Just when you think you’re at rock bottom….

Yes reprogram yourself. Decide how things will be and it will be so. You are living your own movie virtually. You become what you think about. When you realise these things you can start to make some life decisions on what you want to do. If you are sad you need to decide to be happy. If you want to be gamble free decide to be so and fill your time with other things. Why do they (the industry) decide to send advertising to your door 24/7? Because they know that f they continue to condition you you will do more of the same. 

There is no black and white to this. No on or off button. There is just what you decide to do. Some people  relapse all the time. Then they stand up dust off and walk on. Start looking outside the box. Decide what you want to do and start doing what you have decided. Make plans and follow them and then make more because the madness starts when we are headless and not thinking. Mindfulness works. CBT as a therapy works also gestalt with hypnosis works. Most of us has had traumas. Find out what yours may have been so you can revisit your past and deal with it.

And last but not least.

Never give up on you. You are a true surviver. You have proven that over and over.

I wish you well!

c43h

Hello,

I was 46 when I hit my rock bottom and managed to get debt free just as I turned 50. You have plenty of time to work your way through to a happier / healthier lifestyle. I now channel my spare money into my Campervan and go off exploring parts of the country I've never been to before, much more rewarding!  Well done on 75 days, keep up the good work.

I've hit been rock bottom in the past too. I'll never forget it!

Gambling is ruthless and very unforgiving, gamblings main goal is to pull us all down to rock bottom. It's a fight for us all! Keep going.

Hi

Being at my rock bottom indciated the only way out of my mess was upwards.

But this was going to be down to me.

How much was I willing to do to be more caring loving and respectful about myself.

My emotional mental health was traumatized by the pains and fears I had self inflicted on myself.

Clean time does not mean a healed person.

Clean time only mean a time to heal and grow.

Having 75 days Gambling Free days is a big thing.

You being honest and reconnected with others is a big start to your path back in your recovery.

How much more are you wanting and needing to finding a healthy healing path in your life.

By me saying I am fine or not so bad I was in denial. 

Can you wish your self well. 

Therapies with fearlessness is a healthy way to get to know your self more and more.

Love and peace to everyone

Dave L

AKA Dave of Beckenham

Hello River32 and Welcome

This addiction calls at all stations on the rail to complete destruction. I'm going to be necessarily blunt....tragically the end of the line is suicide for many people......the end of the line buffer at high speed! This is no game about a silly flutter.....Its the most dangerous addiction in my view.

The problem is that addicted gamblers don't even know they are on this train because the illness creates delusion and even a false optimism that everything gets better with another go.

You see they are all rock bottoms on the scale downwards

Trying to explain where all my holiday pocket money had gone as a kid.....stealing the change from the fish and chip money and hoping they wouldn't ask for it.....lying about where I had been.....sneaking out of the house. Travelling fair.....I was straight to the arcade section hiding away

Already at this early stage I was lying cheating and stealing to fund a fix even though I would have played it down  as minor naughtiness and white lies.....what did they know.....speculate to accumulate and all that addicted nonsense in my head.

A later stage was lying to friends.....having to leave a social gathering because I had blown my money....not being able to go out because I had no money. Let's face that you dont get invited out again too often after that...it was the rocky road to being antisocial and even more of a loner

Then the regular habit of binge gambling set in.....money credit cards and "riding" the losses until I was made bankrupt at the age of 26. Girlfriends could see I was an unstable chancer....a Dreamer with no aim or marketable skills......they ran a mile including a love of my life who saw the mess of about 10 companies chasing me for debt

I fell further and gambled my dole money within an hour. I was living in a tower block with no furniture and fishing old food back out of a bin. I lied to my parents but they knew I was gambling and didn't really know what to do about it.....I don't blame them as I didn't properly reach out for help and they are not addiction experts

Back in work I gambled larger chunks and maxed out a credit card every time they upped the credit limit. I would have a rush of anxiety and then blow eye watering amounts, higher than they had ever been. Relationships were casual with my low self esteem......my mistress was gambling

Back on the dole....I felt bullied by the dwp...maybe I deserved it but constant bad news would lead to a gambling session....facing homelessness again my parents stepped in semi believing my lies and nonsense about where my housing benefit had gone. The gambling was now getting very regular

So you see every stage was a rock bottom and it only got worse. I didn't know I was a full on addict which sounds crazy after the trouble it caused

The human mind has an amazing propensity for survival even though it may be mentally ill and confused However it's vital that you recognise the signs of today's rock bottom and seek help to get off at this stop

Best wishes to everyone on the forum