Hello
I feel i have to get this off my chest so please excuse the length of this post.
Quick introduction about myself, I'm 19 and Im a gambling addict. Its hit me like a tonne of bricks this week how much money Ive lost on something that brings me joy 10% of the time while playing. It all started for me when I turned 18 and I could finally start betting on the football like the rest of my mates were. What started out as a 50p accumulator turned out to 3 a spin on a slot; considering Im the sort of person who won't pay 1.50 for a bottle of coke because i think Im getting ripped off just proves the warped mindset of gamblers. The thing is I actually tend to do quite well but like so many gamblers I never know when to stop. Don't know if any of you can relate to this but I create these targets in my head, say I deposit 50 and I end up with 197, I will keep spinning until I hit 200 because tarts my target. Even if I do manage to hit that target,I then up it to 300, until all my money is eventually gone. Im sitting here picturing myself in my bedroom on my own in the dark staring at a laptop for 6+ hours at a time, why am I not outside socialising or exercising?
Anyway I fortunately still have a few hundred pound left and don't have any debts but I can just picture myself in 2-3 years time in thousands worth of debt so I am taking a stand and I am over the moon that I have come across this forum. I have made a promise to myself and to anyone who reads this that my gambling days are done, I will use this thread as a personal diary as such, therefore please excuse me if some of the posts aren't that interesting.
I look forward to speaking with anyone on here and helping each other to get through this.
One thing Ive noticed as well trawling through this forum is just how many young people like myself are getting involved in gambling. Its becoming a bit of an epidemic among us, almost all of my friends gamble and Im sure some are hiding losses as big as mine. I feel that going down the bookies or posting pictures of your winning bet slip online has become almost an image "lad" type thing and Im just sitting here wondering how many of us are going to be in heaps of debt years down the line.
Hi I am 35 started gambling at 16. I had a problem then it got worse. Try knock this on the head before it affects your whole future. It is that big a deal. Isolation is one of the effects of problem/compulsive gambling so stop gambling and go out there and enjoy your life.
Thanks for your reply Michael, that's exactly what I'm planning on doing. Life's too short to sit on a computer gambling away money we can't afford to lose .
All the best
Hi Jim,
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for your thoughtful posts. You show some good insight in what you've written, and I'd say you're far from "hopeless".
In one of your other posts you mentioned exercise, which is absolutely one of the best ways to deal with this addiction. Not only will you get healthier physically, but exercise helps people relieve stress and can give you other goals to work towards. It's definitely better than sitting in front of your computer for six hours, as you suggested.
Speaking of online gambling, if the internet is where most of your trouble lies, have you thought about downloading Betfilter or Gamblock or one of the other blocking software programs? Those prevent any gambling sites from opening on your computer, and they're a good way to put up a barrier to gambling and protect yourself. A lot of folks on this forum use online blockers and find them to be really helpful if they get tempted.
I'm also glad you're trying to work on all this at age 19, before things get really bad for you. You can see from the forum that a lot of people have had this problem for many years, and wish they could have stopped at your age. Make that happen for you, and find ways to put more balance into your life so you won't have as much stress and things can be more enjoyable.
If you'd ever like to chat with us about any of this, feel free to call us on the Freephone Helpline or the Netline from 8am to midnight every day. We'd be happy to speak with you.
Hang in there, and I hope things continue to improve.
Travis
Hello guys
Just updating, I said I would be 100% honest with myself and you. I had a slip up today, basically I've recently been bombarded with emails after I closed my online casino accounts, either inviting me to reopen or offering me free credits. So I went through the process of emailing them back to ask them to remove me from the mailing list but some I had to contact via live support. Well when on one site I found my account was still open and ended up losing another 100 quid. I'm not going to blame the emails but they certainly didn't help. I felt pretty bad afterwards but have decided not to dwell on it for we must learn from our mistakes therefore I have learned to send any incoming casino emails and link them to go straight to my trash folder.
Onwards and upwards and I'll be back this time next week to mark my 7 days
hi i totaly know what you mean about the goals if your winning, i do exactly the same. I wish you well in your recovery to stop this nasty habit
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