Hello all, this is my first post since signing up.
Why do we gamble? Why do we choose to risk the money we work so hard for?! And why do we Lie about gambling? Both to ourselves and other people? Â
I'm a 43 year old with a decent job, I come from a normal'ish family. But I have gambled for the most of my adult life, i can even trace it back to when i was a teenager when my at the time best friend dragged me down to the local arcades every.Â
If you were to ask me today why I do it? I honestly wouldn't be able to answer that, I don't enjoy it, it's like it's just become part of a routine or a cycle, like in never happy unless I'm s******g my life up somehow. My gambling has never really impacted anyone else other than myself until recently, and has cost me my relationship with the only woman I've ever truly loved.Â
I've been in serious denial about my problems and it took umpteen attempts from her to get me to acknowledge I have an issue. Hopefully one day she will find it in herself to forgive me, a second chance seems unlikely but its my own fault I can now see that.Â
I have removed myself from gambling altogether, I have banned myself on gamstop, and have pretty much stopped watching football atm, I have got a second job to help occupy my mind and help me start to rebuild myself financially. I have promised my nearest and dearest that I am done with gambling, and intend to fulfill that promise. Today is day 35 on the wagon. Don't make the same mistakes I have made. Get addicted to making money not losing it. Life will be far easier that way!Â
CheersÂ
MarkÂ
Hi
Hello all, this is my first post since signing up.
Well done opening up is important.
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Why do we gamble?
Being an addict I was very emotionally vulnerable.
My emotional triggers were my pains I could not heal.
My emotional triggers were fears I could not reduce or face.
My emotional triggers were my frustrations of people life or situations.
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Money was the fuel for my addiction and my obsessions.
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I would view risk taking as an adrenaline rush.
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Why do we choose to risk the money we work so hard for?! And why do we Lie about gambling? Both to ourselves and other people? Â
I'm a 43 year old with so much potenial in you.
First thing is to abstain from your unhealthy habits and unhealthy obsessions..
Then of rme to hand over our finances to my wife.
Sadly sitting on my hands doing nothing was not healthy for me.
I wrote down my lists of my needs to do.
I wrote down my lists of my want.
I wrote down my lists of my goals.
I use to go to arcades as a very young child.
It was a way of me escaping even in those days.
By working hard on my recovery.
For me recovery means healing from my past.
Gambling is and was a form of self abuse and self neglect.
As pains get higher fears grow in us which means we have to lie more and moree.
Those lies are a betrayal of people trusts of us.
More time in my recovery changes our focus and motivations.
Healthy to use gamstop,
35 clean days can not be lost.
Understand when you are emotionally vulnerable.Â
Gambling for me was a complete waste of my time and my life.
The longer I Gambled the more I missed out on emotional intimacy.
Thank you for your sharing.
Dave L
AKA Dave of Beckenham
In Canada
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