Only gone and done it again

“I lost 1800”  every penny i had

Evening. 

You've managed to stop before so I'm sure you will manage it again. It is hard to get our heads around relapse and the money lost but it eventually destroys us and pushes us to continue chasing losses. That money is gone now, you need to try and forget about it and move forward and start again. Hope things work out OK for you 

Stace

@old-but-new I really feel for you that you've had to endure the rollercoaster of gambling, which as you know it's a recurring nightmare. The highs and lows of gambling grips us in a vice: filling us with joy one moment, then ripping our hearts out the next, turning us to tears and anger. 

But the good news is that you can take control of your life. One step at a time. Focus on the real possibility of getting back on your feet and finding a new direction. Not on the money lost, or of gambling chances missed. You must know in your heart that nobody wins in the long run. It's time for you to decide. 

Thankyou for the replies.

I know what needs to be done to probably cure 70% of gambling addictions. BAN FOBT MACHINES.

yes casinos are probably even worst but its not somewhere i would even risk going to.

I just read about a boy in Morocco who fell down a manhole and died. He endured til his body gave up. Very sad, you can't think how his parents feel. Just to put things into perspective of whats important in life. £1800 might seem a lot but not much compared to some things other people go through in life. 

Just over 3 years ago my last bet on the fixed odds betting terminals lost twelve thousand pounds in one day over 12 hours playing £2 slots.  The insult was last fifty pounds paying jackpot of five hundred.  

They are waste of time and money and life gets a lot better when you stop.  You have to hate gambling and the hassle what comes to stop.  Got to stop being the cash cow for the bookmakers.  It is doable just got to hate losing.  Took me close to 10 years to put an ending to it.

@onlmvt yes this sounds about right! £2000 i wasted and the highest payout through the hole 7 hours was just over 100 pounds!

this shouldn't be aloud, and more research and information should be given on these machines as i think more than 80% of people have no idea how they even work, (not something you would probably think about but) the gambling industry clearly keeps how exactly they work behind closes doors.

just dont get how they are aloud to keep going? It doesn't make any sense, these machines and probably gambling in general aswell as alcohol should be illegal just like drugs that give a high are, its no different.

@old-but-new 

I feel sorry for your situation and also think gambling companies could do more to help! But at the end of the day they don’t force anyone to bet and their profits come from us having a bet so why would they want to help stop that? 

slots are, I agree, the most addictive form of gambling and regulations have come in with 2 pound max spins! But I think you are very wrong to be saying it should be illegal. It winds me up when I read this, it’s almost like people want to deflect blame for their own problems, (in this case gambling addiction) onto someone else (the gambling industry).

Firstly, like alcohol, millions of people can enjoy a bet or drink and not become a problem or compulsive gambler/drinker. Therefore it’s not fair to ban this for people who can gamble sensibly and know when to stop! Secondly, no one forces you to bet!  I agree it’s not easy to stop, I have been there but like any addiction it requires will power on your part! 

end of the day like most people on this site we became compulsive gamblers and cannot like most people regulate our behaviour when it comes to gambling, we don’t know when to stop or not chase loses or when to take your winnings and leave! Therefore WE need to take responsibility for our actions, we went into the bookies, we shoved notes into the machine, no one did this for us did they? 

once we accept responsibility that the problem is US and not trying to blame others and companies etc etc, we will never beat this! I’m not saying the gambling companies don’t owe a duty of care and I think online gambling needs updating the revaluations, as they was last looked at in 2005, pre smart phones! But ultimately making them illegal as you say doesn’t solve your addiction still, and is unfair on the many who can enjoy a sensible bet! 

@m0salah123 anything that can destroy a life within hours should end.

they can very easily make these machines take a maximum amount of money “say £100” then people who you say are capable of betting sensibly can still play.

@old-but-new i have done the same last week it started today hopefully last time.        I drank my self to sleep all week nearly a year without a bet i feel so low. We done it once we can do it again. 

@old-but-new they shouldn’t limit what people can bet etc, you can’t have restrictions on what people do with their own money! Most people don’t get to your current situation, you need to accept and take responsibility for what your actions are rather than blaming others and the system, if people want a bet it should be allowed! 

@m0salah123 it's often borrowed money that is used to gamble which results in debt and harm. There are already lots of restrictions on what people do with their own money, eg they can't use it to buy illegal drugs. Gambling is illegal in some countries just like cannabis is illegal in the UK because it's considered harmful. I don't use cannabis but personally think it's less harmful to a person and society than the fobts, some would disagree which is fair enough. Agree about taking responsibility for personal finances as part of recovery from a gambling problem.

@needtochange I agree with your point and also think cannabis should be legalised and also agree gambling is a far more addictive problem. I also have sympathy for the author of this post, but I just cannot stand it when people don’t take responsibility for their actions and blame the industry or others for their problems. At the end of the day, nothing is forced and people are choosing to gamble, but to make it illegal for everyone else because some people develop a problem with it is quite frankly unfair.

@m0salah123 i dont agree cannibis should be legal, when i was young at school we used to hoof up lungos (large bottle with bag) this literally gets you high as a kite! Ended up doing it nearly every day and still today (around 20 years on) iv never got over the damage it done to my brain, in all honestly destroyed my thinking ability and ever since im just an existence with no real thought of who i am and why im here.

trust me in the wrong hands or the wrong mind this can damage u further than your mind could even think.

as far as im aware in uk it is legal now? Thought they legalised it, dont think u can even get done of growing it if its under a certain amount just for own use.