Any ideas to stop thinking about gambling

I have had a similar thought process many times, thinking if I can just win ‘this amount’ then it will help me to something but I am finally starting to learn that is this will do will cause me to highly likely lose money and then I will be in an even worse position than I originally was. 

I stopped watching television because I had noticed that a bingo advertisement appeared every 15 minutes, which is upsetting and a mental trigger for anyone trying to cut back on gambling. In addition, life skills training facilities should take the place of betting shops in every town so that people's lives might be improved rather than their hard-earned money stolen. In 2009, while at school studying on my laptop, I played online Mecca bingo slots (£10 spent, £1,000 won; this was both my indoctrination into gambling and my demise). I stopped in 2017, but I recently succumbed to the scratch card advertisements that are always in my face in stores. I want to stop seeing this advertisement because it ruins people's lives.

How do you expect to stop having gambling thoughts if you are still gambling?

If you are a problem gambler then you will find it very difficult to control your gambling. If you could control it you wouldn’t be here, and your £20 wouldn’t turn into £100. The more you do it the worse your gambling will get. 
Some treatment centres or counsellors will ask if you want to control and/or cut down your gambling but once you are at a certain point in the addiction it’s just not possible for the likes of us.

Whether you want to hear it now or not, the only way to stop thinking about gambling is to stop gambling. Totally. It will take time and you will probably need some help with it but it is possible to watch tv or sport and not notice or care about the adverts. It takes time though, and if that means not watching tv or not watching sport for a while, that’s what you have to do.

I’m a believer in Gambler’s Anonymous but you have to want to stop. You can find your nearest meeting online.

Chris.

Hi

You're on this forum as like all of us we can't control our gambling. I really don't get why you say you can't stop thinking about it, you are doing it . I remember i would say the same i would just do £20-£30 for interest on the football on a saturday, this is impossible to do as we are gambling addicts .

My suggestion is to stop altogether and get some healthy hobbies, i am 150 days gambling free and i have so much free time now to do things that are interesting. As Chris said if sport on tv is a trigger don't watch it , watch some series movies or go for a walk. I personally enjoy watching football more now as i can enjoy the game i love rather than the aneixty of getting over 2.5 goals.

Posted by: @mrvarnz

I made a promise to myself I would have £20 for football betting this month but already spent over £100 on the slots, I have put deposit limits on my accounts but try win more because my wages or not good enough so I think If i can win like £100 then I have more things I can do, I don't want to restrict myself as that for me makes it worse? Any other ideas

This stategy doesnt work! I speak from years of experience. Win, you think you cant lose...until you lose and then chase. Lose, and your chasing straight away.

Moral of the story. Lose, lose.