One of the main reasons I gamble is due to not having the value of money? It takes till I hit rock bottom before I realise that I need money! I won a big win about 2 months ago unfortunately I couldn’t spend the money as I kept it for gambling! I hear people who feel really content with having £100 etc... yet I still feel skint even when I have £1000s has any one else experience this? I have an average job and have to right to not value money... please advise, is I believe this will help my recovery if I could get some insight?
Meant to add at the moment I’m in debt so really have no right
Put yourself on a sandwich budget. Believe it or not it's actually enjoyable as isn't about the money it's about regaining control. Feels great
Really love the some of regaining control.
I have also lost the worth of money. I've not really spent anything in the real world for 10 years yet i have gambled £100+ bets regularly online without a second thought. Even when i had lost everything i had to lose for that month the only disappointment i felt from that lost money was the fact i couldn't gamble for the rest of the month.
I've now been gamble free for 38 days and i have given up control of my finances and this has given me a little time to build up some "spare money" to give myself the odd treat even with my debts. I still actually feel guilty spending money on myself at the moment.
I think we get used to risking large sums of money in the hope of that even bigger win and it distorts the worth of money in real world terms. Generally even if we win large sums its not with us for long one way or another and although we may have "had" a large sum we have never felt its real world value yet we still seem to think we understand what it felt like to have it.
Sjwsjw what you have posted is so true! No matter how big a win! I’ve never spent it on anything but gambling! Well done on being 38 days free... I will be surrendering my bank and cc to my partner... I totally get why you would feel guilty for getting yourself things however you earned the money your are now spending! And worked hard to get the money! I have been 10 hours gambling free and it’s so hard! Never knew I had an issue until I tried to stop after hitting rock bottom! My partner had to pay all the rent today alone and we have a daughter! Feel so selfish keep telling myself I have money coming back provided the online casino pays out! I’m fighting every urge in my body not to reverse the withdrawal and keep playing! the urge is so bad that I’ve been watching people playing on YouTube to stop me from playing... I gamble on my phone so while writing this I have decided to give partner my phone for the night to stop me self playing.
Totally feel your post money has no value to me at the moment. 800 1800 I can't stop so it doesn't mean anything. Yet when I'm skint 100 quid is loads. I'm sure it will pass jeep plugging away you've made a start
Good to see you stuck around Dogg & great idea handing over your phone to keep you safe...Maybe you could consider some blocking software to further proof this?
I wish I had the answer you crave...My relationship with money is appalling! Whilst gambling I'd shop in different supermarkets to save pennies, pay the same off of various credit cards to clear the gambling transactions from the home page of my internet banking & yet I handed over my bank card repeatedly, caught in the action of my next win. I didn’t realise it @ the time but money to me was just gambling tokens & although I was frivolous in punishment or when I needed cash back because I’d exhausted all other means, on reflection, I didn’t want to waste my gambling tokens on life. Since recovery, I have a reduced number of bank accounts & up until the last couple of months, had a burning need to see round figures on my main home page. Now that I’m not gambling, I have money to spend but I’ve been almost petrified to do so. Slowly, & with the help of the GA program, I’m learning things I never learned as a child & finding money more comfortable but I know I’m not rid of my demons. The more you learn about yourself, the more stuff will start to make sense but there are no qwik fixes here.
Keep fighting those urges because they can’t hurt you if you don’t act on them & it’s a great feeling to get through the day knowing you’ve stayed safe - ODAAT
Never played last... remained strong couldn’t sleep with the thought of winning more money... but I understand that in the casino I never truly win.... my partner is remaining positive, but deep down I know she is heartbroken that she has had to take the hit on the rent.... telling her is the best thing I’ve done! Saturday is a hard day for me as it’s the day all my mates will be posting there bets (football) wish I could have fun with it like they do but I can’t... so no point trying and crying over it. From a young age, was told drugs are bad, don’t drink to much, yet placing bets is fine no one ever said how addictive it was! Wouldn’t have made a difference to be honest... I went on a bit of a tangent there.... my urge to play has slowed down. All I want to do it put blocks in place and steps... but feel I can’t until the online casino pay out what they owe! My official last payout and my last bet
Day one no gambling feels great
Here's a question I was asked recently.... what has gambling ever done for me?
My answer was nothing positive. It takes our time, money, relationship, our health.... and what does it give us back in return? Debt, depression, sleepless nights, misery.... when you look at it in the cold light of day, why did we ever do it?
None of us set out to gain a gambling addiction in life, but here we are. By coming here and acknowledging we have a problem, we take our first step on the path to a better future and a happier life.
Keep using your diary and pop into chat when you can, there is a wealth of experience in here and however unique you may think your story or position is, I guarantee someone here already has the jacket.
Take care and stay GF.
Gambling has givin me nothing!!!
Day two GF
Such a valid point it is so true that gambling makes you lose the value of money. I never really thought of it that way at all so thanks for writing that. Money does really become gambling tokens.
I have always dug into my bill money thinking, it's ok because I will win in back shortly so I can replace it. Obviously I never do which means I can't pay things. I also thought the same when a I took payday loans out. When i gamble I only think about today and not tomorrow. This always happens so no idea why i thhink 'this time will be different'
Well done for your days GF. I'm back to day two again so spending a lot of time on here reading.
Yeah this is something i think about a lot, never really understood the value of money as one week would have 1000s next week 0... had a family day today, and was able to have fun.... been a hard week end reality of the choices I’ve made are coming back to hunt me!!! My partner has been so supportive lately.. Use to think she wouldn’t get it but what’s not to get. I’m a gambler. And it’s all about the steps I take going forward... have my first session tomorrow and I’m dreading it telling a stranger all my darkest secrets however this group has been great prep so I thank you all another day down, another day I didn’t gamble. Another day I never put myself in more dept... trying to stay strong... enjoy the rest of your weekend
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