TIP to make you stop

Hi GMTB.

Yes but thats mainly because of the words used and the fact that they dont want other gamblers to see that...They dont want other gamblers snapped out of the delusion that everybody is having fun.

You could say they conjure up some two faced morals considering they will take everyones money and dont really care who is addicted.

They havent done it to save you...they barely care and you know they are not angels. If you have a chance to say anything else tell them you dont want to gamble anymore, get excluded and you can even apologise for the language because you are better than that and you can tell them.

Again you are better than resorting to that  and you have to ask yourself how your recovery is going and whether you are circumventing blocks.

Yes that will get you suspended but use this now to start proper foundations

You dont need these people in your life so focus again what they are doing to you. Roulette is not a soft option and they are offering nothing but the drugs you are creating in your own mind.

Yes lockdown is very tough but there are other things to do. You cant use boredom as an excuse because gambling will destroy you especially as an addict. Its driving me a bit crazy but I certainly dont want to gamble.

Im not having a go. I just want to make you think. yes I would have been out of the bookies or arcade if I had used strong language but it wouldnt have cured me from a gambling addiction. Its a false positive and not a tactic I would recommend

Take care and please tell someone close and step up the blocks.

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

Dear @givemethebuzz

Thanks for sharing with the forum.

I notice in your post that you mentioned that you aren’t banned from all gambling websites, so I wonder if using more thorough ways of excluding and blocking would be helpful? That will avoid you from having access to the websites in the first place.

Gamstop provide self-exclusion, you can register with them at https://www.gamstop.co.uk/ .

You can also get free blocking software from Gamban at the minute, if you get in touch with us on the helpline (0808 8020 133) or on the netline, we can give you the link for that.

It might be that you put a freeze on gambling transactions with your bank as well.

Doing all 3 of these will definitely give you the best protection, allowing you some time and space away from gambling to help you to concentrate on the changes you may need to make to become gamble free.

Kind regards

Jo

Forum Admin

thanks forum admin , but as you may be aware if a gambler gets caught in the trance and wants to gamble they will usually find a way 

personally my blocks and will power are usually enough to suffice

prior to yesterday i had not gambled for months but the repetition of lockdown got the better of me and i got caught cold i am over it today i wouldn't bother logging back on that site now they can just leave it as suspended 

as i say i am glad they suspended me yesterday afternoon as when i was caught up in the gambling trance i would have probably lost 10x more 

i guess my point was if you do find your self caught cold and sucked in and you are losing just tell them how s**t it is and they will probably suspend your account which in turn should break the trance long enough for you to come to your senses 

if it saves some from losses its a good idea 

Im not going to let this one go though

You probably thought it was a bit of banter after a downer and it went in a different direction.

The whole point of addiction is that people dont walk away. Ive seen a guy wailing crying that its a mugs game and waving his money over his head but he still kept on playing.

You are talking to us like it was a clever and planned thing to do...a top tip if you like....like we cant see the whole story about gambling

You shouldnt have been gambling in the first place and if you had  been able to walk away you would have just stopped.

Even your handle is give me the buzz so can you give up or not? You talk about £70 not being the end of the world like we havent seen countless stories from people who have not grasped  how to fight the addiction.

Get miffed if you must. I say this because I care about you stopping. Either you are in a comfort zone with this or you are not. Seems to me you dont really want to stop completely. 

"thanks forum admin , but as you may be aware if a gambler gets caught in the trance and wants to gamble they will usually find a way"

That is a classic quote of addiction talking. I could give you a thousand more I've head in the gambling dens..."thats life mate" "thats the way it is" and all the ridiculous banter from addicts that refuse to accept the truth.

You gambled yesterday so you are a bit far off giving tips

"personally my blocks and will power are usually enough to suffice"

Thats another classic  what usually as in not always?....blocks you can get round as in a wide open door to gamble? Has nobody informed you that willpower alone is not enough and that even months away are not the true test without support and blocks.

Again this might make you think but youre not taking me on are you? Too near the truth for you I suspect.

Its your money, your life and nothing changes if nothing really changes One day its the people who challenge your addicted thinking that you will thank. I hope that day comes soon for you

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

i am not sure what you want me to say joy divider 

i dont really see whats to banter about , i lost £70 in 10 mins told the croupier i thought it was s**t and the operator suspended my account which in turn snapped me out of the trance and probably saved me losing

i feel this could be useful information given the amount of people on here who do indeed find themselves relapsing

you seem to have very deep routed issues with gambling and recovery , thats fine i am not denying its a demon ive had my own problems with it but after many years i feel i am over the worst of it 

your definition of addiction is probably a lot different to mine 

you seem to refute the fact a gambler will always find a way to gamble !?!

take a good look around this forum and  honestly tell me if you believe that is true,  its nonsense you can have all the blocks in the world if a person is determined to have  a punt they will have a punt 

the only way  i have found to really beat it is by telling yourself its a stupid idea that never ends up having the desired effect engaging in gambling for me is like wanting to save money but taking a loan out to do so a completely pointless endeavour 

again maybe some are in deeper and see it differently to me i don't know i guess everyone is unique in their mindset

im sorry but there is no one size fits all solution to the psychology of gambling addiction 

I dont mean this harsh but I think your in the denial stage.

You dont seem to think you have a serious issue ? Yet the only reason you stopped yesterday was because you got suspended. 

Idont know anyone successful in recovery that did not have blocks..like yesterday ?.that proves willpower isnt enough..

People are better getting gamstop gamban and banking blocks ..than just waiting untill there out of control people cant stop when there gambling thats the issue..you got mad and suspended...others may just carry on trying to chase the losses.

@givemethebuzz

I agree that there is no problem until there is a problem. I also agree that "the map is not the territory" which means your world is different from mine and so on. Unless you are here because you don't like reading the evening papers, it would be fair to say that you may have considered what your own addiction levels may be at. That is fine. You know where to go if you want to exchange ideas that will keep you from gambling when you need that and we certainly benefited from your swearing the other day on the tables. All in all, we will be there if and when you want a chat.

Best

C

Good Youre Talking GMTB.

I want you to say what youve said so we discuss it on the forum. I want to keep your money in your pocket for better thing so its nothing personal against you other than challenging the angle of your views.

Its a horrible addiction that controls people without them really knowing how addicted they are. I say my words because I actually care about you and your angle of thinking. Your thinking may well be addicted thinking because it changes our minds...mine included. I have no problem in telling you I was seriously ill...seriously mentally ill with it.

So YES I do have deep routed issues with wanting to recover and remain in abstention for the rest of my life......Should I not ?...because it was killing me and Ive chucked the price of a house away along with my dignity and self respect....the dignity and self respect I am getting back

I could just say take care mate and it would make no difference.

Yes if someone has not built the strong foundations they will always find a way to gamble. That is because the addiction has not met a real challenge and is still the controlling factor. You are right there but its known as the denial phase. I went through it for 10 months after joining the forum so I understand.

Yes people are different but you cant use the one size fits all as an excuse. The fundamentals are the same....Surrender to this higher power, tell people close, reach out for all the help and have the strongest of blocks that you are proud to have monitored and talk about your feelings.

I would stop you but you dont seem to have that in your life. I sense you would not like that at all and would push against me all the way.  You haven't seen proper blocks yet and I know you wouldn't like them from how you write. The truth is you have the freedom to have a gamble when you want. I disagree that you can wind gambling down by gambling less.

This addiction kills people to be blunt. It bankrupts isolates and ruins people. What is your definition of the worst addiction I know about?

You see either you have a real problem or you don't. In my view you cant play this like the grown man who can handle it if you've lost loads of money in the past. You have all the excuses about it being hard...we agree but you cant keep giving those excuses why you haven't got proper blocks and monitoring

You are writing this to suit you because the addiction is in you...just a bit casual well its only £70 and I was lucky getting out.......I am here to give you the reality that its good money you have chucked down a  grid and the gambling feeling is still active within you.

You are here which is a good thing so fair play to you. many people aren't anywhere near talking about their gambling problems 

Im trying to help. I dont want you doing it because its a waste of money at the very least. Its not a personal attack because Im sure we could find common ground in a meeting. Thats what you need...someone close you respect and wouldnt let down.

Its up to you really. Do you want to keep away from a mugs game or have a little go every now and then? We cant stop you but we will challenge words of denial on a recovery forum

All the best for a gamble free life

i agree i think we all want to keep our money away from the sharks

i will reiterate this point again though gambling addiction is not a normal personality trait but many people have addictive personalities 

addiction usually tends to start with an accumulation of issues in a persons life that leads them to want to escape and THEN the gambling addiction takes hold because the games are designed to 1) make you lose and 2) keep you playing 

personally i saw a direct correlation in my own life where by the unhappier in life i was ( poor job , debt , depression etc etc ) the more i would gamble , the more contented i became the less appealing it became 

its a vicious circle yes but there are levels to it , personally i dont fear it any longer i understand my triggers , i understand its dangerous and i understand its like quicksand so based on them factors i generally tend to stay away from it 

unfortunately i think its very difficult given current circumstances for people not to fall into old habits , its been a horrific year that i hope to never have to live through ever again i feel like i may aswell have been in prison with these ridiculous lockdowns turned my life upside down 

Yes I totally agree with you that its been a horrific year or so and I do feel as though I'm in prison.

Even with all my films, computer games and stuff, I feel imprisoned because I need to get out and mingle and I need to get back to my hospitality job which I quite like.

I agree with most of what you have said there so we are not far apart. I think more people get addicted to gambling than any figures show. Its designed to be addictive Look at all the new people joining the forum.. I dont buy into the advertising hype that its a wholesome entertainment and we are the naughty people with addictive personalities. I think its more sinister than that and it should be heavily regulated or preferably be banned

 Anyway We both know that gambling will only make it worse so I really hope you will stay away from it.

Best wishes to you