Need to stop before it is too late.

Hi Stuart,

Just like yourself I won over 5000 in the space of 6 weeks and I lost it all in about 3 hours on the computer 2 months ago and after that in the next week lost a further 1000 trying to win the 5000 back. I have strong advice for you. STOP NOW or you will lose all your money and try to get yourself to a meeting asap. I am now 5 weeks gambling free all thanks to myself making 2 GA meetings a week and getting great advice and therapy from compulsive gamblers that have managed to stop through the ga program. All the best and take care buddy. Malc

Hi Stuart,

Welcome to this site and may it be the start of a rewarding new life for you.

I understand that you are feeling low at the moment but try to evaluate the positives. You have paid your parents and no longer in debt and have 4500 pounds. It could have been a great deal worse if you continued to blow your 'lucky streak'. You may have lost the lot and been tempted to get money to chase, so although you cannot see it right now you are in the driving seat.

Unfortunately what a great deal of people don't always realise is that gambling is not just about winning money. This is why most of us continue playing after winning maximum jackpots etc.. Most of us use gambling to escape from something or the other. Often the high of winning is what keeps us wanting to play more, like any unnatural high the come down is the worse part which makes us crave more so we can get back up.

Stuart I appreciate you are annoyed with yourself for blowing some of your 'winnings', the reality is that it wasn't money you had earned or borrowed and something good came out of it and that's fantastic. Enjoy the profit you still have on doing something nice for yourself, or perhaps for your very kind parents.

Get the blocking software on your computer, and read many threads on this site because they will offer you a glance into the future of what could happen, should you decide to pursue a life of gambling. This alone can sometimes put people off this downward spiral.

Please, Please do not chase that 17000 because you will be feeling a great deal lower at the end of it.

Take care,

Amanda

Hi

Thanks for your replies.

You are right I should be happy that I haven't blown it all and still have money left.

My parents have just come to see me as my mum could sense something was wrong when she spoke to me on the phone. They are very supportive and I am lucky to have them.

It is hard to explain to people who don't have a problem why it happens. It is a strange sensation, I should be elated that I had won 17000 but was more bother about the 200 loss and then began to chase. My mind doesn't think your still up 16800, it thinks your down 200 and you need to get it back. I have come to the conclusion that I will never be happy with what I have won and will only stop when it is gone.

I have taken the first step by installing the K9 software and self excluded from the online sites.

I am not going to chase the money. I am 4500 up not 9500 down. I need to draw a line under it and enjoy what I have. I have just booked an Holiday for me and my partner so I will benefit from my luck.

I am determined not to let this beat me, I know it is going to be hard but today is the first day of my new beginning.

Stuart

sorry it posted twice

Hi Stuart,

Reading your post scares me.

So much I would like to just feel happy for you, but knowing that a big win is often more dangerous for a compulsive gambler then a loss, it's very difficult for me to do so.

I really hope you can stay as strong as you are feel right now mate.

The very positive thing in my opinion is that even with some so called winning left you have realised that something is wrong and you want to change it.

Don't get me wrong but in my over 30 years dealing with my addiction I never came across anybody who gambled and won and accepted that he or she has to stop gambling.

Not that I would say this isn't possible, what I really want to say is that you can call yourself very lucky not for winning the money but for winning the acceptance that you have to stop it right now and for ever.

I just hope that when ever the feeling overcomes you "just the one game maybe I'm lucky" you do remember today and especially Amanda's words "don't chase it"

All the best mate and my respect for stepping out of it at the right moment

Wolfgang

een there before, won big lost it all. This time is different I have taken steps to stop it happening again. I have transferred my money into an account I don't have access to.

First thing this morning the money was staring at me, the pressure to have one last go was intense. I decided there and then I needed to be proactive and remove the temptation. That money is safely removed from my ***. This is the first step in a long recovery procesd.

Well Wolfgang you were right, I have lost it all. I Iied to you, my parents, my partner and most of all myself. My head was telling me to stop but my inner demons were saying you've won it once you can win it again.

I told everyone that I was in control, I had put the money in a safe place, I had placed blocking software on my computer. I had indeed done none of this and continued to gamble away winning another 4000.

This should have been enough but it wasn't. I kept on going to get that buzz again but it didn't come, first it was 500 gone, that's ok I thought I will bet 1000 to win back that 500 plus another 500. That went wrong so the next spin was 2500 to win back my 1500 plus another 1000. That went as well. I kept on going thinking my "luck will change", as you will guess it didn't and it is all gone.

I am now sat here feeling really empty and worthless, I have had to tell my partner we won't be getting that new car I had promised from my winnings. As you can imagine she is not happy.

I am now at the stage they call rock bottom and need to take action. I have really installed the K9 software on my computer this time with my partner putting in the password so I can't deactivate it. I have self excluded from the online casino's sites again showing my partner it was done.

Everyone is aware of the situation so I can't hide from it now, I have no secret accounts or funds I can access. I am determined that is it I can't carry on feeling like c**P all the time. The buzz when you win is only a 10th of the feeling of despair when you lose.

The only positive from this situation is that I didn't lose any on my own money it was all "borrowed" money from the casino's.

I strangely feel relieved to have this out in the open and perversely I am looking forward to the challenge of beating this.

Sorry for waffling on but I needed to get the truth out, this really is the first stage on my recovery not the c**P I fed you and more importantly myself last week.

thanks for reading

Stuart

Thats a shame. But you can help but not losing anymore money. I am in a similar prediciment. I "won" 9000 but I deposited 5500!!. I could not believe my luck, but proceeded to lose 600 of this. I felt so bad and low. I have resorted to burning my bank card that I use to gamble and closed the account. I hope to not part with anymore money to online gambling.