Hi all,
My story in short:
I am 27 years old have been gambling for about 7 years. I would say it has increased significantly over the last 3 years.I won't comment on the total money i have lsot, as i do not want to dwell on this anymore.It has become common to lie to friends and family about losing bank cards to borrow money.Filling up my car with petrol to get to work and then visiting the counter with another elaborate lost card story as i just don't have the money to pay. Sleepless nights, health issues,the list can go on and on as you are all aware.
I sit here today and my recent paycheck has disappeared again. Enough is enough, i'm done with this, feeling low, angry and failing to progress further and become a better person. Gambling is destructive and limits your choices in life!
Reflecting on gambling and the reason why to stop, you should ask yourself:
HAS GAMBLING DONE ANYTHING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER?
If the answer is NO,feel free to reply, this is a powerful word and enforces the reason why we should stop....
I read the below in a book not so long ago and wanted to share it. I think it applies to all of us on here and what we should strive for:
"My money will be my servant, not my master. I will seek financial independence over time. My wants will be subject to my needs and my means.Except for long-term home and car loans, i will seek to keep myself from conusumer debt. I will spend less than i earn and regularly save or invest part of my income"
Thanks for taking the time to read, lets make a positive change to today!
Keep your chin up people
Batman22
Hi Batman22,
"Gambling is destructive and limits your choices in life!"
Your words speak volumes. The above phrase is so true.
Best Wishes
I agree with every word. Now we just have to be strong. It would have been great to come back to this site after a win that would have paid my debts and set me off gamble free with a clean slate! Alas, I am beginning my journey having not paid any debts this month and owing hundreds to family on Top. I find my urges harder to control when I don't have enough money to pay everything. My mentality is to try and gamble wot I do have as iv no other way out. Of course 9 times out of 10 it backfires and I'm 100 times worse off again. Why does this addiction make us into idiots. Even reading this back I sound like a fool x
jw1976,
You are no fool because you fully understand your pattern of behaviour and you've come to this Forum for help. Put your finances in the hands of a family member. You obviously need to make sure when you get paid that none of the money is gambled. Break the vicious circle. The urges will subside the longer you can keep temptation at arms length. Keep busy. Exercise is beneficial it helps keep your mind off gambling.
Take Care Now.
Yes I agree with Mr Stop, what you have written is not foolish, it is good to "write"your feelings down.Exercise is another great point and worthwhile starting if this is not a regular habit for you.
It is important that we learn from our mistakes and I have made many of them but if you make the same mistake twice they say it is a choice.
Lets choose to turn our Backs on gambling and give it no more of our time or energy!
I will look to use the automatic calendar for how many days it has been since the last gamble as my vehicle from now on.
Looking forward to taking down the first week,then month,then year!
The mind is a very powerful tool if used in the right way!
Batman 22
thank you so much for your replies. it would be easier to stop if i could get my finances in order. i dont feel i will win the batle when i am so low, i have gambled AGAIN online this morning. i now really have ran out of options. i cant even get a payday loan which will maybe help in the lng run but not when have no money wotsoever to survive and nowhere to turn. im feeling desperate, alone, silly, i dont want to live. yet i not even capable of suicide. where is my life going to end? i need help and yet i cant even help myself x
thank you so much for your replies. it would be easier to stop if i could get my finances in order. i dont feel i will win the batle when i am so low, i have gambled AGAIN online this morning. i now really have ran out of options. i cant even get a payday loan which will maybe help in the lng run but not when have no money wotsoever to survive and nowhere to turn. im feeling desperate, alone, silly, i dont want to live. yet i not even capable of suicide. where is my life going to end? i need help and yet i cant even help myself x
Jw1976
It would not be any easier to stop if your finances were in order in fact it would be almost impossible for you to. This is not a financial problem it is an emotional one. Get some help. Either professional or go through the doors of your local GA meeting. The answers & solutions to your problems are out there, you just need to commit to going to find them
Thankyou for reply. I guess we r all different but my gambling is worse when I'm behind with money. I did manage to control it for a year and a half b4 I slipped back into this nightmare. If I ever see another gambling site, casino or bookies in my life it will be too soon. I feel empty now. Devout of all emotion and I'm sick to death of pretending it's ok. It's not x
NO and in a few days I might lose my girlfriend and my parents promised that they will kick me out of home.
7 days down!!!
Temptations are still there but mind over matter!!
At a few points it has made my life better but overall it has made my life worse. I felt better whenever I had a big win and the money would withdraw to my bank account and I'd be able to allocate every penny back to all of my savings account though before that I never felt good when I've been close to losing money before now
I'd say apart from one or two high points, there are thousands a very low points caused by gambling.
I've gambled for about 20 years now, after posting here a couple of years ago I stopped and started to pay off my debts, however I relapsed and have increased by debt to 60,000 quid in the last few months, I know I won't have enough money for even the minimum payments next month.
Yesterday I excluded myself for every account for the maximum length allowed. I think I'll have to think about approaching my parents to see if they can help as I'm snowed under way worse than ever before.
Funny thing is as I earn a decent wage my partner thinks I've got thousands in savings!
So anyway, gambling has had little benefit on my life it's fair to say!
If I thought about all I'd earnt, lost and the debt I'm left with - I could have a nice house all paid off by now and I might have had more than one holiday in my life. But it's all been my choice and I need to work a way out of it now.
Good luck to everyone
Nope it hasnt allowed me to achieve anything - it has done the opposite and hindered me in my potential and reaching my life goals!
.......
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
