why do i think i can win

Hi rachelliz.

Welcome to the forum.

Yes essentially you are fooling yourself as we all did. It is not an income scheme or a get it back later scheme. The prize does not move towards you on a conveyor belt the longer you play.

There are some wins but its based on the random number generator and machine algorithm. You will notice that its mainly small prizes which reinforce the idea that the big one is coming. Nobody is really playing for these small amounts and compulsive gamblers cant stop anyway The machines are deviously designed to hook us. Many people if not most are playing for the dopamine and will it be me feeling.

You need to see the real odds. The machines are now designed to eat away your money in a smoother curve than older machines. Sure they give a little bit back but the code is designed to get you in a trance fast and lose all your money

You need to firmly focus that the machine owners are guaranteed to take up to around 23% per year on the percentage payout so it Is a big income scheme for them if they can tempt players. These machines take a massive turnover so its big money for them and misery for most gamblers. Its amazing and crazy that the flashing lights and advertising attract us like moths to the light

Start watching the videos on how they work and you need to see them as the enemy. The bit you are deluding yourself about is the machine owners want your hard gained money and they want it fast. It means thay can sit around counting it while you go out to work.

You are best without gambling in your life. I dont agree with any gambling but slots are a particularly nasty delusion

Be honest with yourself in how many times did the machine pay you out when it would have been handy for you to walk away. Very rarely if ever. the machines create addicts fast and that is their main aim as they want you back. Addicts can not walk away and I was addicted more to the feeling of playing.

keep talking it through and using the forum

Being gamble free is a wonderful feeling. I won big time today and everyday because I dont gamble or go near the gambling dens

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

Joydivider wrote:

Hi rachelliz.

Welcome to the forum.

Yes essentially you are fooling yourself as we all did. It is not an income scheme or a get it back later scheme. The prize does not move towards you on a conveyor belt the longer you play.

There are some wins but its based on the random number generator and machine algorithm. You will notice that its mainly small prizes which reinforce the idea that the big one is coming. Nobody is really playing for these small amounts and compulsive gamblers cant stop anyway The machines are deviously designed to hook us. Many people if not most are playing for the dopamine and will it be me feeling.

You need to see the real odds. The machines are now designed to eat away your money in a smoother curve than older machines. Sure they give a little bit back but the code is designed to get you in a trance fast and lose all your money

You need to firmly focus that the machine owners are guaranteed to take up to around 23% per year on the percentage payout so it Is a big income scheme for them if they can tempt players. These machines take a massive turnover so its big money for them and misery for most gamblers. Its amazing and crazy that the flashing lights and advertising attract us like moths to the light

Start watching the videos on how they work and you need to see them as the enemy. The bit you are deluding yourself about is the machine owners want your hard gained money and they want it fast. It means thay can sit around counting it while you go out to work.

You are best without gambling in your life. I dont agree with any gambling but slots are a particularly nasty delusion

Be honest with yourself in how many times did the machine pay you out when it would have been handy for you to walk away. Very rarely if ever. the machines create addicts fast and that is their main aim as they want you back. Addicts can not walk away and I was addicted more to the feeling of playing.

keep talking it through and using the forum

Being gamble free is a wonderful feeling. I won big time today and everyday because I dont gamble or go near the gambling dens

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

great words but it’s not as easy as just not doing it is it. When we come down and realise how stupid we have been that’s when the sensible side of you kicks in.

I try to explain to my wife that when I start the process to lose my brain loses all sense of normality and that it seems to block out rational thoughts. That to stop gambling altogether is to stop that trigger point somehow and replace it with something else. I say to her it’s the thrill of having something you never had and she does not get it.

Neither do I when I am not gambling I look at it and feel stupid. Then it takes over like I am a different person. The thing is I always end up feeling the same. I have broke my hand numerous times swearing and saying how can it be legal for them to basically take advantage of people’s addictions and basically rip us off.

Thanks for the replies, John i agree I look back after i lose money with my sensible head on and think I'm an idiot, but when i am in the zone its like sense goes out of the window and I am hypnotised , the best way is as you say Joy and dont do it at all Im going to a real effort to stop, I know it wont be easy as Ive said it many times over the last 2 years, but its such a waste of time and money .

I have said the same today. I am going to stop and be honest with myself. I will keep checking this post and my other one to see what people say. Keep me updated to see how your progress goes and I will post mine too.

It’s hard because I love watching football. The amount of gambling temptations on the tv is bad for me. My friends all gamble and post their bets/winnings daily. I know they don’t post their loses.

The thing is they can control it. I can’t. I feel numb today, hungover and down. Can I get through a day without it. Let’s see!

Hope you are feeling better today John, I am basically locked out of my online sites so i couldnt gamble yesterday i didnt miss it though I kept busy and I have have an account with big fish games so i played some harmless online games in the evening, i am planning to pay off my barclaycard with the money i would use gambling so i can see something positive happen with my cash rather than losses .

I hope you both realise that it gets easier when you reach out all for help and support. No its not like snapping your fingers to stop and it takes support and protection of your money. I would never say its particularly easy and it may always be within us to some extent. This addiction can be beaten and you will see clearly how gambling affected you

If you block the time location money triangle and do it well your mind will heal over time. Its natural to think of gambling in the early days but let the feelings ride as you wont really be able to act on them with proper blocks. We do recommend proper blocks on gadgets and a family member holding your money.

Whats worse...the cold turkey period or gambling to extinction again and in my case feeling suicidal. I was more than ready to tell people close and hand everything over while living on a strict allowance. I was ready and a relief and calmness spread over me.

I realised that I couldnt trust myself but it took 10 months after joining the forum for that to sink in.

With time you will realise that your hard gained money is best off spent wisely and you will enjoy doing that again.

Its also a learning process of what had a grip on you. Its the same sort of drive that substance addicts have and you may realise that it was not all about the money.

Life goes on and I have just had to pay all my TV and water bills. Im far better off gamble free as gambling was never the answer to my happiness or financial situation. The last couple of years have been far easier because I have no wish and no urges to gamble.

Keep busy and you need to start the thought process that there must be better and more enjoyable things to do with your time. Im talking about real enjoyment and that does come from the simple pleasures

Best wishes

I said on a previous post that the physical blocks are important ie the gam block , handing control of money , self exclusion etc . However I think for me the mental blocks are far more powerful . You need to dig deep inside your psyche and ask yourself what you get out of gambling . Even write down the positives and negatives of doing it to see how destructive it is . Once you have the mental fortitude you will be able to cope with times when the physical blocks are not there . Around 40% of adverts on tv are for gambling , ask yourself why ? View gambling as a negative not some dream world that you can profit from . No one I have seen has come on this site making a killing from it . The physical blocks even though well planned can still fail . You could see an advert and join a new site , you could find a loophole when lying to your partner about cash. You could go into a bookies you forgot to exclude from and do damage . The mental blocks like I said are much stronger and that’s your mindset along with the knowledge that you have most of the physical blocks covered . You need to become a non gambler . This takes work on repairing the damage you have caused to yourself , the way you view the world and how others around you view you . With the physical and mental blocks you can become a non gambler , not simply a gambler who is stopping at the moment because you have no access to money , time or opportunity

Mental blocks are the way forward in the long term. In the short term when your. It thinking straight it’s about restriction and access. I have cancelled all bank cards. I don’t have credit cards as that would be dangerous. I have told my close family about it. I have asked my wife to just give me cash when I need it and I provide her with a receipt. It’s to prove that I am not letting her down. I have blocked 100’s of websites by registering and self excluding.

I have not gambled for three days now so that’s a good welding but my brain nearly gave in before so instead of doing it I posted on here instead and read other peoples stories. I also told my wife that I had the urge and I beat it this time. I know there will be million more.

It’s mind over matter and at the moment I am winning my battle. See I have won this time..... by not losing. I can play this game again tomorrow.

Well done keep it up . I found that this site helped me at the start so much I wasn’t it constantly . Take whatever information you can from it as it genuinely does work

Really good post Bryan I agree yes definitely physical blocks but also the mental blocks as there’s ways around physical blocks. Change your mindset and mentally form blocks. I’ve been working a lot on that from learning about addiction and seeing gambling for what it truly is. Bestest wishes Lulu x

Bryan wrote:

I said on a previous post that the physical blocks are important ie the gam block , handing control of money , self exclusion etc . However I think for me the mental blocks are far more powerful . You need to dig deep inside your psyche and ask yourself what you get out of gambling . Even write down the positives and negatives of doing it to see how destructive it is . Once you have the mental fortitude you will be able to cope with times when the physical blocks are not there . Around 40% of adverts on tv are for gambling , ask yourself why ? View gambling as a negative not some dream world that you can profit from . No one I have seen has come on this site making a killing from it . The physical blocks even though well planned can still fail . You could see an advert and join a new site , you could find a loophole when lying to your partner about cash. You could go into a bookies you forgot to exclude from and do damage . The mental blocks like I said are much stronger and that’s your mindset along with the knowledge that you have most of the physical blocks covered . You need to become a non gambler . This takes work on repairing the damage you have caused to yourself , the way you view the world and how others around you view you . With the physical and mental blocks you can become a non gambler , not simply a gambler who is stopping at the moment because you have no access to money , time or opportunity

Day 1 for me here and I'm just looking at how others have been impacted by gambling. We never win because when we do we don't stop we just continue the cycle until we lose and hit rock bottom which is the point I'm at now but I'm here and like you these are the first days and steps in our journey to be gamble free. Stay strong

The mental blocks need back up until they are strong enough to hold. Even then there is no room for complacency

Mental blocks and willpower dont work on their own...how many times did we say better give that a miss in future yet were soon back chasing or thinking things are different.

Of course the mental blocks and willingness to get help are important. Im just saying that addicts need help even if they feel a bit of a baby for a good while

I had hardly any food for days and no electricity. I was still back as if the hard times had never happened. Its an addiction that dismisses the need for money, food or shelter and its a rocky road downwards.

Thats all Im saying and the trusted advice on here works. Very few can go it alone in recovery.

Best wishes to everyone