New, trying my best to quit for good

Hello Achloe,

Well done for joining the forum and sharing your story.  I've moved your post to 'New members intros' section.

Please call us on our freephone 0808 8020 133 or netline, so we can offer you a free promotion of GamBan blocking software.

We can also talk with you about free treatment options, 1-2-1 sessions by telephone or videocall, online group courses, online self-help CBT courses, and other types of help.

Please feel welcome to keep on posting on the forum and maybe join a chatroom if you like.

Take care,

Adam.

Hi. You can do what I do and literally go to every casino you can find online that's not registered to GamStop and ask them to block you. I did that. There were quite a lot but I literally typed in Google "online casinos not registered with GamStop" and visited each one, registered and then straight away asked them to ban me. 

I'm 38 and I wish I'd done this ten years ago. Literally ruined my whole life and I'm finding the days very tough sometimes. I hope you get through this.

Hi Achloe.

Your last few lines sounded really familiar. You'd be surprised how many people on the forum think this way. As you say, once you have "got your s*** together you'll be in a better position and will hopefully feel much better. One massive positive in your story is your age. You are young enough for this to eventually become a very bad distant memory, a blip, learning curve - albeit a painful one. You have some really good time on your side. All the best.

Hi, your not the only one trust me and don't beat yourself up over it. I'm in exactly the same shoes as you. I put gamstop in place in 2019, with this lockdown I've found it difficult like many of us looked for a way to escape but not in a healthy way. 

Firstly i managed to join virgin games using a few different details and lost over a grand, then joined a non gam stop site and currently two grand in a hole. That's going to take me 2 months to get back to where i should be for what? A few hours of excitement! Ive frozen my bank card to gambling transactions and self excluded and reading a few books to help me focus on the negatives of gambling and gotten back to reading all the posts on here. 

It's a difficult road but online is deadly, no spending caps and you could effectively spend everything you own in a day easily. Previously i focused on arcades at least i was capped to maximum withdrawals in a day. 

Sorry rambling a little now.

You'll get through it. 

Sam

Hi Achloe,

I can totally relate to your story. I am also 23, been gambling for the past 3-4 years and have invested almost every single paycheck into online gambling. As you said, for me it's also hard to see the true value of money when everything is online. I'm Canadian so I do not have Gamstop, but I really want to quit gambling this time, so I'll be joining GA groups and visiting websites like this one. My best advice, would be to also join these support groups and maybe have someone else manage your finances for you. Good luck for your recovery, stay strong,

Max

Thank you for this, I've realised this is the only realistic way to do it, new casinos pop up everyday, I think I just need to be vigilant and block them as soon as they pop up ☺️

Thanks Sam, 

Its nice to not feel so alone, I beat myself up because I know I should have more self control, I'm a smart girl and have a functioning normal life with a good job. All that just leaves my brain when I'm on the sites and it doesn't dawn on me until after. 

We'll get through it, for a long time I thought I was completely alone and this wasn't an issue, it's only when doing research I see exactly how much this effects people. 

Xx

Hi Achloe, 

Thank for sharing your story. 

One of the best way to beat gambling is not to play or just walk away from it, entirely for life. Take your losses on the chin regardless the amount lost. And try to live a normal life by filling your time with small and simple activities such as small walks, reading, cycling etc. Anything that doesn't hurt you financially, emotionally, and spiritually. 

I hope this helps.

Xoi

I love reading stories of people the same age in the same situation. Makes me feel as though it is not just me going through this and it is not just you either!

I am also 23 and have worked much more than any of my friends have since about the age of 16. 

However, whilst they have all started to put away proper money... I am still struggling to pay off my overdraft (I have been in this overdraft for the past 5 years despite working virtually full time this whole period).

I would be interested in exchanging WhatsApp or email and staying in contact over our gamble free journey and hopefully helping each other along the way for the first part?

What do you think?

Dear Hatinthetin,

We are glad that you find the forum beneficial - shared experiences can really help as you mentioned.  I am including some guidance from our website about sharing personal details:

There may be times when you feel you would like to share your personal contact information with other members of the Forum. In these instances, we would caution you not to place your details in an open post, as these will be available to anyone (including those who are not Forum members), and the contact you receive may not always be safe, appropriate or helpful.

Our responsibility is to keep the Forum as a safe space focused on recovery, and therefore there may be times when we deem it appropriate to remove contacts details that are placed in open Forum posts.

we are on the helpline 24/7 if you need us.

Best Wishes,

Fiona 

Forum Admin