I need to quit

Hi, it's good to talk post on here regularly and slowly the weight will come off your shoulders. We gamble because we are gamblers and to be honest if I knew why we can't stop once we start I would not be here. Stopping is the most important part of recovery so take it a day at a time. Your never alone there are always recovering compulsive gamblers out there willing to help and listen.

Nikki

welcome to the forum,a place where you will not be judged for your own shortcomings,folk will offer support and advice to help you find a path to help end the misery that is the compulsion to gamble.

reading your first thread I offer this advice

You can get blocking software,it is I believe free to install,you can go to the bank and get a savings account,so you cannot use the card online,you can self exclude from all the sites you gamble upon.

All these things are a Choice that you have.

When you write 'I need to stop' in truth that need has to become a 'want'

Only you will decide when enough is enough,blocks can be navigated,they are only as strong as you make them,no counsellor or fellow compulsive gambler can gift you the 'want' to stop

That is something only you can gift yourself.

Give it a try

the result is you become a winner,with irony what we let our addiction make us believe is the reason we gamble.

I hope you get as much out of this amazing forum as I do

Be kind to yourself

Duncs stepping forward never back

Thanks guys.. And yes I want to quit.. It's the apple products there is nothing to block the gambling on my ipad or iPhone, it's just android and pcs..

morning nicki,

Well done on taking the 1st step and joining this site the people on here are an amazing support.

You can contact your bank and ask them to downgrade your account to just a cash card account so you will not be able to purchase anything online but will still be able to withdraw money from a cash machine, i dont know if this would help you at all?

Also this addiction can affect anybody trainee accountant or not lovely, so please dont feel you are alone.

I totally understand how you feel regarding loneliness and how it can consume you, i myself kept this a secret for many years and it destroys you. still now its only my partner who knows, my friends would be mortified. i guess unless you are a CG then you will never understand why we do it and as you said even as a CG we still dont get it. This doesnt mean this is who you are or who you have to keep being.

Good luck

Jess x

Hello Nicki6,

Well done on starting a recovery diary. As you've identified that the feeling of loneliness can be a trigger for you, hopefully keeping a diary here will help you to reduce your experience of that trigger, or provide a space to talk about it rather than react to it by gambling. Getting into a habit of updating your diary and sharing supportive posts on other diaries may result in you feeling a part of the online community here, and feeling less lonesome.

Many people experience solitude as a trigger, so where possible scheduling your free time with more companionship can sometimes help a bit. Stress and boredom are often said to be triggers too, so finding ways to reduce or manage these triggers is often part of someone's recovery. On the recovery diaries, sometimes people talk about the things they are doing as part of their recovery, like spending more quality time with friends or family, or taking care of their health with regular exercise, or enjoying their time in other ways. Sometimes reading other about what others are doing can inspire you to try out some of their strategies to see if they are helpful for you.

About your iPad and iPhone, some of our forum members have posted about using parental control software on these devices, like netnanny for iPads and K9 for iPhones. These haven't been tested by GamCare and they are more broad in their application compared to the filters that are designed to specifically block gambling sites from PCs like Betfilter or Gamblock, but I'm mentioning them as you may well see forum member posts that refer to them as helpful.

Take care,

Adam.

Hi nikki , I like yourself wish I knew why I gambled , I curse the day I ever tried as my head never been right since. I'm fortunate at present I've done no real damage , it's my future I'm more worried about and where it could take you.

Just to let you know I bank with ********* and they have blocked all online and pos(point of sale) transactions.

So can only use my card as a cash card , there are also clear notes on my account that this action is unreversible and under no circumstances can the block be lifted .

Hope this might help and your bank do same , apparently cash cards are being phased as ********* has done already . Obviously make sure put block on computer also.

Your right loneliness is one main triggers for many cg including myself aswell as boredom , if we can find new ways to combat this that's half the battle

Try reading ,I've subscribed to the times plenty to read and keep mind active. Also another couple monthly magazines too.

Restart old hobbies and interests , you may enjoy it ?

Bottom line anything worth a try , we might never know why we gamble , but we can do things to stop us doing it.

Take care you can do it

Fitzy

Thank you for your support, I have contacted as many casinos as I can to permanently exclude myself I have bet filter in my PC. Today is day 2 for me and I nearly went straight to find a casino online but came here in stead. I can't seem to get my head straight, I should be revising for exams next week, I am finding that the only way I can escape is through gambling which is just not right..