Hi - I am a newbie to the site and have already found it so helpful - now I now that I am not alone! Online slots are my big problem and although I am not in debt I have been spending far too much - as I read in another post, you lose all sense of reality about the money you are wagering as it just doesn't seem 'real'. I have won in the past, and at times have been in control enough to bank it, but usually I lose my winnings or worse, cancel my withdrawals and then pouf! - it's gone. I feel I have made a real start to recovery by admitting my problem - can anyone direct me to the best gambling blocking sites? I just use my PC to gamble, not my phone.
HI Baggins, welcome to the Forum,
K9, Betfilter or Gamblock are three of the best types of blocking software avaliable.
If you gamble compulsively, as you do, you have to ask yourself what the endgame is my friend - would a big win make you stop? Would an astronomical amount of money make you finish with online slots for good?
The answer is categorically no; all is would do is make you crave more of the same; your smaller stakes would be meaningless so you gamble at a higher rate than ever, which invariably leads to losing and then breaking into money you fdon't have. If winning is more dangerous than losing, then you have no future as part of it my friend.
Most people join here when it is far too late - you haven't reached that stage yet but it has compromised your life somewhat; what you have to ask yourself is how much more could you take? If you have another five or ten years or spending too much, then there is an extremely high chance that you will cross that line and get into debt.
You have a chance to draw a line under this and walk away my friend - value that, cherish it; take it slowly, judge for yourself as to how you are feeling; these dark, early days are the hardest but your urges will lessen greatly in time.
If you feel that this leaves a gap or gaps in your life, push yourself to fill them; this doesn't have to be a negative situation if it changed your life for the better.
Well done for making this positive start my friend. You can build on this, and it could well be a turning point for you.
JamesP
Thank you James for your encouraging and wise words; you are quite right about the possible scenario of winning a really large amount - it would probably make me want to wager even more. I'm pretty sure I would not close down an account on a winning site - I would probably be deluded enough to think that my luck was in permanently. I feel as if I have stepped back from the edge of a volcano about to erupt!
I know how you feel, the Slots have turned into my biggest weakness on the online casino. It's hard describe, I would play to win, but when I was winning I wouldn't be able stop playing. This would be a through a combination of greed and enjoyment. Then before I knew it, Bamm.....I was out of credits. Bring on the Depression. This was my downward spiral and like you I'm also going install one of these software blocking programs on my laptop/PC. I can't afford this destructive habit of mine. It's ruining my life. I hope you get this software installed ASAP. While you are still debt free.
Thanks Mark and good wishes to you with your efforts to kick this habit. I know just what you mean about being unable to stop, even when winning. It must be a brain malfunction where you get into a trance-like state and all rational thought flies out the window. I would do daft things, e.g. won £150, banked £100 and retained £50 to try winning more. Lose that, then reverse my original withdrawal in an attempt to recover the other £50. End result - zilch. Crazy!
re. the blocking software, I am on the Betfilter free trial but then saw K9 mentioned here, so have installed that as it is free. So much easier when gambling sites are out of bounds! Good thoughts to you...
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