new start

Hi Wayforward. There's no magic bullet that stops us betting. You've taken the first step by being honest with yourself and realising that you've got an issue with gambling.

Best way I've found for myself is to take away temptation. So if online is your thing then make sure you have no money on any registered card. If physical betting shops tempt you then don't carry cash.

It's a nasty addiction because it makes us feel superior when we win and justified as to why we do it. But, when we lose we feel lower than pondlife. Not just because we've lost money, but because we've lost the respect of our friends/family who care about us and believed in us.

The simple answer is just don't do it. Fight the urges. Put measures in place so that when you feel weak you don't have the means to pay for the bet. (Easier said than done for sure. But without the money to bet in the moment of weakness. the urges become easier to handle for sure).

Best advice I can give is to realise that you want to change (which you've clearly done by posting), then find some totem, something you can carry with you, something that means something real to you, so that the next time you feel an uncontrollable urge you can pull it out of your pocket and look at it and remember all the reasons you won't bet again. Works for me.

Good luck mate. mx

Welcome on board mate,

You didn't tell much about yourself but still enough for me to see myself in it.

A long time ago I've been exactly in the same position. I knew there is something what takes control of me and I didn't like it. Was this really how it was ? No it wasn't ! The truth is that I didn't liked to loose ! Because I needed to find then excuses for why I couldn't pay my rent or getting in groceries and so on.

And this was exactly how my addiction could take control over my life, because feeling to ashamed to tell somebody that something with me is wrong I used lies to get to money and in the and I even stole it, just to chase the loss. And guess what it didn't work !

Long before I admitted to my family and friends that I struggle with an addiction called gambling, they knew it already and they tried as good as they could to help and it was just me to proud to admit, that I can't handle it and need help, who put me deeper and deeper in the misery.

I will leave it with this for now, all I'm saying is that reading your post leaves me with the impression that you are at the beginning and you still can turn it, but just with help, in the right direction.

You've done the first step in the right direction and well done for this. I hope you find here the strength you need to keep going the right direction and when you relapse don't be to hard with yourself mate we all did one ore more times. Important is just that you are honest with yourself and keep trying fighting it with the help from here and as much as you can get.

Good luck

Wolfgang

Thanks for the reply, still clean since first posting. Trying to take one day at a time. The worst thing for me now is getting through the day and admitting to family that I had a lapse. Not letting family down seems to keep me straight.

This forum really helps.

love Peace