I have been gambling for over 10 years, I am 25 years old and desperate to stop. My problem is online gambling (slots in particular) and I have tried deposit limits, self exclusions and blocking software, but I keep finding a way to play. I find it easy to hide gambling, which is also why I have found it so hard to give up. I need to stop lying to myself that I can control it, because I clearly can't, and it's time to face up to that fact. I have never used a website targeted for problem gambling in the past, but for the time being I intend to visit the website daily for advice/support and will be updating this thread with 100% honesty with regards to how my journey is going.
Best wishes.
Welcome to the diaries. It is a good place to be for compulsive gamblers.
Hopefully this journey you have embarked on will take you to a better place.
We have all experienced the misery of gambling addiction so we can understand where your coming from.
Friends will give advice, encouragement and support but nobody will pass judgement or try telling you what to do.
It is recommended that we focus on one day at a time. If each individual day is gamble free than we will have cracked it.
Wishing you well...stephen
Hi User314,
Welcome to Recovery diaries, and thanks for sharing your story.
I quite agree with you that it’s advisable to do something to control your gambling, rather than leave it to get out of control, and which can easily happen.
It also seems like you’ve been struggling to stop gambling, and have tried banning yourself, setting limits, blocking software, etc. but none has so far worked for you.
Maybe it’s time to seek professional help to overcome your gambling problem; to find out the reason why you find it difficult to stop gambling even though you want to stop it. Sometimes, there could be an underlying issue the reason why you’re struggling to stop, and you might not even be aware of.
How about contacting our us via our free phone Helpline on: 0808 8020 133, and speak to one of our advisers regarding other help option available to you. An adviser can refer you to counselling if that would help you to stop gambling. The counsellor would be able to help you explore various areas of your life which might give your clues or make sense the reason why you keep gambling.
Our lines are open every day from 8.00am to midnight.
I’m also glad you found our forum, which you intend to use as a support to overcome your gambling problem. There are loads of information there that could benefit you, so do stay in touch.
My best wishes to you in your journey to recovery, and please keep posting!
Kind regards,
Beatrice
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
