Hello all.
I'm 24 but have been gambling almost as long as I can remember. I was picking out placepots when I was 7 years old (not a joke) and have always managed to find people to put on bets for me. Obviously, since the age of 18, I've actually been able to place bets for myself, and those £2 placepots quickly turned into four-figure bets.
My losses until about a year ago were probably 7 or 8 thousand and I had kept it all to myself.
Things then escalated and I lost about £10,000 in the space of a few days. I was utterly depressed for quite a while, I told my girlfriend and promised I would stop. I hadn't bet more than the odd quid since then, and I genuinely thought I had conquered the addiction.
Last week, betting on Royal Ascot, I started with a 50p Yankee on the first day, and by day 5 I was down by £5000. I now realise that this addiction will probably plague me for the rest of my life. Even though I went a whole year without placing a big bet, that addiction was still lying dormant inside me like a tumour, and it didn't take much for it to come to the surface.
So I've self-excluded myself from all websites, and have come on here to finally acknoweldge my addiction and share my experience. My other big step was that I deposited my last £5000 to put on an evens bet to win back my losses. However, somehow, with my finger hovering over the 'place bet' button, I stopped myself and withdrew the money. I'm trying to concentrate on viewing this as a positive first step.
I am torn about telling my girlfriend. I think telling her would hurt me more than her, which makes me feel even more selfish for keeping it to myself. But I really feel too ashamed to say anything...
Thanks for reading.
Hi, you did brilliantly to stop for a year but a similar thing happened to me in that I grew complacent and though maybe I could just try a small bet.... and the rest is like your story. Well done for self-excluding but you shouldn't have access to that kind of money in your vulnerable state. Is there anyone you can let look after it for you? Unfortunately no one can say how your girlfriend will react and whether you should tell her.
hey le chuck im joe , thanks ever so much for sharing that and you are spot on with what you say , its so bloody hard and tempting to put a big bet on sometimes to recoup losses , don,t feel ashamed , your girlfriend would not hold it against you if you were ill and when your betting these sorts of money on horses and chasing and delving into despair as you see your money disaapear it gotta be classed as a mental illness and ppl on here will agree , i gotta agree that it is a lifetime tumour in your brain and the goverment makes so much on tax from gambling there is little help , im still trying to quit altogher and can,t but no betting at highl evels like you but still feeling gutted when lose so i can,t offer you best advice to quit but im sure many others who done 2 , 3 years without can
Get in touch with gamcare. get some counselling. could help your girlfriend to go as i'm sure she'll have questions
Thanks for the replies.
I have decided I am not going to tell my girlfriend or family. I will give it one more shot by myself, and if I relapse again I will definitely tell them. I know that sounds stupid but I really feel at the moment it would do more harm than good, and I am so determined to rid myself of this illness that I am confident I can go it alone.
What I don't understand is how the £2 bets turn so quickly into £1000 bets. I can honestly say I get just as much of a thrill from the small bets as I do from the big ones. So why do I keep doing it??
Hello Lechuck
Well done for recognising your gambling is a problem and making the decision to take steps to help overcome it by excluding from the specific gambling sites.
It may be helpful to know that many Forum members have found that Gamblock and Betfilter have really helped them in overcoming their gambling problems by excluding from all sites. There is a cost for downloading the software and full technical support can be found on the Gamblock and Betfilter websites. I have added the links for you http://www.gamblock.com/ http://www.betfilter.com/
I understand that you are finding it difficult to tell your partner everything but Secrecy does not allow you to get support and may allow the gambling to continue unchallenged. If you feel you can’t talk to people close to you, you can get confidential support from GamCare. You might like to start by exploring our website or speaking to one of our advisers on our HelpLine on Freephone 0808 8020 133
or on our NetLine. GamCare also offers free confidential counselling service, to help you cope with the situation. Which you can also obtain through the helpline/netline services.
Many people find themselves unable to explain why they continue to gamble despite the problems it causes in their lives. In our experience gambling is often a symptom of an underlying problem so counselling may prove really helpful.
Take care
Cade
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.
