Life With Sports Bets Only

Capt

Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience of G.A. Seems to be a classic case of you answering a question(s) truthfully but the person at GA not wanting to hear that sort of answer(s)?!

re reading your diary i see you have many ups and downs in the last 6 months. You seem to have decided to approach your CG problem (if you feel you have one) by controlled gambling? Possibly this is as difficult or even more difficult than stopping altogether?

Hope the winnings are still intact i.e. that the wall is still dry and that you have had no need to "water" it, in recent days!!!

RayG

Hi Ray - take it you dont have a diary then?

To answer your question, Yes, many would say doing controlled gambling is more difficult than stopping altogether. However for me when I can do controlled gambling as a hobby I love on sports I enjoy, with affordable amounts and ultimately end up in profit too, I've yet to convince myself why I cant just do that.

As you'll have read from my diary, I was absolutely fine with that for 4 months from January to May. I have to find ways of dealing with periods where there are no sports events on that I'm interested in betting on. I've yet to prove I can do that but remain determined long term.

Over this weekend I've been thinking about why we sometimes gamble to lose. I know I've done that a few times recently, just walked into bookmakers, picked numbers and names for no reason and subconsciously hoped they lost.

Here are a few possibles for discussion and comment:

* We just want to get to the inevitable point if losing all of our money faster - we dont want a long drawn out period of winning and losing - we've been there before and prefer to 'cut to the chase'.

* We are low on self-confidence and feel we deserve to be losers, dont deserve any success

* We enjoy moaning about losing to others, even more than telling of (rare) stories of success

* We just want relief from the stresses and strains of gambling - if we have no money we are forced not to gamble

* We want to lose so that we can then attempt a 'big win' to win back losses and get an even greater buzz than a 'normal' win

* We feel helpless but to give all our money to the gorgeous girl behind the counter in the bookies ( laugh at this one folks but I've been in that position many times - and it has resulted in few dates! )

Summary for me - anyone reading my diary knows I want to refrain from 'Random' gambling, but my experience over the years is that even with Random, if I go in to the bookies stress free, relaxed and determined to win, I do. If I go in stressed, not relaxed, not caring whether I win or lose, I lose, due to one or more of the above.

Interesting stuff Captain...... some of the things you mention have cropped up in many a conversation i have had with people over the years in the bookies...........

more from me on this tomorrow if thats ok?

nite

tc

Kim x

Interesting stuff Captain but at the end of the day we all gamble to ultimately lose--whether we want to or not we will lose eventually be it sooner or later we will end up losing---why?---because WE CANNOT WIN BECAUSE WE CANNOT STOP

As you know this is how I now feel about gambling but even more important to me is the following:

I CANNOT LOSE IF I DO NOT START

In the past when I was not ready to admit that I was ready to stop, I used to think deeply about my gambling and the reasons I did it---too deeply as it happens as far as I am now concerned. The fact is we gamble because we want to and we gamble to try to ensure that we have the money to gamble again. It really is that simple as far as I am concerned now. It id not used to feel as simple in the past though as I sort out the perceived reasons for my stupidity.

At the end of the day it was me who gambled--I was the reason-- and now it is my choice not to gamble because I do not want to ever feel like I used to. Surprise surprise, since I changed myself I feel so much better and do not eat myself up on a day to day basis with thoughts about nothing other than gambling. Life is so much better when the mind is freed to live.

All the best as always

Stumper

Back Random gambling today. Lost £1400 in 30 mins. This has to stop, otherwise I'll lose everything.

Hi Captain,

Sorry to see you have had a bad day. I've said it before and i will say it again. You need to go cold turkey. No gambling whatsoever.

I hope tomorrow is a better day.

Capt

Firstly, sorry to hear of your loss, but also appreciate your honesty in posting about it.

Whilst writing, was very interested in your post about gamblers wanting to deliberately lose. Have done so when I had a "relatively" small amount of money in my gambling float. And took a view in the wider scale of things it meant nothing. Other times when I had lost a lot of money and then didn't give a to@@ at the time, about anything. Until the next day when the huge loss and its significance hit home!

I do have a view that some CG's including me have this desire to "self destruct" and lose it all?! But this might be more in my sub conscious rather than in my conscious mind? And I am no expert on physchology, so this is just a thought I had.

RayG

Capt

Back to your loss today. I know how gutted you must feel, as have been done the same thing many many times before.

Maybe something to think about and I am sure you have thought about already? Even when the football season starts again and you have your main form of gambling back. Might you run the risk that the habit of "random" gambling will continue and if anything get worse? Betting randomly being a very easy gambling medium that does not require the effort to research "form" and you might find the urge to revert back to the "easy win" that random betting lures us with?

RayG

Easy done Cap,easy done,

As i too found out today and i,m not gonna analyse your gambling today,just read my diary for that,LOL.

Joking apart though i think just take a breather pal,give yourself a chance at adjusting to your controlled gambling,whilst your at it constantly (of course i,m guessing that bit) i think this "random" thing is starting to take over and THAT could be a big problem,think it through mate and remember even if you,me or anyone took 20 years off gambling,they aint going anywhere,they are always there waiting to welcome us back in,is there really any rush in throwing our money away,i think not.

Regards,

"" A NEW LIFE ""

Curly, RayG, ANL, thanks for posts.

From today onwards Random gambling is history - I really mean it this time. Too many years and too much money wasted on random rubbish.

At this point in time I dont have any controlled bets that I'm even thinking of placing, so next bet will be beginning of new football season at earliest.

I know from past experience that when not gambling at all ( usually through no funds ), I get moody, grumpy, fall out with people needlessly and life is so boring. Without gambling I have nothing in life to look forward to but with Random gambling I am just ruining my life financially and will end up on the street so it has to stop.

Change the record Captain as this one is getting boring.

You will not change anything my friend if you are not prepared to change.

You said you had a big decision to make but it seems you have not got the balls to make it.

Random rubbish--the lot of it.

As always I wish you well

Stumper

No gambling today, very difficult to drive straight home and not go via the bookies, but I managed it.

Just have to take one day at a time as I strive to stay gambling free.

Stay off my Diary please your insults are not welcome.

I will stay not gambling, sorry if that offends you.

Some of us get on with it and some of us just make excuses.

Jim (last bet 22/04/06)

Well done on not gambling today Captain.

Keep it up.