 6 weeks for the brain to recover to normal levels and you can help yourself by finding dopamine in a natural form like walking, exercise, talking to people and many more. Basically whatever makes you feel happy.Â
Giving up gambling isn't easy but it does get easier.Â
Getting all the blocks in place like self exclusion, Gamban as you mention, banking gambling blocks and if you can some accountability is the basis and foundations to stop.
In case they might help, I've written about 25 daily topics on here based on my experience in recovery. If you look in the recovery diaries section on the forum, they all have film titles so you should be able to see them.
It takes time and it takes work. Have you spoken to the advisors on here ? Also tried the chatrooms which really helpsÂ
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.
