playing slots is ruining me

Hi Moowe,

You will find lots of support on this forum as I have.

I was in exactly the same place as you and it gets progressively worse until you put barriers in place that will prevent you from gambling. I stopped approximately 2 years ago and this was with the help of this forum, counselling support and the fact that I took away every opportunity to gamble by installing TXNoGam on my computer and having a trusted friend password protect it. This is a great piece of software that will instantly close all windows on your computer the minute you type anything gambling related into a search. In my experience you have to really want to stop and that means never going on these sites again and it's really difficult to reach this point as it's hard letting go of the buzz that gambling brings ... hard, but neccessary! If you're anything like me you'll think i'll just wager a tenner and come off win or lose. The reality is that if you win - you'll continue thinking you're in luck, if you lose you'll continue because you'll be chasing that original tenner that suddenly you feel you can't afford to lose. This is because we are compulsive once we go into gamble mode and as the saying goes 'we cannot win, because we cannot stop'.

I'm don't wish to preach as I have slipped myself lately by joining a bingo site on my iPhone... I played for a couple of days and didn't really do any damage financially - but I could feel the warning signs and it was beginning to dominate my thoughts and distract me again. I had a difficult time quitting before and if you read my diary from a while back, I can guarantee you'll relate. I'm not giving it any more power over me, I made the decision to install K9 on my phone and got it password protected by a friend again. I have no other avenues now to continue this mental torment and destructive pastime.... hope you manage to make the decision to quit completely and utilise every bit of help you can.

Great decision to come here, you're in the right place for understanding, non-judgemental support.... we've all been through it Moowe - good luck on your journey xx

Chan

Hi Moowe73,

Welcome to the Forum, and well done for posting here.

You’re at the right place to get the tips you want, and for professional help and support, to enable you to overcome your gambling problem.

I can already see that you’ve got a reply from Chan, also an experienced forum member. I do agree with his advice to you (as he mentioned, he was able to manage his gambling problem by sticking to the advice from the forum too), and thus will encourage you to heed to it.

If you’re serious about stopping, then you must take the necessary steps to block yourself completely from online gambling.

Gamcare recommends the following internet blocking software which will stop you from accessing gambling sites. They are Gamblock, Betfilter, and Net Nanny. Pls. read about all of them first, and then install the one that you think is most suitable to your needs.

Additionally, we can refer you to 12 sessions of free counselling if you think that would help you to stop gambling.

Maybe you’ll like to contact our free phone Helpline on: 0808 8020 133, and speak to one of our advisers for further help and support. We’re open everyday from 8.00am to midnight.

Thanks again for your post, and pls. keep posting.

Kind regards,

Beatrice

Hi, I'm new to this site and I'm exactly the same with slots online. I want to stop, my minds telling me not to carry on but my fingers just don't listen, I keep pushing that spin button, constantly losing and I'm still pushing it, chasing the money I've lost

Hi Desperate for help,

I'm not the best person to offer help re slots as that was not my speciality when i was gambling. My poison was horses, football and a bit of roulette. No doubt you've read the post from Chan so you need to get the site blocks on your devices. You could even put your finances in the hands of a trusted relative so you have limited access to funds. It's important to break the vicious circle that keeps you gambling.

Counselling via Gamcare is available and you could consider GA meetings. Believe me, it is possible to kick the gambling habit with the right measures in place. This site has helped me stay gambling free for months. Please keep coming here as it does help to read the posts. The 2015 Challenge has helped me greatly as well.

It's the chasing of losses that needs to be broken and there's no denying it can be difficult and as I've already said you need to put strong measures in place ASAP to prevent further financially destructive behaviour.

Gamblers are never satisfied and even if a person has a huge win it get's blown and he or she ends up losing even more money because of the "thrill" of the chase. It's the way it is and will always be and that's the horrible, nasty, gut and mind wrenching way of it.

Other people may post some advice for you.

Take Care Now.

Hi I started gambling about 4 years ago, no one knows every spare penny goes on it my husband works all week puts overtime in and I gamble it away I hate myself I have a good job my life is in ruins

hey julie , turn it around no one has died , you have lost a lot of money and feel compelled to try win sum back , if gambling was a way of making easy money everyone would do it , its not so draw a line under it you can,t just have a flutter and a bit of fun as our a CG so today a new day , get help and put serious barriers in place , no cash , no debit/credit cards , and start to enjoy your money nad re build your be suprised how good u feel x

hey julie , turn it around no one has died , you have lost a lot of money and feel compelled to try win sum back , if gambling was a way of making easy money everyone would do it , its not so draw a line under it you can,t just have a flutter and a bit of fun as our a CG so today a new day , get help and put serious barriers in place , no cash , no debit/credit cards , and start to enjoy your money nad re build your be suprised how good u feel x

Thankyou I'm taking each day at a time I find it hard can't believe how addicted I am to it I never thought I would ever do anything like this I'm sat here now thinking how long will it take me to pay our mortgage arrears !!! But how long did it take me to lose it

Hi Julie. I too have spent every penny on slot machines. Currently I don't even have £5 in the bank and I only had my salary paid into my account 4 days ago. I don't even play to win, I just enjoy pushing that d**n button waiting for a feature to come in!! I deposit £20 notes like they are pieces of paper. The Shame I feel doesn't stop me from doing it time and time again. I need help and quick! X

Made a desicion never to gamble again I'm feeling it today drawn all the money from my account so I can't press the botton and play the slots even thought about smashing my phone to bits so I can't play on it 55years old and its come to this if I can't stop what's the point it's killing me

Hi star im the same I get paid monthly my husband weekly as soon as the wages hit the bank I'm there pushing the botton I have won but always reverse the winnings it's like a self distruct botton , I'm trying to keep all gambling attraction away from me hope it works hope you can do the same

Hi julie

Do you just play online? Or do you visit casinos? I don't play online because if I start I know I will not stop BUT I make the 40 minute journey to my nearest casino, sometimes with just £10 in my pocket and no funds in the bank. Last week within 10 minutes I won £350 pounds and like an fool I put it all back in plus £200 more. I left in tears, drove home in tears and had yet another sleepless night. I wish I could just stay away even for just a whole month to see what my bank balance would look like. I hope things get better for you. For all of us. Star x

Do you know people will laugh I bought a pair of scales today delighted me cause it was £30 spent on something I wanted not on a bet , it's not all plane sailing I find my moods change a lot I pick up my phone then put it down I just keep saying no I feel c**P really but iv self excluded from all sites no finger nails left ,after reading some other posts I didn't realise so many people feel the same way find putting my feelings on here help cause I can't tell anyone else

Star I do just play on line some nights iv stayed up all night then gone to work just look in 2 months iv spent £3000 and only had £300 paid into my account from winning what could I have done with that money , you have to be firm I still want to bet but I can't cause I can't get on any games be strong and bypass the cassino we will check on each other and see how much we save this month