Hey so I decided to join this forum to try get some tips, advice and support on how to stop my addiction to football betting and just chat with people who know the struggle is real! ?
A bit about me, I’m 27 and have been gambling on football since I was 19 but it became a real issue at about 23. I’m not sure what changed, I used to have a £5 bet maybe once or twice a month for a number of years but then suddenly the stake turned into £10,£20,£30 and even £50-£100 on my worst days!
The good news is last year I got help from Gamcare and went through their counselling course which changed my life and I stopped for 7 months and I did think maybe I’d beaten the addiction or at least was on track to beat it.
Then disaster struck and my grandad died followed by me getting some horrible virus which made my body ache everywhere for months and I’m usually a healthy guy so for me this was mentally so challenging! I reckon you can guess what happened next... Yes I went to the bookies again and at first thought hey maybe I can control it better than before and be sensible but I couldn’t and although I wasn’t losing anywhere near as much money as before I did end up losing £250 in January and February this year, which is still way too much! ?
Here’s the second bit of good news, a couple of weeks before lockdown I decided to stop again and I haven’t had a bet since, woop woop! Now I’m an honest guy so truthfully yes the reason for me stopping was that I knew in a week football would be most likely cancelled anyway so I decided what a great time to try quit again before my problem worsens again!
If you’ve read this far I thank you because it’s so kind of you to spend time reading my story! Now we’re at present day and I’ve not had a bet since the 2nd of March and betting has entered my mind about 4 times since lockdown started so I’m not itching to have a bet but still I’d prefer it to not enter my mind once!
The reason I’ve joined this forum is because when lockdown ends and football returns I don’t want to go back to betting again, I want to stay stopped for good but I’m afraid that once things return to some level of normal maybe I might creep back into it. ?
Any helpful tips, advice or encouragement would be really appreciated! I know I can beat this but I think a little bit of moral support could be the tool I need to make sure I do! ?
Hey
I guess with going 7 months without gambling shows you can do it!! I guess once the lockdown hit and if you're only betting in the bookies then that's slightly easier but if you're doing anything online then sign up to gamstop it's free and great. If you're really serious about stopping then I would exclude myself from the various betting shops you go to.
The biggest thing to remember is just because you've gone X amount of months with not betting doesn't mean you're healed or you're in control. Any day in the future you start betting again you can spiral unfortunately.
Good luck with your journey though
Packer
Hi Joey1000 and welcome to the forum.
My best advice is to stay on the forum and keep talking your feelings through as you learn more about the addiction.
You have to be very careful in realising that gaps away from it can be no sign you have control back. Its something you have to bear in mind.
I fear that the lockdown will confuse people into feeling they have stopped but that will be mainly because the high street dens are shut. They cant compute the lockdown so it may give false signals
Treat it as a drug addiction and it will start to make more sense. Its a highly dangerous and insidious addiction that creeps back and blindsides you out of the blue. Its very good at the sweet talk then the sucker punch It will tell you just to have a little fiver and before you know it you will be scratching your head having blown hundreds. It was our cruel sadistic mistress offering you the drug of temptation
You see once addicted you have no control and your mind will fight itself in clever ways to get its fix
You really need to have a chat with people close to you as well. What you actually need is reality checks from non gamblers as you try and explain yourself. You really need some help and moral guidance to restrict access to your own money
You see once you have crossed the line into addiction. abstention and a full recovery journey is the only way You know what gambling has done to you and therfore you dont need it in your life
You have to face the fact that you have had no control over your own mind when it comes to gambling. That should worry you enough to do something serious about it.
To state the obvious they are not offering you life changing odds on Man U vs the grannies 11. Accumulators are such long odds and I understand how people get addicted to it all. Its not an income scheme and all the risk is with you. The dens are playing with other punters money and they have mitigated the risk
It takes born again moment and the difficult exercises of explaining a gambling session to a family member.
its your decision and life is much better free from gambling misery
Best wishes from everyone on the forum
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