Stopping with will power alone. Is it possible?

I've told myself I can in the past but the reality is I always return! This time I've put every block in place that I could possibly find, spoken to family and friends/professionals and am fully focused on beating this through not just will power but through any means necessary! 

I significantly reduced my gambling with willpower and now often go very long periods with absolutely zero interest in it

I made a lot of big lifestyle changes such as hanging around with losers who talk about football betting and gambling 24 hours a day

Reducing the amount of football I watch on TV

and just generally accepting that the whole industry is a massive scam , you're basically wasting hours of your life going around in circles and P*****g your money away 

The lifestyle is so depressing once you frame it like that you never really look at it the same way 

Its not an easy way to make money its an easy way to waste your life 

Hi Mark,

From my experience, no. I tried several times and always failed. 

Getting help and talking to people is the best thing you’ll ever do. It’s also one of the strongest and bravest things to do. The addiction wants you to keep secrets and to lie.

I am 2 years and 2 months gamble free now only through help on here, counselling, retreats and saying out loud to my family and friends that I have a gambling addiction. 

Take care, 

Claire 

Its not really about stopping, you will be a gambling addict for the rest of your life, its about taking control.  Once you take it back it can get easier to avoid gambling.  And as people say above you need a support circle, I tried on many occasions to stop on my own, it wasnt until I took control and told everyone that I was an addict, I owned up to everything that I had done, the lies the stealing the secrets all laid bare.  now its out there I dont have to be scared of people finding out, and everyone was super supportive despite some of the things I had done.  I am 200 days gamble free after compulsive gambling for 10 years, the longest I had ever managed was 12 days prior to this.  I have every block in place, my partner has control of my finances, i have a gambling block on my bank a cash and contactless payment limit, i am on gamstop and I have been into every single establishment I can think of to self exclude, I literally couldnt gamble if I tried.  Once you accept your losses put the blocks in place and be completely honest with yourself and your loved ones, the days come and go and you start to enjoy life again.  the awful truth is I will never trust myself, so I rely on the blocks and my family to get through this, its working so far, but we do not know whats around the corner.