Hi all. As the title says I never thought i would see the day I would be writing this but here we are.Â
im in my mid 30s and have gambled almost all my life. But have never got into any debt as such until just recently (£5000). I always find the festive period the worst time of year for me as I have over 2 weeks off work and most days I feel bored so resort to gambling.
Â
i don’t know why this is, if it’s not boredem that’s turns me to gambling - I can’t be away from betting for months save up lots of money then the first thing that comes to my head is that it’s money to gamble with even tho I haven’t bet in months. It’s a constant cycle year on year. I have no idea how to overcome this. I have a good paying job in construction so the debt will be paid off pretty quickly. But I honestly never thought I would be at this stage ever and it’s worrying me now.Â
Thanks for readingÂ
Â
RÂ
Hi R,Â
Â
Me and you are similar in this aspect. I am younger at 27 but nevertheless it has only been over the last 12 months which has been an issue.Â
I never thought I’d be here, with the sums of money I’ve lost.Â
I always used to have it under control and similar to you only bet via boredom. I also can leave betting for months, but it’s the explosive losses in 48 hours which is the problem. Probably as again similar to you, a well paid job with access to money.Â
I would suggest Gamban, bet blocker and also gamstop for the online sites. I’ve just done this, and can honestly say it helps.Â
Similar I would reach out to Gamcare and ask for some 1-1 support, where a professional can work with you on alternative things to do rather than gamble when you’re bored.Â
best of luck with your journey, we can beat this and do this!Â
Â
Hi mate
Â
Thanks for the pointers. Believe it or not I’ve actually been signed upto gamstop for about 7 years. I had a full 5 years excluded then renewed it again once expired. I learned a long time ago that online betting wasn’t for me and thought if I ever wanted to bet I could go to the shop whenever and put my bet on. It’s just the stupidity of going to shops when you know you shouldn’t and like you say It can leas to a mad 48hrs or a mad week and that’s me blew everything. I don’t know why I do this. When I manage to go on a streak and stay off gambling I have the money I need anyways as I haven’t gambled it away yet for some reason I always turn to gambling when I have money.Â
RÂ
HiÂ
Have you tried self excluding through MOSES, SENSE etc which would bar you from the bookmakers ?
How are you getting on ?
Â
Stuart
Hey there, reading this was like looking in a mirror, I’ve just posted something very similar as I have just now found myself in the exact same boat and I don’t know how it happened so fast and it’s now all I can think about just how stupid I’ve been!
how are you getting on since posting this? 🙂
The addiction strikes when you are at a weak point. Just like having a lot of time at Xmas with 2 weeks of work. It's incredible that in other addictions if you spent £1000s in minutes on alcohol or drugs you wouldn't survive. Gambling can take everything off you and still make you want to come back.Â
I hope everyone on here has stayed GF
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.
