hi all, my name is phillip jones. i have a major gambling problem. i am 27 and have been gambling for 10 years. i gamble on horses, football, to be honest pretty much any sport going. i also gamble onlne and play fobts in shops.
my gamblng has become uncontrollable now and spent all my money on this i have also started taking payday loans to gamble. i have now decided enough is enough and have decided to stop gambling completely. i have a wife and a child and do not want to lose either of them from my life so i am willing to do whatever it takes to get control of my life again.
look forward to hearing from anyone who may be able to suggest ways in which i can help myself.
thanks in advance,
phil
Hi Phil,
This is my first day on the forum aswell. (See my new introduction thread)
I wish you all the best, and hoepfully I can do the same.
hi sam,
i wish you all the best too, hopefully we are both successful
Hi Phil and Sam
You guys have come to the right place.
You can stop and with the love and support of this forum and gamcare life will be so much better I promise 🙂
Payday loans are a killer.... What has stopped me gambling (and I know everyone is different) is i've turned the addiction into anger. I have written David Cameron. I have a sent emails to any joe soap that will listen to me preach about what discusting illness this is and the lack of support from our governing bodies well thats none existant. I will keep shouting and preaching and emailing until someone listens until something changed. Gamcare are amazing and there is a fantastic support network out there. But we are being failed.
My first bit of advice would be if you truly want to stop self exclude from every single bookmakers out there online and in shop.
Secondly payday loans i'm guessing and forgive me if I'm wrong these will be due at the end of the month? If so email them all now explain you have had some financal difficulties and you may struggle to make a full payment offer them a token sum (they dont have to accept this) but it make take some pressure off whilst your making the first steps in this journey.
We are all here for you guys. Take one day at a time.
Love and peace.
Sazzy xx
thank you sazzy ,, truly appreciated.
phil xx
Hi both,
Can only really reiterate what Sazzy said. For me, self excluding was the best thing I ever did because I only really ever gambled on my lunch at work. Try and think where it is you gamble most and cut it off at the source. If it's bookies in the town then self exclude. If it's online then install K9 blocker software. Also, perhaps to start with give all your money (appreciate not much may be left) to someone else who will safe keep it for you and ensure you don't take it back. Apart from that, take each day as it comes. Urges will be strong but I let them come into my head, and say to myself "no thanks, I'm not gambling today". Sounds stupid but works for me and may work for you too!
And read. Read as many of the stories and hints and tips as you possibly can. There is so much support here you truly can stop. I'm 63 days clean from gambling having been pretty consistent for 5 years. If I can do it, anyone can!
all the best
Hi,
One of the things mentioned in the forums is to break the triangle of time/location/money. Without one you cannot gamble.
That said it may be time to hand over ALL your finances to your partner. If you don't carry cash or have access to cash you can't gamble.
FOBT's were my downfall and after 16 weeks free I still have no access to cash. If wifey gives me a small amount I provide receipts.
Take one day at a time. All of us have been in your situation (day one) and it won't be easy. Support is key. Partner, family, people on here. It all helps.
Overall you must remember the past is gone and you can't change it - BUT you can change your future for the better.
Stick with us. We are all learning. Look at the 90 day challenge on the forum and the 2015 challenge. Please get involved.
Tomorrow you will not gamble. Neither will I and countless others on here.
Best wishes
thank you all for the advice and best wishes. i have already closed all my online accounts and am in the process of self excluding from my local shops. i feel really good at the minute, hopefully long may it continue.
1 full day done!!!
How you doing today Phil?
hey guys
i have been in work today so been really busy. just got in now so checking in. today has been okay as been busy so not thought about it much.
no urges at all though which can only be a good thing. i have self excluded from all online accounts and have set up k9. my wfe is helping me aswell. so at the moment all going well.
hope you are all well
phil x
Great stuff Phil well done.
Hi,
Keep up the good work Phil. Well done.
Best wishes
Hi Phil
Glad to hear your doing well.
I'm glad your wife is supporting you too. Family is the most precious thing in life. We can all do it with a little help from our friends!
Were here for you.
Take Care
x
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.
