New Here - Trying to Get Help To Stop Playing Fruit Machines

Hi 🖐️

For most of my life I never bothered with Fruit Machines. Wasn't interested in the ones with nudges and holds etc., but over the last ten years, I got into these newer ones with Themes, and Cute Characters and Great Graphics and Special Features on online websites and in local Mecca.  Got kind of hooked.

Then I had a lucid  period a few years ago and signed up to Gamstop and that put an end to my online gambling on fruit machines.

Around the same time I self-excluded from local Mecca, so that stopped "real ife" gambling on fruit machines.

Felt pleased with myself and "under control" (although that control was being externally, it was done at my own instigation).

But then a year or so later I discovered pub fruit machines ... and betting shop fruit machines. 

Just spent £100 and did the same 2 weeks ago. Done this approximately once a month for a couple of years now.  "Let myself off" and let myself continue because I had simultaneously stopped drinking so much.  But doing this on my income is really NOT acceptable or sustainable.  

Suppose I have an "addictive epersonality" and swapped drinking for gambling. 

Now want to stop the spending on Pub Fruit Machines too - but do not want to end up iwth a new addiction in it's place  eg becoing a s*x addict at my age woudl be particularly embarassing 😉

Ideally I would love to learn to live without any addiction if possible (or maybe a "healthy" one).

Just thinking of that old saying, tha may be appropriate here 

"God Helps Those Who Help Themselves"

Been trying to Let / Get God in my life more recently ... and know that Twelve Step programs advocate having a "Higher Power" ... so maybe between God and GamCare I can stop things getting worse and hopefully cease and desist from throwing all my surplus income (and sometimes more) into machines. 🙂