Stopped but started again

Hi there Ella,

First of all let me commend you for sharing your dreadful experience on here. Nobody will judge you on this site as we are all coping with a gambling addiction of some degree and as you know the first step to recovery is all about accepting that you have a problem.

What ever you do at this stage please dont accept defeat as you are a parent to somebody that needs you and that should be all the insentive you need to stay firm and consistant with your battle against gambling addiction. I have some horror stories of my own and I will say to you please look at your recovery from the future instead of the present. If you remain consistant with your goals of abstaining from gambling you will find that your sense of control and mood will improve day by day. This is not a sprint but a marathon and small consistant steps towards recovery will be what win's in the end. Good luck and please keep reading other peoples posts about there plights so you can learn that this so called entertainment is nothing but a life of misery and dispair.

ellatucker20 wrote:

Hi

I stopped for six months I sort help with fanfare last year had a few counseling sessions but now have started gambling on and off for about 4 months it's money I can't afford I'm a single parent with a disabled child. I hate it but it's like I can't stop I don't know what to do anymore. I've set up a blocker on my laptop but ive been gambling on my tablet. I have self excluded from the online sites but I don't know where to go from here.

I feel so alone.

you certainly shouldn't feel alone - sadly there are thousands upon thousands of us

well done for taking some steps, have a read of some diaries and some of the success stories for some more tips on blocks etc

Hi Ella :)) .

Firstly let me assure you your not alone and this place is great for sharing our experiences and general advice .

You said you managed to stop for 6 months , well you need to give yourself a huge pat on the back for that , do you feel you know why you were drawn back to gambling again ? as that can be important to know what your triggers are ?

Have you considered approacghing Gamcare regard's more councilling or even just to have a chat for some advice on the future ? .

Take care for now and I'll speak to you soon :))

Hello Ella

We are here if you need to talk to someone with regards to your relapse. Try to take things a day at a time, acknowledging your achieved goals and rewarding yourself for every goal you reach. Perhaps using the diary to set some new goals and monitor your journey.

Please remember you can call the freephone helpline on 0808 8020 133 for a confidential chat with one of our trained Advisers.

Kind regards

Cade

Forum Admin

Hi,

Like yourself, I stopped gambling at least 6 times up to 5 months. What made me relapse was my bouts of depression. I've had depression since the age of 11, I'm now 43. I accept it will never go away. I was fortunate to get help from the problem gambing cliinc and they prescribed me a drug called Naltrexone. It takes away your cravings to gamble and these would come along when my depression hit. Although I still get depressed, I no longer have the compulsive thoughts to gamble which is a miracle. Maybe you should look into it? The problem gambling clinic in Lonon is the only place that may prescribe it.

All the best.

Stu

Have you registered with Gamstop ? I stopped off and on for years, but was always drawn back to the slots. I registered with Gamstop in July, and haven’t gambled since. Simply because I can’t... it just blocks all the sites. The blocker software never worked for me, I think it was my tablet ... but Gamstop is a website that you register with. I honestly feel like it’s saved my life.

Hi Ella!

Don't worry and don't feel alone. You are not alone and you aren't the only one that is in this boat. It is perfectly normal to relapse but you have to try and tighten the boundaries that allow you to relapse.I agree with 'Horall'. Gamblock is a saviour, try getting signed up to that and then think what else allows you to gamble when the urges become too much. Don't beat yourself up, be proud of the fact you are brave enough to speak out against this horrible addiction we all are fighting, you will beat this, relapses are just blips in the path to overcoming the issue, keep positive and maybe post a diary on here or update regularly. Reward yourelf for milestones, 7 days/21 days/1 month etc..

Good luck, we're right behind you Ella!