Today I have lost a significant amount of money. This day has been building up for over the last few weeks since bookmakers have reopened. For the previous 7 months I have been abstaining, with good work for the first 4 months and then with lockdown and shops closed I was “free” from gambling. Since shops open I have popped in a few times and slowly I slid back into old habits, today back to mindless pointless out of control slots!
I will start to read Allan Carr’s book which I have not picked up for many months, and get my mind thinking the right way again. If this is a blip then I can look back over 8 months and I am way better off than in Dec 2019. I need this to be a blip
matt692
Hi @matt692,
Stopping for 7 months is a fantastic achievement and you can absolutely stop again. You can turn this lapse into a learning experience and make yourself even more solid against gambling. From the sounds of it, you've already started to do this, by recognising and admitting what's happened, and going back to things that have been useful in the past, like Allen Carr's book.
It might help you to contact an adviser on our Helpline (0808 8020 133) or Netline (www.gamcare.org.uk/netline) to discuss the situation and see what lessons that it holds. You could also speak to MOSES (0800 294 2060 8am to midnight, 7 days a week) about setting up a self-exclusion for the betting shops in your area.
All the best,
Elizabeth
Forum Admin
Hiya matt692
Sorry to hear you've had a blip that's cost you a lot off money, I feel your pain. Well looking on the bright side you've done amazing in the last 8mths and you must remember we're only human and will slip up now and again l know it's not good atol as I was a year gamble free went on to a well known website not so long ago and lost nearly £8000 in the space off 1h. But I had to put that down to a loss as its in the past and noway off me chasing as will only lose more plus it was my partners PayPal account so my horrible addition turned me into not just a liver but a theif aswell. You need to for your own well-being sign up so you can't do this damage again, if you can't go into the gambling shop then you can't lose no more and get back on your gamble free bike therefore starting again one day at a time also register on gamstop or gamban so you can't do this online, all you can do is damage limitations my friend put all these blocks in place it's just like a safety blanket and sorry for your loss
Matt
fella I have been around this forum since 2012 and in that time I relapsed four times, a fear of living without the crutch of addiction to run to meant I only put measures in place to a certain degree to eradicate the opportunity of that first punt. This time I have taken everything I have learnt in those eight years and put them into place, self exclusion is one of them as I only gambled in person in the bookmakers and the fobt my Achilles heal.
equalling to that I have handed my finances over to my wife, a life choice because I am not trustworthy to leave that door open.
there is a triangle
Time-money-location
take one away and you buy the rational side of your brain the opportunity to take control, you will through doing so be as kind to yourself as you can.
The compulsion to gamble is in my mind progressive by it’s nature, it will never stop taking, the money irrelevant, just the fuel that feeds it
I often think of the anecdote said in a GA room ’how do you make a compulsive gambler a millionaire?
start them off as a billionaire!!’
just for today
Duncs
Hiya duncs
Well said I always like your way off putting things and how much sense you make, I don't know if it's just the way you are or if over the years you've took alot in and therefore a very knowledgeable and insightful man. I still think about my last loss don't know if that's a good or bad thing, do you ever think off the last loss duncs or does it go away in time? Hope your okay my friend keep up the insightful posts as there a help to one and all
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