Newbie

Hi Murf Just popped by to say Hi and welcome to the forum .

It's a massive first step in recovery to hold your hand's up and realise you need help controlling something that has taken controll of you , I don't know what you gambled on or if you have put any barriers in the way to stop you gambling ?

The easiest to do is what we call the time , money , location triangle , if you remove one then you can't gamble , simple but it works as long as it's kept broken , you do that by Self exclusions from bookies or sites , restricting your access to cash by either handing control to someone you can trust or you use a card to gamble online then report the card lost and when the new one arrives scratch off the 3 digit security number without writing it down , there's also software you can download K9 is free or another is Gamblock ( for a fee ) that will not allow you gto access gambling sites once installed .

Lots of other info is available so just ask anyone on here or contact Gamcare for advice and I'm sure some of the other posse will be along soon to chat with you .

Recovery will gift you all you want but you have to want it more than the next bet , I came here just over 9 months ago and haven't gambled since , so I know this place works ! , Lots of other things available if this isn't enough for you , such as , free councilling from Gamcare or outside help in the form of GA , it all depends on you and what you feel is right for you ! .

Best wishes for now and I look forward to talking some more !

Welcome to recovery my friend .............................Alan

Hi Alan

Thanks for your reply. It feels a massive relief to be able to share this addiction with like minded others, and it is a huge bonus when you get advice you know full well that people offering it have been through it themselves so are well positioned to try and assist. I decided today, enough was enough, fed up of having the same empty feeling that comes with this 'disease'.

I will post regularly as i feel this is the crutch i need to help me begin to achieve my goal, albeit i am fully aware of the long journey ahead.

Thanks again mate

Hi Murf, welcome to recovery 🙂

I see Pops has given you a cracking list of tools there so all I will add is, if you're planning on sticking around, it's deffo worth creating yourself a diary...As you have been reading, you have probably discovered what a safe haven this place is to come to when you need to ride out urges!

Draw a line in the sand now & look forward to a brighter future - ODAAT

Hello murf1974

Welcome to GamCare.

Some solid advice from two GamCare stalwarts above.

Nice opening post. Can identify with a lot of what you write.

Letting go of losses is always a big problem. Good attitude trying to look forward and let the losses go.

I've spent so much time in the last chance saloon that I consider it my local. I've been homeless, have health problems, own little more than my smartphone and have no family. I've been very lucky to have always had good girlfriends save me.

Very lucky.

Things can always get worse if you continue to gamble and inevitably will.

Try the above suggestions and make changes or you will end up doing the same thing.

You come across as likable in your posts, sure you will do well here and be an asset to the forum.

Look forward to seeing you fulfil your ultimate achievement.

It's a nice one to have.

Blessings

Glint

Hi Glint

cheers for your reply.

in some ways we are so similar in the fact our addiction hurts not only ourselves but our friends and family around us.

for me, the biggest problem I had was last Summer, I won a huge amount of money online one day, I then thought I had the game beat, how wrong could you be.

Whilst in my 'heyday' I was invited to be a VIP guest at the Italian Grand Prix, all expenses paid for 3 days, any race meeting in the bookmakers corporate facility, and football match in a box, you can begin to imagine they don't offer those bonuses for winning a couple of hundred pounds.

but, as time passed, I was convinced I could win even more, the punts got bigger and bigger, and you know the rest.

in some strange way, what with now opening up about this for the first time in my life, hopefully, it could be what I will use going forward to achieve my goals in life, and all being well, start to enjoy it again

i will log back on later for an update, off out for the day with the missus, first Saturday I can remember that dosent involve a bet

cheers again

A big win can often turn into a big problem.

Easy to see how people get even more hooked thinking that if they have won big once they can win big again.

I never had a big win but that made me think I must be due one.

Big win, no win - we would always find a way to justify gambling.

Italian Grand Prix and a box at a football match?

WOW!

I was offered a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit once.

Don't be sucked back in.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Hi Half Life

i no longer have any online accounts, self excluded from all of them, I even opened up new ones and excluded myself straight away.

i gave up once before about 10 years ago, I avoided all betting shops, I refused to go on nights to the dogs with mates as I knew how easy it would be to go back to the dark days, but as time wore on, I had disposable income and the boredom got the better of me, one small double later and bang, here we are.

for me personally, I am going to try and replace the gambling with something else, I have joined a gym, and have thought about doing something productive with my spare time as that I feel is one of my problems, I gamble when I'm bored or feel the need for that rush of adrelanin, but as like most of us, all this does is create bad mood swings and covering up losses with lies to our loved ones.

i have not had a bet since my original post, and to be fair, I haven't even thought about it, I've kept busy over the weekend and the second the urge comes back, I will read over these posts and think about the future, that I can shape, the past I can't.

i know you have to take it day by day, which is all I can do, if I can get to this Friday, which I'm confident I will, then I'll be one week clean, and have something to build on and try to make two weeks, I will then have targets to focus on.

Evening all

i am now 1 week gamble free, I will now post in the diary section going forward.

Like I said previously, I packed it up once before, until like most of us, succumbed to the demons, but I can say, albeit only 1 week in, I have only had a couple of small urges which lasted a few minutes, made myself think of what I have posted and where I had been, and along with the added contribution of some very good posters on my thread, made me quickly forget them and move on.

2 weeks gamble free is my next target, then the big 1 month and so on, I'm realistic and know this is a long, brutal battle with this addiction, but one I'm determined to win.

good luck to every member, old and new, this is never going to be easy for any of us, just keep taking small steps towards whatever your goals are, and with support of this wonderful forum and friends/family, let's beat this together

god bless

murf

Hi again Murf , Wow , congratulations on your first week gamble free , ( where did that week go )?.

Great positivity and right frame of mind there Murf , urges do come and go but also pass quicker with every day you put between you and your last bet .

"One day at a time" and "little steps " is all it takes !

Stay safe and well my friend

Regards ...................Alan

Hi Alan

Tell me about it, its gone so fast, probably not a bad thing.

Really appreciate your input mate, im taking it one step at a time, day by day, but i know i can do this, especially with the support of the forum.

Hope all is good with you my friend, i am out for the evening now, i will check back in tomorrow.

Cheers again

Murf