I hope I don't cause offence as the forums are helpful to many people but unfortunately they are only helpful or suited to a small percentage of people that have a gambling problem.
Gamcare is funded by the gambling industry and the only support available for the gambling industry's victims (people like me who develop a problem with gambling, and the innocent families of people with a gambling problem) is counselling, a forum and the odd live chat session. The self exclusion policy from betting shops and amusements is totally ineffective so the industry either can't be bothered, or would prefer not to create a self exclusion policy that actually works. Why isn't it possible to self exclude?
In comparison to the billions of pounds of profits made from gambling the amount spent on available support for those who develop a problem is tiny.
I'm sure gamecare will claim that they try to prevent people developing a problem with leaflets etc but I would argue that is not true because of all the advertising that it is impossible to avoid.
Is more support available that I don't know about or is this it?
Err, from someone who said they've been to GA for 2 years aren't you forgetting something?
What are you after Dan? There are no miracle cures & spitting on machines & telling staff when you are leaving that you are excluded, what exactly is the point of that?
Recovery works if you work it, self exclusing doesn't! What counselling have you tried because there are services offered by GPs that may be different to the GamCare counselling. As Alan says, no-one can do this for us & you didn't stay clean for 18 months by chance. Gambling doesn't fix the tough times, it just makes them a million times worse.
You wouldn't be here if you didn't want help so get your barriers up & get back to recovery...You are the only one that can do it - ODAAT
GA is not funded by the gambling industry and has nothing to do with the industry or gamcare.
The point of telling staff as I'm leaving is to make them aware so that next time they don't let me in. It's an attempt to protect myself.
What I want is a self exclusion policy that is enforced! It's not much to ask and would help me and many many others massively. The casino self exclusion works because you need to be a member if you win (you can still loose but if you win you will not be paid). The industry doesn't want this in betting shops as it will loose them money at my expense.
How many times has get BACK to recovery been typed on this site? It will be a lot which proves it isn't that easy, it would be a lot easier if the self exclusion was enforced.
I am amazed at the lack of support for problem gamblers.
I totally agree that it is up to the individual but adverts TARGET vulnerable people then offer very little support if these people develop a problem. Also the slots and FOBTs have had tens or hundreds of millions spent designing them to be ADDICTIVE. I fell like a lot of people are bullied by the giant gambling companies and then made to feel like it is their own fault which is not always true.
Luckily I restrain myself and only spit on the machines or pour the occasional drink over them. I would prefer to put a hammer through the screen.
People don't like drug dealers because of the damage drugs cause to those who take them. Gambling addiction has a higher suicide rate than any drug addiction and destroys millions of people's lives, and their families but they are allowed to set up shops in every town and village and advertise everywhere you look. Why? Just because they are socially acceptable. If I go to the shop for milk the scratch cards are on the counter. I go to the pub the machines are flashing. If I go on a trip the machines and betting shops are in the motorway services. If I go to the high street the betting shops and amusements are there. If I search for gamcare on the internet online casinos appear in my search results. If I switch the TV on the supercasino c**P is on. The lucky ones come here or go to GA, the others aren't so lucky.
What difference does it make where the support comes from? You asked "is this it?" but failed to mention GA which is a long term program of support & recovery. If this is purely a rant against the industry maybe it shouldn't be in the recovery diary section? No-one here is disputing that the industry sucks but love it or hate it, we're still responsible for us!
You convincing yourself that you are telling them on the way out to protect you next time is bs & you know it and as for pouring drinks over the machines & spitting on them, why sound so proud of yourself? That isn't restraint, it's disgusting!
No-one said recovery was easy but you're looking for an easy way...No-one does 18 months clean by chance so do yourself a favour & figure out what went wrong & work @ it.
You may be correct that the post is in the wrong area. And maybe it is a rant against the industry, but this is the industry that will allow you to play on their websites when you are self excluded. If you loose you hear nothing more about it, however if you win they inform you that you are self excluded and cancel your withdrawal and return the original deposit. This is calculated policy and is totally wrong, in fact it should be illegal.
You are entitled to your own opinion but the reason I tell the staff on the way out is so that next time they will recognise me. When I know this I will not even attempt to go in to the shop. Same as the casinos, I haven't been to one for years because I know I will be challenged for ID and this stops me for even considering going.
As for spitting on machines, I agree it's disgusting but so is taking a single mothers children's dinner money by advertising bingo during daytime TV. Or opening a betting shop next to a pawn shop in a town that is known to be short of money.
it's brilliant that you have this level of passion, now use that energy in a more proactive way for yourself.
None of the gambling organisations care about you, you're right. There are ways to make it harder to gamble, easier to self-exclude but it would cost millions to create and maintain and no-one would ever fund that, why would they.
Whatever you put in place there would be a way to gamble. I don't believe most problem gamblers are stupid, we might just be impatient, greedy, bored - whatever really, it will be different for us all. The point being you will find a way round whatever barrier you put in place, that's not to say we shouldn't try and use them as it will certainly slow us down and hopefully give us time to think and make a different choice
so anyway, bit of a rambling response but you clearly have the brains, the passion and energy to control this, to make different choices, direct your anger away from those that stand to profit from your bets and focus instead on the things you can control
Chose not to gamble, that's what im going to do today
Someone asked how can then stop being allowed in to shops as they have self excluded but are still allowed in. Someone suggested verbally abusing the staff so they would ban you, I prefer to abuse the machines so that they ban me. Certainly not proud of it but it works. They should not let people in if they are self excluded. It's illegal for a start
Hi Dan, the exclusion offered by bookies is as weak as water and as for abusing the machines, well it is destruction of property possibly which is what the police questioned me about when an incident happened when i was in a certain shop. Don't let the awful gambling industry saddle you with a criminal record, it really is not worth it. There is counselling and help available from your GP possibly if you go to see them. Remember the governments role in all this, they know the FOBT's are destructive yet they generate so much money for the government with so little protest they will not be properly restricted for a long time yet. I hope you can focus that dislike and contempt for the gambling industry into a good healthy stoppping strategy.
I'm just getting a bit tired of it all. I've been trying to stop for nearly 8 years, the longest I've managed is 18 months. I've lost a flat, a house, my business, some friends and a couple of jobs. I bounce back each time but can't carry on battling for ever, it would be nice if there was better protection available.
It would be mate but you are back trying again which is a good thing. You are still alive and kicking and i hope you find the strength to kick these awful money making, people manipulating gits into touch. The situation is the lemons we are given and have to work with, we can either make sweet lemonade or bitter lemon drink. Keep fighting and keep your views, i agree with you on many things, Gamcare funded by the gambling industry? How perverted is that, it allows the gambling companies to say "hey we are trying to deal with problem gambling" while all the time making millions and trying to hook people onto the machines offering free spins and tournaments with a nice cup of tea. What a bunch of ******** ********* ******** **** ******'s. I ask you, a tournament on a weekend sat in an awful stinking bookies trying to win some free spins while the real script is them trying to hook more vulnerable people. why shouldn't we despise the gambling industry and all what they stand for?
The only people that can control the gambling industry is the government, I understand that there's is an increasingly strong opposition to FOBT's in particular and that the opposition are trying to bring in a £2 limit.
It's easier to say than do but you need to stop giving the gambling industry your money. It's not surprising to learn that they are doing the bare minimum to help people - they want our money!
Yes gambling is everywhere and it's wrong but nobody forces you to gamble. If you can't keep yourself away then perhaps you can remove your access to money somehow.
Start ticking off the days GF because 18 months GF is better than 18 months of throwing money away
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