I'm quitting for good

Day 3

Not had any urges to gamble. Still just want to be free of it again. 

Aside from offering a distraction I think I just still partly wished I could win some of my losses back which is what triggered me to relapse. 

I'm just not giving a thought to my losses or gambling as a whole now. 

Day 6

Still gamble free. Not had many urges.

The temptation to try win some money has been there admittedly but I'm managing to stay away. 

I'm sure if I keep going with it it will only get easier and happen less frequently. 

I've no interest in horses so I'm very safe from betting on Cheltenham races. 

Day 8

Still gamble free, I've not had any urges in the past couple of days which is good. As far as attempts go I really feel this is the one. 

I'm getting really fed up of seeing/hearing gambling adverts EVERYWHERE though! I'd definitely noticed this before but these past few days it seems ridiculous just how many I've seen and heard. 

Cheltenham probably has something to do with this but even so the adverts are usually rife and very frequent.

It shouldn't be allowed to be advertised at all  given how destructive this addiction is/can be and how inaccurate the governments information on how many problem gamblers exist is.

Anyway I hope everyone is finding success on their journeys to quit. I will continue to update. 

Day 10

I'm still going! 

I haven't thought of gambling at all really since my last update. I've dwelled on my losses quite a bit but haven't had any temptations or risks of break my streak. 

I'm keeping my word to myself and my fiancée for good this time. 

I seem to be talking to myself which is the only shame... I've stopped commenting on other people's posts to offer my advice and support as only two people have commented on my thread since I started this diary. 

Anyway if someone is reading/following this, yes I'm doing well. 

I hope you can find success in quitting yourself.

Hello TheHouseAlwaysWins,

Thanks for sharing this – it sounds like you’re doing so well.

I imagine it’s really motivating not having had many thoughts about gambling over the last few days. And that shows how much progress you’ve made. It’s natural to reflect on losses and it’s actually useful to notice thoughts you may be having around this as you then have more control over how you act on them.

Thanks for supporting others on the forum – it will mean a lot. Feel free to post in the other forums on here as well as the ‘Recovery Diaries’ – you might find you get more interaction on these. You’re also always welcome to join our chatrooms to chat to others.

I hope you can keep updating about your progress as it’s great hear.

All the best,

Claire

Forum Admin

@forum-admin 

Thanks for the comment. 

I'm now on day 12. Almost 2 weeks gamble free!

I will take on board your recommendations, in a way staying clear of talk of gambling helps in its own way though I suppose. 

I hate knowing how much I have lost but I need to just keep in the mindset of not wanting to chase it as this could risk further losses. 

I wish I had taken the money when I could have been back in profit but I chose to keep going so it is my own doing. 

The games aren't designed for us to win so I know I got lucky here and it is always the less likely outcome of taking part in gambling.

Anyway, onwards!

Hey mate.

I have been reading your posts. I am only on day 4 but getting better. 

Don't feel any urges to gamble but for me I keep on dwelling on how much I lost. I know chasing losses is the reason I lost more money so need to just accept what has happened and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Keep up the good work mate. We can do this!

Woah!!! So some crazy strong urges have just sprung up out of nowhere!

I'm really struggling to deal with how much I have lost and the idea of getting over this. Does anyone have any resources or info that might be helpful?

I'm not giving in but these urges have come out of nowhere and got me all anxious.

Any help is appreciated. 

@hoofyboy 

Hey man, thanks for the comment!

I didn't mean for it to sound like a strop lol, I guess it did kind of come across a bit that way..

I just thought I wasn't getting as many comments from others as I have been seeing in other diaries. I guess no reply doesn't mean noone is reading. I will start commenting on others posts again I think.

Glad to hear you are on day 4, I wish you all the best in your efforts to quit! Do you have a diary on here?

It seems we have the same problem with accepting our losses but it is the only way.. It certainly isn't worth risking further losses. Definitely don't take any credit away from how well you are doing by saying it's only x amount of days, this addiction is brutal to kick and sudden urges can come out of nowhere like for me earlier so every minute really is a huge success! 

I hope the damage yours caused isn't too bad and you can recover as soon as possible. Stay strong. 

I didn't cave earlier and so am now going into day 13. We can do this!

I keep recommending to folks OnlyPhil on YouTube, check him out! 

Thanks for your reply mate. I have not made a diary yet but plan to start soon. I did post in the new members forum a little bit about how I ended up here.

I actually read your initial post and our gambling stories seem very similiar. I am 34 and like you was introduced to the world of gambling at 18 when a mate took me into a bookies at lunch and showed me the machines.

Like you it has always bothered me but there had been some spells- long spells at that that I didn't gamble.

In 2021 after a big loss I signed up to gamstop for the first time. My big mistake was I didn't sign up for long enough. About a year and a half ago I called them and had my ban removed.

Big mistake- over the next few months I lost about 4 grand. Rather than ban myself again I chased and believe it or not I won it all back. This was the worst thing that could happen to me. It made me believe no matter what I lost I could always win it back.

Towards the end of last year i was working and saving but still gambling. I went on a winning run around xmas but guess what happened? Did I walk away? No of course I got greedy, wanted more and lost it all and then some.

Since xmas I proceeded to lose around 5k of my own savings that I worked hard to earn. I feel sick but the life I was living was no way to live. My mind was totally occupied by gambling. I was distant, couldn't focus, almost zombie like.

Luckily I dont have debt from gambling and I did not lose everything of my savings but was heading that way.

It will be tough but if I get my head down a few months of hard, honest work I should be back in good shape.

I was a big football better and this is the first saturday in forever I don't have a bet on.

Cheers for talking mate, keep going.

Great shout with Onlyphil. I found him the other night. Its comforting to know we are not alone.

@hoofyboy 

Oh wow it really does sound like we share a similar story!

Well done for admitting you have a problem and for joining the GamCare community. 

Definitely drop me a comment when you start your diary because I will certainly try help keep you motivated and check in with you as an accountability partner if that helps! 

I can relate so much to what you said because other than the most recent occasion that I mentioned (in my first diary entry) I have had had other times where I could have walked away with a large amount and been happy with at least recouping some of my total losses.

The thing is we never know as gamblers when to quit and the best way to win is to just not participate at all. It might sound cheesy I know but all wins do in the end is create a false sense of security that we can get any money we have lost back and eventually turn a profit in a fixed racket that wouldn't exist if this was the case. You have to go there to find out you are a compulsive gambler though I suppose. 

I must admit that I do get kind of get jealous that i'm not one of these who managed to win a very significant amount of money first before they started losing (thinking I'd know to stop there and then), but know this would most certainly be a bad thing ultimately and would likely have landed me in an even worse situation than zi currently am in.  

Thanks very much for giving me faith that others may actually be reading and following my posts and that I aren't just putting my words out there for noone to read. 

Best of luck lad.

Day 14 begins! 

It's come around really quickly it seems. I hope day 5 is a breeze in your new mindset.

I currently am in*

Well done on Day 14 mate.

My heads been gone all week think I mixed up my days. My last bet was Tueday so I think today is actually day 5. Looking forward to hitting 1 week this coming Tueday. Baby steps and all that.

I started a diary, lets see how it goes. Will try write when I can.

Well done so far, keep going. You can do it. Don't know your full situation but sound a bit similar. Do you have any debts cause gambling or just like me sick of losing large amounts of our own money?

@hoofyboy 

Congrats nonetheless!

I will check out your diary when I get a chance. 

No debts thankfully other than being deep into my overdraft each month. I've tried to spend as little as possible since I was last paid and should hopefully be out of it next month. 

Hope you're still going! 

Day 15.

Well done for stopping again. I hope you continue to be gamble free this time. I'm glad you are debt free. I was thankfully also debt free when I stopped.

I eventually accepted that I couldn't control my urges and couldn't walk away when I was winning or even losing an acceptable amount. So I just had to stop all gambling. Although I kind of still cheat by playing free prize draws. They are only free so you are tempted to play the paid ones or buy the product on offer usually.

Anyway my partner is much happier now that I actually have money to go to dinner with her from time to time.

A lot of worry and stress goes too. I don't have to think whether I will be able to afford diesel for a trip tomorrow cause suddenly my account might be empty.

Keep reminding yourself of the positives of not gambling. I look forward to you celebrating a month gamble free.