I didn't know where to post this but I thought here is the appropriate place. Anyway I am gonna start by saying does anyone else have the same problem as me due to today's technology we have the internet in which the bookies have decided there are big ways to exploit gamblers and make lots of money .Well it's a total disaster for me before the internet I hardly ever gambled only on the grand national and played the odd game of poker in which I enjoyed. However since the internet I have become a binge gambler and the slots is my downfall if I start on them I can't stop untill I win big (that never happens) or wipe out my bank account (which always happens) so for me I can go long periods without gambling at all but the urge is always there and if I press that button my brain goes and all my money goes . This I reckon is the most destructive form of gambling , if you go on a drink binge or a drug binge the only damage you do is to your body in which it could quite easily recover in a day or two. However if you binge gamble and wipe your life savings and all you earnings out it's virtually impossible to gain your life back so the question is how do we get over it ?. Stop gambling isn't an answer when your in a no lose situation and that is the problem.
Hi
My first post on the forum after signing up tonight. I too suffer from this but to a slightly lesser degree and not on slots etc.
I'm really in to football and watch soccer Saturday with my accumulators (20 pound every weekend) and that in itself is fine. I can afford to bet 20 pound every weekend. My problem is that if I don't win (which is most weeks) I then bet big on the live evening games online.
This has happened to me this weekend, tonight in fact. I've chased my money and lost again.
I've just self excluded from 5 online bookmakers in the hope that it'll put an end to this.
As I say, every Friday I place my football accumulators of 20 pound total and that's fine, but I struggle to watch live sport without placing a bet.
I accept that I have a gambling problem but I do have a cut off point. I've never borrowed money to gamble or ran up debts but I do gamble any "spare" money that I have meaning that I'm never able to save any money.
I get frustrated with myself. In the past two months I've probably gambled every day. Not massive stakes, maybe 10 pound a night on a first goal scorer etc but it's starting to add up. Tonight I placed a 50 pound treble which is my biggest bet yet, not surprising but it didn't win and I realise I need to put a stop to it before it becomes too much of an issue. I mean I know I'm placing too many bets, but for the first time tonight I've placed a bet that I could barely afford.
I recently realised that I had a drinking problem (which doesn't mix well with gambling by the way). For me, with drinking I'm a binge drinker - I can go weeks without drinking, but then there are occasions where I just keep drinking and can't stop.
With gambling it's slightly different, it's kind of easier to see that I have (had!) a problem - I (used to) gamble every day and there were regular occasions where I couldn't stop until the money was all gone.
For me, most people would realise that I had a gambling problem, but they wouldn't necessarily realise that I had a drinking problem because I wasn't a typical alcoholic drinking every day. But what I've realised that both binging *OR* gambling every day are equally valid problems.
If you are a compulsive gambler, no matter how infrequently you gamble, the only solution is to stop completely. Because there is a high probability that it will get much worse if there's a change in situation - eg, you come into money or have a particualrly big win, or you go through depression / a challenging time in life. just my thoughts.
Good luck beating it neverwin and Paul.
Thanks Andy.
Well I haven't had a bet today and haven't thought about placing one either which is good.
Already feel happier knowing I'm self excluded from all my online accounts. I've only ever had a problem with online betting, I've never placed a bet for more than I can afford in the bookies and only ever go there on a Friday (I'm in and out within 15 minutes) to place a few weekend football accumulators.
It may be that I have to stop placing those Friday bets to be at my happiest and most content, only time will tell I guess.
Seeing my girlfriend tonight (she doesn't know about the gambling everyday) and it'll be nice to see her without checking my phone every 5 minutes to see how my bet is doing.
That's good Paul. Definitely best to avoid even those small sports bets. It just becomes a bad habit which is at best losing a bit of money here and there, and at worst really destructive.
I used to put on regular accumulators and small bets on the football, but before you know it in the season there are games most days and it ends up being 20 a day - 100 a week. I haven't bet on sports for a few months now. I missed it for the first few games but now I can just appreciate a game of football and not get so stressed and up-tight on the result.
Well this is the problem I have since I did my 18k in 3days which has left me nothing apart from misery loneliness and starvation I did nothing apart from do stupid hours of working for the next two weeks ...I had no urges whatsoever to gambler . However when I lumped 400 into my bank account I thought I would have another go in just putting 50 pounds in anyway to cut a long story short the 50 turned into over 1000 for me this gave me false hope I could win the 18k back and felt happier for a minute however not only did I lose the1k I put the rest of my bank account in there and lost the lot ffs back to square 1 I havnt worked for 2days now because I am done in with depression can't tell no one apart from here I'm stuck in a bottomless pit. That is how I feel I will never be free 🙁
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