Recovering from Gambling

I thought I would start my first ever post on this forum with how we start all GA meetings. "Hi my name is Adam and I'm a compulsive gambler. My last bet was 29th April 2012.

I have been reading posts on this site pretty much every night since the start of my recovery and thought it was overdue that I contribute to the group. Reading all the posts are a daily reminder that it doesn't matter how long it's been since your last bet, we're all just as close to our next, and that we all just have to take one day at a time.

A little background story about me, I started gambling like most on fruit machines in amusements. The buzz of chasing the machine jackpot and beating the games was more of a thrill than actually winning the pot. The jackpot for me was normally more about having to break even or recover my losses. A desperate and familiar feeling for lots of other people on here I imagine?

I then inevitably moved onto bigger stakes, casino's and FOBT's, getting into debt with credit cards and loans to consolidate losses. I know everyone's stakes are different but for me I couldn't go into a casino without £300 in my hand, and I wouldn't consider it a win until I at least doubled it. I've lost £3,000 in one night before, and my last betting session was in a bookies where I lost £400 on a FOBT. Enough was enough. I didn't hit rock bottom I reached a point of intervention, a point where I said enough was enough. Gambling addiction like lots of addictions doesn't just effect the individual but also effects those closest to us. Unfortunately you don't' realise this until you stop, and you can't see this during either. I believe it is an illness, and although we can't cure it we can be control it. We do this by putting what we call "barriers" in place. Something lots of people talk about on this forum. Limiting our access to money or giving all your cash to someone you trust. Shopping vouchers was a good one I recently read from a previous post. Having your wages paid into someone else's account. Self exclusion and gamblock too, or even getting rid of that smart phone! Whatever your poison is it's about limiting your access to it.

I always say that like back in school with the fire triangle (heat, fuel, oxygen) there's a gambling triangle too. TIME, MONEY, LOCATION. If you remove one of those elements then you can't bet. Just something to bear in mind when thinking about the boundaries you can put in place and whether you really need to walk past that bookies on your way home?

I could go on and on but I've probably wrote enough. I don't mean to go on but recovering from gambling is one of the things in life I'm most proud of. I know there's been a few negative comments about GA on this forum and I would like to say that without it I wouldn't be where I am today. Some meetings are boring, but you don't know what you're missing on the nights you don't go. It's not always about you but your stories or experiences which might be able to help someone else. I think 2 hours a week isn't much to ask. I wouldn't be where I am today without this site either so I'd also like to thank GamCare and all it's contributors for help with my recovery too.

Thanks for reading this post and letting me share a few things. Will look forward to receiving any feedback and being more active on this forum going forward.

Best wishes to a bet free 2014.

Adam 🙂