Tips on filling time after gambling addiction

I lost 7 k in two years 

I lost 1200 yesterday on slots,now i got no money for food

Everything was fine till yesterday 

I fixed my finances i had that 1200 for surviving but it wasnt enough 

I was in wetherspoon had two cider but i started to feel lonley so i was like lets buy some stuff and go home 

I wanted the gamble 20 £ just for fun 

But i couldn't stop and lost everything,this is not the first time i doing it since summer and i did again 

So disappointed in myself. I feel like i don't learn from anything 

I work hard to have money then throwing away in a few hours.

Alcohol the loneliness the stuff puts me in this situation 

Need to stop this three cycle Alcohol,stuff,gambling 

So no more pubs after work 

After work just go home,watch tv,read a book. Go for a walk or go for gym

Go for cycling 

Please god help us te defete this evil all i want is my normal responsible life i had before 🙏 

I’m like you, I enjoy watching football (as well as other sports) which often triggered me into placing bet after bet after bet on what I was watching. Then inevitably when one would lose, I would then chase the money back on roulette/blackjack etc. Rinse and repeat. Fast forward years later and I got myself into a mess.

What has helped me is getting stuck into Fantasy Premier League. As well as other fantasy sports that I’m interested in. The social involvement with friends and family is still there, you’re still rooting for players and teams to win but there is absolutely no financial risk at stake. Which let’s face it, means very little to us compulsive gamblers as most of us don’t spend any winnings on anything for ourselves anyway. We merely buy ourselves more gambling tokens until we run out. 

For me, sports betting was hard to break free from because of the fear of not feeling involved in general. Everyone else talking about it, seemingly having fun, talking about their wins or near misses. I felt like I should be getting involved too. But for me, my mindset was completely different to a normal gambler. I can’t gamble responsibly. So I had to accept defeat and find something else.

However, I must state that playing Fantasy games works for me. It won’t necessarily work for others. To me, I see it like playing computer games. Others may disagree, but it’s working for me and that’s all that matters. I’m 41 days gamble free so still in the very early stages of recovery but I’ve had no urges to bet in that time.

Good luck in your recovery. You can do this.  

@determineddan cheers for that your story sounds very similar to mine. Will give the fantasy football a go, I do also enjoy playing football manager so will try and fill my time with that. Part of the reason I never self excluded in the past was because I liked playing the Super 6 which was free and similar games on b****5 that were free.