I'm new to this forum but I'll start by saying that i have a gambling problem.
I started gambling around 3 years ago little small 5 or 10 bets online just on the football and won a few quid here and there. It wasn't long until I started upping the money trying the odd 20 etc..
Then I stumbled onto the absolute core of my gambling addiction....horse racing! The buzz from watching the races was and still is just overwhelming for me. I was addicted from the first bet. I have lost thousands from horse racing over the past 2 years.
I stopped gambling in October of 2016 and stayed away until Cheltenham in March 2017 at which point I actually won some money and managed to stop playing with no issue up until a week ago. I've now lost about 1000 in just 7 days which is heartbreaking for me. I am excluded from most websites but after being able to stop so easily back in March I kept one open with the mindset of "I have this under control".
On 2 occasions of losing big money I told my partner and I was forgiven but I am ashamed and I can't possibly reveal my newest relapse. The account is now closed and thankfully I do have enough money to see me through the next week. Fingers crossed this is the last time I face my problem and tackle it once and for all.
Hello and welcome to the forum,
I recently posted a thread called "staying positive after a relapse".
I know losing the money hurts and it makes you feel like you can never stop but you need to stay positive. You need to remember that you do have willpower, that willpower made you stop gambling for 5 months. That's a great step, I lasted 2 and a half months before my relapse and instead of beating myself up about it i thought i'm on the right path.
Obviously having a gambling problem means your willpower will be tested many times so it's very important you make sure all your blocks are up and running in place. You say you have excluded from most websites and again never keep that one open (I used to do the same mate). Ring up the national self exclusion line and self exclude from every shop you can in the area you live, work or even where your friends and family live. I banned myself from over 20 shops and trust me it works. Ask your partner to look after all your cards and cash (this may also help in easing the reveal of the latest relapse to her, she may feel you mean it this time). Lastly contact gamcare and try get some face to face counselling, it's free and you can really let out things about gambling you have never spoken about to anyone. I am currently coming up to my 6th session out of 8, yes I relapsed but it's deffo helping me stop.
I wish you all the best and alot of people on this forum are here to help you, it really does make you feel better talking about it.
It's just past midnight which means I'm exactly 3 weeks gamble free!
I downloaded a quit smoking app and put in my average daily spend on betting sites, it's amazing to see how much I've saved over these past 3 weeks.
To anyone struggling with trying to stay gamble free I'd highly recommend downloading a similar app. Whenever I get a slight urge I hit into this app and see how much I've saved by not gambling and to be honest it's a huge kick up the a**e which is what most cg's need! While it doesn't cure the problem for me it's a helpful little deterrent.
Hopefully I'll be posting gamble free again in a few weeks time!
Hi Annon
Well done on getting to 3 week GF. Getting that app is a great Idea i will certainly check it out.
all the best
Conradnose
check out my blog by googling conradnose
I had been doing so well, about 6 months gamble free and then tonight instead of real sports I did something crazy and blew a grand on virtual sports over the space of a few hours!
Imagine getting to nearly 6 months gamble and loss free and then losing that amount in a night! I'm sickened, the only positive I can take from this is that I stopped. In the past I would've played on with whatever I had left but tonight by some almighty power I stopped.
Time to get started on recovery again.
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.
