Payday tomorrow...

No cash/cards= no gambling. Its my formula...and it works

Hi buddy,

Well done for coming here. If you drive to that casino you know exactly what will happen. Win or lose tonight you will eventually lose in the long run.

You have to make it so you physically cannot gamble. No cards, no cash, exclusion (I'd get onto the bookies HQ if they won't exclude you) and giving finances to someone is the key. If you relapse, blocks to gambling aren't strong enough. Make it so you cannot gamble, eventually the urges go away but you gotta be proactive. Never gamble a penny again as the smallest gamble can trigger this back. Keep posting and reading and find support!

All the best

The thing with any addiction is that you cannot control the thoughts that come into your head.... Your subconscious is king. I spent so many years gambling that it became a part of my psyche and maybe my personality. I spent time researching addiction and based my recovery on what I had learned. In addition the time spent on my research helped fill the huge void left from not gambling. It might sound odd, but I think I mourned for a while at the loss of a good friend, but now, nearly 4 years later, my appreciation of everything that I once took for granted has changed me for the better.

I am not going to tell you it that it will be easy, only that it will be worth it. I wish you well.

Ken

simples04 wrote:

Hi,

I've been on this site for years however have decided to post for the first time today.

I am 21 years old and have been gambling since about 14, I first went in the bookies when I was 15 (never got asked for ID for some reason) and have been unable to stop since. I've known for quite a while that I have a gambling addicition but have been unable to stop. I can go two, three weeks without gambling when I have run out of ways to get money and I feel pretty good when I'm not gambling. However as soon as disposable income comes my way it goes on a £10-£20 flutter which will turn into a binge where I will only stop when I'm out of money. I don't even enjoy it anymore it makes me feel anxious while gambling and depressed after for quite some time.

Last year I had to drop out of University after spending 6 months rent in a session and since then I have been spending all my wages on gambling, then getting payday loans to last me till the next month and the cycle continues. Tomorrow is payday and I will be able to pay off 5 of my 6 payday loans and have enough money for bills. Seems simple but for some reason my brain is telling me to drive to the casino 45 minutes away and wait till midnight when I get paid how messed up is that!? I have work tomorrow as well so it makes no sense that these thoughts are even coming into my mind. I'm trying to save upto go travelling and really want to get this addiction behind me.

I've self excluded from all shops in my area however it dosent really work as I can still go in there and place a bet, I tried to ask the B*****d area manager to help me out however he wouldn't even return my calls so the opportunity is always there if I want to gamble, it's just stopping the compulsions which is the hard part.

I thought I'd put this in a public area to remind me of why I want to stop...

Hi Simples I do hope you havent gone to The Casino, I understand how you feel, I feel it now a real mixed bag, good to be on hear reading and writing but bad because i know one click and a few keystrokes and I could be on a casino site......BUT I am not!!! This is not easy,

Hi simplesO4.

Its like a lightbulb going on and a born again moment when you are ready. You have a full blown gambling addiction and the title of the thread says a great deal.

When you are in recovery and properly blocked you wont think about payday as a worrying time. Youve seen the damage gambling does and you must be way out of your comfort zone by now.

It took me three days of crying and the deepest depression ever to finally do something properly about it. Then I healed and wondered for the life of me why I didnt do it before.

Self exclusion worked for me and you need to make sure youve spoken to the manager, the staff and ensured you are not welcome there or anywhere else. When they are on the ball you wont be able to sneak in and they wont pay you so no point. I have never broken a block because the shame would do me in and I know Im not welcome

The reality at the moment is this. You dont want to stop because the addiction is effectively controlling you. You havent done enough to stop because the addiction is controlling you. You still think its an income scheme and you mind is after its own dopamine fixes. Your life has become gambling and the cycle of payday loans to bail you out...only they dont bail you out for long before it gets worse and worse on interest charges

When you have told people close and start living on an allowance, the opportunity is not always there. Proper blocks shut it down fast and then you can heal in recovery

Its a form of mind control and you need to learn about the addiction and its complex ways. The addiction is strong with you and there is no shame in reaching out for help.

Keep using the forum

Best wishes to you

Posted by: Joydivider

Hi simplesO4.

Its like a lightbulb going on and a born again moment when you are ready. You have a full blown gambling addiction and the title of the thread says a great deal.

When you are in recovery and properly blocked you wont think about payday as a worrying time. Youve seen the damage gambling does and you must be way out of your comfort zone by now.

It took me three days of crying and the deepest depression ever to finally do something properly about it. Then I healed and wondered for the life of me why I didnt do it before.

Self exclusion worked for me and you need to make sure youve spoken to the manager, the staff and ensured you are not welcome there or anywhere else. When they are on the ball you wont be able to sneak in and they wont pay you so no point. I have never broken a block because the shame would do me in and I know Im not welcome

The reality at the moment is this. You dont want to stop because the addiction is effectively controlling you. You havent done enough to stop because the addiction is controlling you. You still think its an income scheme and you mind is after its own dopamine fixes. Your life has become gambling and the cycle of payday loans to bail you out...only they dont bail you out for long before it gets worse and worse on interest charges

When you have told people close and start living on an allowance, the opportunity is not always there. Proper blocks shut it down fast and then you can heal in recovery

Its a form of mind control and you need to learn about the addiction and its complex ways. The addiction is strong with you and there is no shame in reaching out for help.

Keep using the forum

Best wishes to you

Wish I would have listened to this advice at the time. I did 3 months ago and it's been a life changer. Hope the years have treated you well.

All the best.