Hello.
I'm a 33 year-old single mum from Glasgow.
Today marks my 2nd attempt to get rid of these urges I have. I previosuly registered with GAMSTOP for a period of 6 months and I stupidly asked them to lift the ban before Christmas. You already know where this is going.
I'm feeling ashamed, stupid for getting sucked in again by this system, disappointed, etc.
I've now requested a 5-year ban. I'm done, I have to be. I'm lucky in that I didn't lose everything I have, but the simple fact that I lost £300 over the weekend (playing the same slot game over and over) makes me so ashamed. It's not a life-chaning amount, but it's still a lot of money andenough to make me realise what I could have spent that money on: a holiday with my child for example!
Anywaym here I am. I'm ready to do this with you all.
Thank you for reading this.
Hi Missshona,
Glad you are here with us! I know exactly how you feel, adding up the money spend just makes me feel nauseous, and so anxious. There are lots of us on here who are going through similar things, so feel free to vent!! Keep in touch and, yes, we will do this together.
Hi Missshona,
Gambling worps our relationship with money. I’ve lost just under 50k over past few years and everytime I think about it it makes me sick. Ive not gambled for over a month, and to be honest I don’t miss it...in fact I can’t think of anything worse than sitting in front of a screen by myself getting stressed...however the thing I can’t shake off is the money lost. I’ve now started treating my self with small things like taking a taxi when I would have taken a bus, or getting takeaway when I would have cooked at home - small things remind me that the money is gone but the money we have now can be put to things that give pleasure. I would have previously been tight with money (aprt from if it was for a hand on blackjack where I was happy to put £1000 down for a 1 minute game of chance...crazy.
It’s hard to deal with the loss - it’s gone...i think I’m starting to acknlowdge that the money is not mine anymore and I am not due a “refund”.
Gamstop is a great move too, I’ve also signed up for 5 years which has now stopped me even trying - even if I found a site that’s willing to take me on, I wouldn’t trust they would pay up if I did win anything.
Good luck and all the best.
Hi Missshona,
I too am starting out on this journey as of yesterday evening. I stopped with gamstop then opened all the accounts back up again in my partner's name - see my post from yesterday for an explanation. The amounts of money we have lost are all relative to us. I luckily have not ended up in debt but the money I've blown was towards a house deposit or fertility treatment so I feel that I've put a real spanner in the works for future plans. My mum was also giving me an amount each month to put away in my savings and the guilt over losing her money is huge and if anything worse than losing my own. It is so difficult to come to terms with it. We have done the right thing coming on here, reading through posts and adding this comment has made me determined not to gamble upon getting home from work this evening. I also saw the motto on a few posts - just for today, I will not gamble. I've set it as a post-it note on my phone home screen and that's just what I'm doing today. One day at a time.
Rupidoda - your post completely resonates with me. Your idea of treating yourself is great and brings back some value to the money. I too am tight with money, Only Saturday I begrudged paying £3.50 for parking in the town centre because my partner didn't fancy the half hour walk in!! And yet yesterday I blew £900 on one slot across several sites. It's bewildering. I absolutely cannot come to terms with the money being gone currently and am trying to change my mindset to avoid chasing the losses. My downfall was the number of times I did get a significant refund, which only reinforced the addiction.
Good luck and stick with the site, everyone is so helpful x
Hello Missshona welcome to the forum its clear from what you say you are trying to change things for yourself by completing a five year self-exclusion with Gamstop. I hope you find the forum helpful you can if you want to use our daily chat rooms to talk with others who are in similar situations and making steps to stop. Here is the information for the daily chat rooms. https://www.gamcare.org.uk/chatroom
We have a helpline where you can speak with an adviser if you would like further information and support. The helpline is open every day 8am -midnight the contact number is 0808 80 20 133
Keep posting
We are here to support you
Kind Regards
Forum admin
Hello,
Thank you all for taking the time to get back to me, it means a lot.
It is so weird how I had no problem depositing £50 multiple times to play the same slot over and over, but hardly treat myself to some make-up or a trip to the cinema. I'm supposedly on a budget as it can be tough being a single parent yet I did this multiple times...
Hey missshona.
How have things been? I realised I had to stop aswell and I know it's for the best! Try and stay positive and forgive yourself for the past. Concentrate on your future with the little one and stay strong.
So my first post, well done on on your journey so far. I too have spent far too much and ruined most things by gambling. Im determined to change!
Hello Everyone.
Sorry for not checking in sooner. I kind of took a break from being on my phone for a couple of days. I feel good, weight off my shoulder knowing I can't log into the many accounts I had created.
Hope everyone is doing good and feeling strong. I'll catch up on the newer posts too.
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