A new start

I too have lost thousands over the years on virtual racing and dogs in the bookmakers.

My view is that it is not to do with greed. Yes you think about making money but if you are a compulsive gambler that can never happen. Compulsive and problem gamblers generally use gambling as an escape from real life or to fill a physical or emotional void in their life.

You say you have a beautiful house and family but something is missing. Maybe you know what it is already but don't want to admit it or maybe you need to explore the reasons through all the help available through on here, counselling, reading books etc .

I wish you well in your recovery but you will continue to gamble until you determine what is missing in your life, what gap you are needing to fill.

Self exclusion will help a bit but if you need to escape and gambling is your escape mechanism you will find a way to gamble, that's what the addiction is like.

Determine what the void is and learn how to fill it without gambling or if you can't, learn to live without it.

You will get lots of differing advice on here. Do what is right for you, don't follow an individual or consensus view, take everything into account but focus on yourself.

Best wishes

Need help

Fella there is a wealth of help and support available,from the forum to counselling to the GA rooms,they all offer a huge amount of help and some fantastic advice.

Self exclusion for me has been an amazing tool, I actually carry a couple of photos with me,if I see a new bookies or am in an unfamiliar area in I go to self-exclude

It gifts a great feeling to know I am in control,through self-exclusion I get that

As for the cartoon racing,my choice of gambling was the fobt or the 500 dream breaker as I like to call it.

For me abstinence has taught me many things,gifted some amazing knowledge

Firstly that the act of any punt is to place your hard earned on something that has a random outcome,to which you hold no control over,couple that with the fact that we all by and large live by the same mantra

I CANNOT WIN BECAUSE I CANNOT STOP

and as an honorable fella 'Robbybox' wrote on these pages

'GAMBLING IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME'

my friend I gambled to within a day of losing my wonderful family home and it's more wonderful contents,don't let your life fall to the same fate.

I wish you well

Abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back

Way to go and a way better way to go flashing them pictures to them folks instead of your money. LOL Keep it up and Congrats on day 2.

Hi,

Just a quick note to say I think you are definitely heading in the right direction!

I don't think it has anything to do with greed. For me I love solving things and in my own screwed up mind, I thought I could *** the code on slot/bingo sites and make easy money. Now I can see that the guys employed by these companies are as clever as Carol Vorderman -absolute maths genius!

I am great at finding things... always was.

When everyone else gives up, I keep going and always find the missing item.

I couldn't stop gambling....kept looking for something which I was never going to find.

I have no debts either - this will help your recovery as you don't keep looking back.

You sound as if you have come a very long way in a very short time.

Read everything you can about this addiction and things will click into place.

I am only on Day 30 but have to say it makes more sense with each passing day.

If you had a problem at work, you would research it until you were happy with the outcome. Try the same approach. If it works, it will be great for your entire family. They will spend more time with you and your head will be clear of gambling thoughts.

Have a lovely weekend !!

Don't beat yourself up about the past. Forgive yourself, learn and move on!

Hi need help

Well done for getting off that merrygoround of gambling life is so less complicated with out that awful addiction I wish you well on your recovery

Best wishes

Suzanne x

Need help

Fella great post to read,a smile raised at the dinner analogy,f**k the 302 bottles of milk I purchased over the years of addiction!! in fact I can recall times when I didn't even return home with the milk!!

The mind f**k,the mental side of addiction is for me the greatest gift of recovery.

Keep embracing it,gift it the effort you gifted your gambling the results will be the polar opposite

the new mantra

I DID WIN BECAUSE I DID STOP.

enjoy it

Duncs stepping forward never back

really happy to see you doing well

first of all i would just say my biggest fear that i had and i remember having all the time while gambling and it cosumed me completley was the fear of not being able to ever stop gambling, this has now gone as i have now stopped but just shows if i had that fear then shows how addicted i was and what a hold it had over me.

thought i would mention that before commenting on your last question so to give you an insight into what i was like when gambling.

I wouldnt say i had more of a buzz when i lost money than when i won money as it probably was the case for me i had more of a buzz when winning than loosing , but still even if smaller a buzz when loosing , BUT what i would say is even when i came away having lost hundreds i would still think to myself i really enjoyed that and weirdly be happy how i have done even though i LOST . This i know now to be a lie i didnt really enjoy it , it was just the addiction tricking me , but also after this fake enjoyment would come dissaster distruction dipression financial ruin , self pitty self loathing .

So what i would say is this addiction we all had/have will mess our minds up that much to make us gamble and make us want to gamble weather we win loose or break even . So yeah dont worry about that it makes us all think unlogically, all the best simon