tools that help me to stop gambling

Hi Fitzy, another good idea for a post, good work my friend.

Sometimes it can be less obvious than people think, so everything, however random or obscure, is always worth mentioning. These seventeen almost instantly spring to mind, but there are probably more in all honesty…!

1) Cutting down or cutting out caffeine - I always found that it made me slightly hyper and give me a lot of nervous energy; it would often make me think of gambling as a way to get it out of my system.

2) Lessening hangovers - severe ones can (obviously) drag you down, mentally and physically - my mind would always turn to gambling after a very heavy night. This can also apply to over-eating & gluttony.

3) Regular exercise - keeping fit is a great way of fulfilling the need for a “buzz”, and it releases a lot of positive endorphins that put you in a good mood for some time afterwards

4) Drinking lots of water - keeps you refreshed, physically and mentally; two weeks on two litres a day can really help keep a clear mind

5) Doing something constructive - anything practical that you enjoy; for me, it’s singing, writing, hiking and learning new things - gambling is a destructive entity so having something that gives you the opposite really helps.

6) Talking to someone before you are about to do something stupid - this is really, really, really important; post on here, pick up the phone to a friend; people let their emotions take over when the relapse and the key fact is that they are always isolated when they spiral out of control. A bit of contact, some kind words and a friendly voice works wonders for turning your day around

7) Shutting yourself away for a little while - in the loo, in a room, wherever - just breathe, relax and let the urges pass.

8) Taking yourself somewhere remote - this works best for me, and still does to this day. We all have problems, we all experience difficulties, except that we use gambling as a way to self-medicate and numb out what we are going through, which only leads to more problems. The mind needs to breathe, it needs to relax and heal itself - jump on train, or a bus, to somewhere remote and just walk and think for a few hours if you are going through a tough time. Not only is it liberating, it is much easier to think things through without being surrounded by all the reminders of what you are going through

9) Make sure you get a good night’s sleep - again, same as the hangover situation; it will bring your mind, body and spirit down

10) Healthy diet - again, will put you in a more positive frame of mind and make it easier to focus

11) Not holding your emotions back - let them out, cry, punch a pillow, shout and scream, use a punch bag, run for miles if it helps - whatever works best for you

12) Following through with plans - don’t hold back, don’t give yourself more regrets to deal with

13) Doing new things and taking up new hobbies - stopping gambling is likely to leave gaps in your life, especially if you have been doing it long-term, plus this is all about creating a new life for yourself so push yourself into finding things that can give you genuine happiness and fulfilment

14) Never letting yourself forget what you have been through - nothing, and I mean nothing, is worth what you go through when you experience a serious relapse; you can’t “numb out” those experiences or put them to one side; keep them with you, and run them over and over and over in your head if you feel tempted.

15) Righting wrongs - if you have done things and hurt people along the way, then do everything in your power to make it up to them and more; put them before putting yourself back on track; you will be very grateful you did in years to come

16) Admitting to yourself when you are vulnerable - sometimes things are going wonderfully well and we are on cloud nine and then suddenly, for whatever reason, we have a very bad day; it can be awful, it can feel that we are right back where we started, and that we will never be free of this affliction. That isn’t true - grit your teeth, leave your bank card at home, speak to someone if needs be, but whatever you do, accept it, and accept the fact that tomorrow is almost always a better day.

17) Don’t be bitter, or wallow in regret - what’s done is done; you can’t change the past, but you can certainly change your future - there is no point letting what has gone before weight you down, no matter how traumatic it was. It is important not to be bitter at the industry either - it is wasted, valuable energy that you could be putting into your own recovery; they will go on, they will always be around - forget about them and concentrate on yourself.

Thanks again Fitzy. Would be very interested to hear other people’s thoughts and opinions.

JamesP

Great reply will reply fully when have more time , off to do cleaning household chores

Add that to list eh

18 - cleaning and household chores

Takes mind off gambling and thoughts - productive use f time

Look forward to reading number 19 from someone ( maybe me even get thinking hat on later)

Fitzy

Great advice from JamesP.

well mine is compleatly a different and less sophisticated idea.

Many years ago when i attempted to sort myself out I kept an eye out for the bonus ball in the lottery. whatever number this was i attempted to stay gamble free for the number of days associated with the number. So if it was number 8 then try 8 days. Then waited for the next bonus ball number and again made it my mission to stop gambling for that amount of days. Actually managed to stop gambling for around 2 months before I slipped back into my old ways.

i know is very random!!!