I'm now 18 days gamble free since my last relapse. If I'm honest I haven't found these last 18 days difficult at all. I've seen a lot of problem gamblers talk about every day being a challenge not to gamble which I do really sympathise with. However, I've never really been able to relate to that as I can months at a time with almost no urge to gamble at all. Whilst this sounds good, it makes it quite hard to work out what causes me to relapse. I'll go months without any real urge to gamble and then suddenly will snap and gamble straight away and there seems to be no obvious cause of this.
Hello cerrry93 and welcome
Please do not mistake any gaps as a sign of control or that you are not addicted. You have a binge or trigger form of gambling which can arise at any time or place.
It's still very dangerous as you know. I spent years in this phase thinking well I can't be addicted because I havent done it for a while.
Then a massive binge would happen in an arcade and I would chuck away hundreds or all my bank balance.
It would happen anywhere.....on holiday.....walking past a train station arcade...pubs ......motorway service stations etc etc
Suddenly I would crave it but these cravings can seem casual. I remember being suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety on a city centre shopping trip and I had to get to an arcade where I chucked about a thousand pounds
It's a progressive illness and this binging or trigger gambling is a known condition. You doing have to be doing it every other day to do real damage.....I knew some drinkers like this who could go weeks or months and then go on a several day binge which ended up in a police cell or trying to get taxi rides with no money etc
So please get help as you have no control at the harmful amounts of money you are throwing away. I spent many years thinking I was a la Di Da or casual gambler........truth is I could never afford to throw a tenner away
It's a drug addiction more than anything and you need to learn about its power to control and alter your mind
Best wishes from everyone on the forum
You will win a prize if you can figure that out.
I had a vision of sitting in front of a screen being held in place with rope and hooks like gulliver and the little people.
Fact is that we have no thoughts when we are hooked in front of our favorite games. Theres is a before and and after the game that make sense to look closer at. During the game we are just looking at the lights symbols nr and cash going out of the window. Very few addicts manage to shake the trance they are in when they are in it.
But you can make your routines so different that you don't have to get triggered. You can make those adverts go away. You can look in the different direction when you pass the bookies. You can stop hanging with your favourite gambling buddies when its payday etc
Change your routines so that you don't land in your old routines. And learn a bit of mindfulness. No it is not a rich man's invention. It is there to make you more aware of the present so you don't fall back into the pool of not thinking at all
I wish you well!
Best
C
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
