New Year Same Me

Have you considered chatting to a counsellor? Work with them to discover what makes you want to gamble in the first place.

I can't speak for everyone, but I think most problem gamblers have issues in their past and reasons for being drawn to gambling and/or other addictions. We need to get the the root of our gambling and deal with that.

I thought I had mine worked out, but clearly not as you may have seen from my recent post.

I need to go back to the first steps of help. Ask advice from my GP or get along to ga, maybe counselling or try cbt. I need to change my thought processes.

Hi EMD , My names Alan and I'm a compulsive gambler , Welcome back my friend .

Unfortunately gambling's always been accesible but as you say these days it's just so easy to gamble , in fact anytime and anywhere , which is why it becomes about you and the effort you need to stop gambling .

There's always a way around any blocks you may put in place but you don't sound as though you have anything in place at all to stop you gambling ?.

The minimum you should be thinking about is self excluding from as many bookies or sites on line that you can , in the bookies it only takes acouple of photos and a few minutes , online you can download and install blocking software which can stop you accessing the sites , also you could hand over control of your finances to someone you can trust or at least limit your access to cash or cards you may have .

It's not rocket science but it all keeps your Time , money , location triangle broken so if yiou remove one then you can't bet !.

However the most important part is you my friend , how much do you want to stop gambling ?, nothing changes if nothing changes and your'e the only one that can decide to make those changes .

The important thing you really need to do in order to move on , is to stop thinking about how much youv'e lost and chasing those losses !, as compulsive gamblers we can't win because we can't stop , the money doesn't matter to us because it becomes jjust about the buzz , the money if we win any , is just ammunition to bet with and to continue the cycle that your on !.

There's plenty of help and advice on here and you only have to look or ask

I wish you well in recovery and hope you keep posting with your progress !

Best wishes .................................Alan

Thank you both for your comments. I hadn't commented for a while, but this is something I would like to update and read through the forums as I do find they help.

In response to you Alan, I am self excluded on virtually every bookie / online casino that you can think of. Unfortunately I always seem to find 1 more.

Of course I want to stop gambling, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Like you say the money is irrelevant when gambling, it's just the "buzz" of playing.

I struggle a lot because I work in a factory full of males so a lot of conversation is betting. I find it hard to distance myself from that in such a confined space.

Pinky, your point is interesting about the past. I believe I have a very addictive personality, that grew from a game I played as a child.

Thanks again for your comments.

Hi, EMD,

I'd echo Alan's post. If you're serious about stopping, then it's down to you to do - that's actually do - everything you can to keep the time money location triangle broken. Take one of these away and you can't gamble. Recovery takes effort but it's absolutely doable - by you. No one else can make you do it or do it for you.

Can someone else look after your money and drip feed you minimal cash? If not, rethink your banking arrangements, especially on pay day. Use direct debits for outgoings and to move the rest into an instant saver account with a cashcard and low withdrawal limit.

Downgrade your mobile to a brick to avoid temptation in your hand and install blocking software on all devices that you have access to. K9 is free but get someone else to set the password.

We did self exclusion by snail mail, once posted there was no chance for a last minute change of mind.

Finally, stopping alone won't be sustainable, sort out counselling for yourself, available via GC - and go to the sessions. And try GA, not used by everyone here but it has a proven international track record - where the program's followed - so worth sticking with.

re the title of your thread, passage of time alone isn't going to change you, why should it? Time passes anyway, regardless of what any of us do or don't do. You can choose recovery at any time, no need to wait for a suitable point in the calendar. Best is today, now.

Down to you to make those changes, for you.

Wish you well,

CW

Thanks for the response. I understand it's down to me and no one else. I never suggested otherwise. Don't understand why you've chosen to comment on my thread title. Not like I made this thread on New Year's Day.

Again, appreciate some of your comments.