where do i start

Hi Red, welcome to the forum 🙂

You just did 🙂 Looks like you've been a member a while so I'm guessing you've read the forum a bit anyway but hey, you asked 😉 Your best bet is GA or counselling (via GamCare, phone the helpline), both free! Breaking your gambling triangle (Time-Money-Location, remove 1 & you cannot gamble) makes it harder to gamble but addressing the route causes helps you not want to. Oldhamktf has a thread for phone exclusions so you can do multiple exclusions all @ once @ once but I would also suggest looking @ a credit card with no withdrawal facility - unless they've changed, I don't think they take credit in the shops?

HALT is something hugely relevant to addiction: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired (I personally had another A in my more reasons why I gambled, Anyreason) so it's no surprise to hear you feel your loneliness plays a part. Is your partner aware? Maybe they feel it too! Why not have a look & see what's in your area for you to do, as well as addressing the Location part of the triangle, it will widen your circle of friends & keep you busy!

I'm about the same age but gambled for a decade longer. You can fight this - ODAAT

Im only 4 days into recovery...i messed up myself. At the moment i have no access to cards or cash(that is a great starting point) although you need someone you can trust when payday comes around to take charge as we cannot be trusted in our early stages of recovery.

You must fill the void. All the time we spend gambling needs replaced with a hobby or just something to preoccupy our minds. For me..i play sports or read mainly..anything really to keep me busy. I DONTA BUY newspapers anymore and stay away from gambling converstaions as best i can

good advice odaat. I feel as desperate as you Red55, although i guess everyone on this site as so that was a silly thing to say. I've self excluded from so many online gambling sites too. It seems they know that most gamblers will look for other new sites opening when we have a weakness. there seems to be endless. I have also given my details to gamcare self exclusion and banned myself from about 30 betting shops, but i travel up and down country sometimes with me job. its so difficult. Most the time i really do want to stop forever then the next day (even now) i think i could just throw all this effrt away and walk into an un banned shop or casino. One day i'm as low as could be, the next i kid myself that everythings fine. i don't know?? I need to stop, its not that i want to. I enjoy blackjack, crazy to say on here, but my brain must be cracked. How can i enjoy something that has destroyed my finances for over 30 years?

Hi Red and everyone

Just want to repeat what others have said, do please give us a call on the helpline - we can arrange free counselling or point you towards other sources of support.

Also want to clarify what Ground Zero said about self exclusion - GamCare doesn't run the self exclusion helpline. If you mean the one for betting shops, it's run by the industry themselves. This is their website: http://self-exclusion.co.uk/

And Ground Zero - sounds like you are struggling too - you would also be very welcome to call our helpline or chat to us on the Netline. Details are at the top of every page of this site.

Best wishes

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