New here struggling with gambling

Evening Giffy16

Thanks for sharing and reaching out.

Looks like you've had a rough time over the past few years with your gambling. It's really common for recovery to sometimes feel up and down, and finding those urges are stronger when you're under stress.

There are other ways we can cope and find strength. If you’d like to chat about all of this, and to find out about possible further support, you could talk to someone on our Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or through our 1:1 Livechat.

I hope you’re able to continue using our forums for support.

Wishing you all the best,

Nicole

Hi Giffy, ive seen you in the chatroom a few times now.

Noticing the problem really is a massive step, and you seem to be coming to terms with the fact you have a problem. Everyones addiction is slightly different, triggers, causes and what and how we gamble.

I was right where you are now considering what i could do to take the next step, and i realized id tried to quit a few times before, it sounds daft but what i had tried for the last 35 years had never worked so i had to start thinking about different solutions.

So what did i realize?, that knee j**k and desperately wanting to quit never did anything, it made me feel bad that i perceived myself as being so weak.............and there for my own addiction lies the problem, castigating myself and getting drown in negative feelings and negative thoughts just caused a further downward spiral regardless of how hard i tried. Something had to and is now being done differently, not one massive step but a number of life and outlook changes. 

Firstly i now know addiction is hard and near on impossible to beat for myself in a depressed and desperate state, so i had to build myself back up to a good state where i could actually make solid life changes that eventually lead me to making of better decisions (and just to add that mindset took me months to build upto because of all the chemicals running through my head in the early weeks). So force yourself to be positive, realize gambling got you at a weak point, and you are much stronger now, be determined and not desperate. Get good quality rest and sleep, its extremely difficult but something you really must work on to improve and get your body and mind back in balance. An excellent suggestion is not only try to lose the negativity but also aim for a nice balance life and mindset, the extreme highs are just as bad as the extreme lows and make clear thought very difficult. 

Once you get to the stage where your thoughts seem clearer and your rest and sleep patterns are improving think about lifestyle changes to avoid things like stress, instead of feeling bored learn to truly relax and appreciate life. Start praising yourself when you achieve things, good days are great , but dont dis the bad days the real progress is doing your best during the hard days. Slowly build yourself into someone that you like, in doing so you will start to like and respect yourself and this will in turn establish and build a positive cycle that adds to your life and adds to the person you really want to be.

Be positive, be kind to yourself and to do this you really have to let the past go.

The very best of luck and i cant wait to follow your progress and learn about the things you find work well.