Take a minute and think, has gambling done anything to make your life better?

It has had an illusion of it doing so from time to time, when I have been a few grand up over a period, walking around with a smugness that probably said 'smack me'! Never spent the 'profit' on anything......just stakes for future gambling (losses of course).But basically agree with 'destructive and limits choices in life' above - perfect assessment by Batman22.

Did one of those CG online assessments recently. Got 17 out of 20 in the 'test', but no gold star....the resultant advice was 'you clearly have a problem, seek professional help immediately'. Most of the nastier stuff was a few years ago now, but still pretty much sums it up for me.

It allowed me a safe place to be for a few hours where no expectations were asked of me.
It allowed me to escape for a few hours from how i felt about myself.
It allowed me to not have to think about the problems in my life.
it allowed me to feel like a winner in life occasionally when i won.
It confirmed my thoughts about myself that i was loser in life when i lost
It allowed me to fail in relationships & work & not have to question my part in it. It was surely gamblings fault
It simplified life. No decisions to be made except when to gamble & how to get the money to do so.

I could go on & on.

If there were no benefits within addiction people wouldnt do it.

Gambling wasnt my problem, life was.
Gambling was my solution. My inadequate response to life troubles.

One Breath
One Step
One Day At A Time

............

I had a large win a few years ago, paid my cards off and vowed never to be in that debt again and yet here I am day 15 and struggling to keep it that way, but also determined.

No all in all gambling has not done me any good and I still don't know if my marriage can survive this time so I'm still in limbo

sorry guys I'm having a really low day xx

WOW- can not belive i am back writing on this. This is the first time I have logged in for over a year but feel i need to get this down in writing. This morning i havee taken out a £2000 loan to help me through the next month.

I guess the only good thing is that i have just self excluded myseld from all sites i have ever used. That is a step in the right direction but I do feel embarrassed,very stupid and now beleive this the final straw for me for online Gambling on Blackjack.

I am 28 years old if i carry on like this i could blink and be 35 in the same boat.

Hi Batman22, i feel your pain, same thing happened to me last night. Yes, that is the best thing you can do, self exclude permanently from all online casinos. You need to want to quit and it sounds like you do, so stay strong, believe in yourself and you can do it!

The answer is a resounding no!

It not only takes all of your money, it also takes your valuable time. Time away from thinking about going on holiday with your family, time away from spending a Tuesday night playing with your kids, time away from relaxing, time away from saving for something, time away from thinking about your next career move........

All because when you're in the grip of addiction you don't think about anything else because you're the man.... Then one day you wake up! Don't waste your precious time or money. I've taken the positives out of my addiction. I've learnt alot about myself, I've learnt what's really important. I've also learnt I can never gamble again. So, I'm pretty much in a good place right now, the future is bright without gambling. I have debts yes but at least now I've got this thing under control I can now sleep soundly at night, and that folks is something I will never take for granted ever again.

Thanks NewBeginnings, day 3 down for me and i when the thought of gambling pops in to my head, i am not thinking forget that!!

I am never going to feel that low again EVER and i truly beleive i have changed my life for the better. Ovbiously the results are not evident as it has only been 3 days but i know what i could be saving each month. I am the only person that can hurt myself, no one else places those bets for me.

Tom-2015 you are very accurate and what you say. i defintely have experienced most of thise thingss. Time away from relaxing is so true, you are always on the edge thinking about your next bet when you caught up in it and i have definitely pushed back a career move by 6 months because of my recent loss.

how long have you been gamble free tom?

Hey Batman, just 24 days. But.... this time my mindset is different from before. I'm quitting for good. I've learnt all the lessons the hard way. Gambling for me only means one thing, destruction. I'm gonna climb out the debt and enjoy the normal things in life. It's our only way mate.

I'll put a bit of a balanced view here. There have been high points from gambling - i.e. winning a lot of money, 3 months worth of work for example, in a 1 or 2 hour session. Although this high point was all too short, and sometimes within a day, a week, or max two weeks all of these winnings would depreciate into a loss.

Let's not kid ourselves, there are no sustainable high points from gambling - especially for those of us who do not know how to stop.

I would be lying to myself if I did not think of how my life would be if I did not take up gambling.