Am I the only one?

I’d also be interested to hear peoples views on this. I’ve heard some people say that it helps them but personally I’ve always been too nervous to watch them in case it triggers me to want to gamble. Well done on stopping so far! 

Interesting topic.

I used to watch some videos on YouTube at the beginning of my journey but I stopped after a while simply because as I had time off gambling my life began to improve and I lost interest. Bare in mind, when you first quit you may think you like gambling or that you miss it but thats just an illusion. Gambling is ruining your life and destroying your finances. Once you have time off gambling your life improves and you realise that gambling is horrendous. 

I don’t watch videos of roulette now because I am utterly sick of roulette. It’s awful and nearly robbed me of everything I hold dear and value in my life. It certainly takes some time to get to this point but you’ll definitely get there after weeks, months and years without gambling. My life without gambling is incomparable to the life I used to have. Absolutely no doubt about that.

Simply focus on not gambling one day at a time and focus on introducing good, healthy habits into your life. The days build, things improve and peace and happiness returns.

I haven’t gambled in 3 years. 

RR

I'm no expert from personal experience but I would imagine that watching gambling videos gives you the same anticipation/adrenaline that you would get from actual play yourself. People I know who that have stopped playing and turned to watching videos have said that they have become addicted to them via YouTube and have progressively spent more time searching for and watching them.

Because gambling addiction is a psychological addiction it's probably a good idea to separate from anything gambling related so that the fire of desire diminishes. 

Regards

@bardyb2612 when was your last bet?

@chris-uk probably about 4 weeks ago 

@bardyb2612 That’s commendable, so you’ve got a little time now between bets.

In my experience, using the YouTube slots isn’t the best way to fill your time. You aren’t really letting go and although it’s not your money, it’s still keeping you interested.

I’ve known others who have watched these videos and the addict convinces them that it’ll be different this time. If they can win, why can’t you?

In the same way I’d recommend a horse racing gambler to not watch horse racing especially when you’re trying to get it out of your system, my advice is the same for the slots videos.

There’s lots you can be doing rather than doing that.

Chris.

@chris-uk yeah I agree 100% that is for the input. I thought it would be interesting to see other peoples takes on it! 

In the early days of stopping but relapsing I watched those videos...even after phoning my father and starting to recover properly I watched some of those videos.

Don't forget it's like rattling from a drug addiction....my money was safe....my parents no longer lent to me which is a good thing.

However I know that is was giving me a remote gambling fix and it's not healthy. The truth is I watched them for the gambling feeling while telling myself well you can't gamble now so no harm.....there is a harm for a machine addict though because it keeps the gambling drug flowing and can only lead to bad vibes

The interest in watching them faded though and I don't look for them any more. Why would I as they are meaningless they don't entertain they would just be a painful reminder of the hopeless scam or odds on the one armed bandits.

I must do a new topic on the machines because some people still don't realise how bad they are. The odds are horrendous and the scam is in the illusion of activity and trance that the reels set up.

What's in your head is not what they offer.....that's how deviously designed they are. Once addicted, people don't really know why they are there and it's a seriously progressive illness

Again I Realise that the hit wears thinner and the smaller amounts meant nothing until the larger amounts meant nothing....if you've had a long gambling session you know what I mean. I couldn't walk away no matter what was happening moneywise because its not the main driving force for me as an addict.....you think it is but it isn't

The reels gave me dopamine adrenaline soothed my anxiety and depression by distraction...it gave me purpose in a lonely life and rather than thinking I was a big shot...it was actually a cry for help a cry to be noticed and a cry for human kindness or some meaning to life itself

My main driving force was to gamble....to escape my anxiety for a while but gambling just became a different form of anxiety and stress. It's so complex that I didn't feel very good during a gambling session....stressed cold sweats....in and out of reality....back to the trance while part of my mind was in a shocked reality....its a soup of drugs in the system which overloads you until extinction

It's so strange like I wanted to punish myself.....like any emotion of the near misses or anger was better than the feeling I walked in with.

I used to walk in with the feeling that I will just win a bit today which is so far from the reality of machine gambling it's scary.

I wax a delusional drug addict to put is clearly and simply....a delusional drug addict that paid the price of a mortgage over 40 years for nothing but confusion and misery.

Best wishes to everyone on the forum