I'm 46 and have been gambling for 20+ years. A mixture of sports betting and casinos. Have only very recently admitted that this was a problem. The trigger was Friday past. Lost more than I can afford to lose in an online casino in a drunken binge of madness. The shock of what happened is only just beginning to settle down a little and have a workable plan in place to recover, though it will take some considerable time. Had lost savings and then blitzed a credit card. A bit annoyed that the credit card company authorised the transactions without question given that they were large, in the early hours of the morning and to a gambling website. I suppose ultimately I take responsibility. Would have helped me hugely if the government had implemented the gambling commissions recommendation from over a year ago not to let credit cards be used for gambling though. They dont seem in any hurry to tighten up gambling in spite of the fact that it is ruining lives on a daily basis. I spoke to the credit card company and they have agreed to refund the 5% transaction fee since that would take me over my credit limit and to freeze the interest for a short period. The boy on the phone was actually very sympathetic and said that he knew exactly how it felt and that he had done similar himself. All this is making me ealise that gambling is a much bigger probllem than most appreciate. I have luckily had a loan approved to pay off the credit card bill which I can then pay off at a manageable rate. The whole recovery plan is founded on not gambling first and foremost obviously. I have self excluded using gam stop and plan to cancel my overdraft as soon as I m back in the black and do away with the credit card as soon as the repayment has been made.I have also had a referral to a counsillor who I m seeing on Friday morning. I do now have optimism for the future and am looking forward to a life where I never feel the way I did on Saturday morning again, to a life where I enjoy the time that I spend with my son without stressing about the football scores and constantly checking my phone and to a life where I have money in the bank at the end of the month again. Just want to be addicted to watching the GF days build up.
Yo, you sound like you have it mapped out in a good way .Is it worth considering you going to Ga , to go along with the counciling ? Your positively and determination to fight this addiction really comes across in your post . I wish you well, one day at time . Shiny 🙂
Hi Shiny. Thanks for your comments. I would be open to GA though I m really worried that someone who knows me is there as it could then affect my work. I ll go to my appointment on Friday and then take it from there I guess. I m hoping that my self exclusion and councilling will be enough. I do find it helpful to come on here and see supportive comments from kind people like yourself. It’s a comfort to know that you’re not alone 🙂
Yo, I too had concerns when I went to Ga re meeting customers . The company I worked for had a policy that you had to declare if you were a problem gambler , in the end I decided th risk was too big and only went locally for a few weeks . Although when I was in rehab it a different county I went 3 times a week for almost 2 months . I totally relate to your concerns and as work has to be a priority don’t stress on it or put yourself in a awkward situation. Keep posting, break the time , money and location triangle and try counciling (which helped me enormously) I wish you well , take care .... Shiny:-)
Yeah, I feel it’s too risky unfortunately Shiny. I would normally have woken up this morning and looked at odds for today’s football internationals but have come on here to break the routine. My loan has come through today so I can pay off my credit card and cancel my overdraft which is a weight off the shoulders. Looking forward to getting through the weekend GF. I have a works night out on Friday which would normally be a dangerous time with the possibility of ending up in a casino and crazy sport betting on Saturday and Sunday if has lost in the casino but I have the reassurance of having measures in place to make sure none of that happens. Is that looking too far ahead? Should I just make sure I get through today without gambling?
Made it to 7 days. A week feels like a long time.
Hi mate, Well done for joining gamcare and for starting your own diary. I’m sorry about what happened the other week and I know how hard it is to get your head around what you have done. But the past cannot be changed but moving forward in how we conduct ourselves and trying to abstain from gambling can be. I see from what you have wrote that you have had a big realisation and sadly it takes times like that when you hit rock bottom to finally understand you have a problem and that it’s got you beat. You look like you’ve taken all the right steps blocks and reaching out for support. I’m am currently having counselling sessions through gamcare and find them so beneficial and also attend ga when I can which I have found crucial on my recovery path. I didn’t want to go to GA for the same reasons I work for myself in a small city and have a big customer database all living here and also know a lot of people. But I thought who cares if they know me then they are only there for the same reasons I will want the best for me. So overtime walking through them doors I don’t even care now if I did see someone I know. I don’t know the nature of your work/ business so obviously that’s up to whether or not it’s feasible to go. But glad you are doing the counselling it will defiantly help and on here you will get support and advice. The only person who can stop gambling is you, but there is plenty of support if you reach out like you are doing. I told myself so many times I was going to stop gambling and always fell back in to that trap, but last time I bet was when I finally had an awakening and realised I needed help, just like you have and am now on 130 days gf. It’s not easy but communicating, blocks and keeping busy with work and family is keeping me on the right track. I wish you well. Will check in with you from time to time.
OAU
That’s really kind of you to post. Much appreciated. I had a counseling session yesterday and I found that quite helpful. I also told a trusted friend last night and it was good to get it off my chest. This Saturday is a lot better than last. Today is the first day I ve kind of had the urge but I ll defs get through it. Thanks again for your kind words
Keep going mate, keep busy, plan
Cheers Holycrosser. Feels good to get past a week. Trying to avoid looking at the football internationals as betting opportunities. It’s difficult to watch any football these days without gambling being shoved down your throat. If it’s not adverts during the intervals, it’s on the billboards, on the players shirts, and even the commentators will reference it!
9 days in and I know I won’t gamble tonight so looking forward to having notched up double figures. Got paid today and whilst taking it one day at a time I do have one eye on seeing the difference in my bank account the next time I m paid. Was out on Friday and didn’t go to a casino but do feel that I have to watch not to get caught out by going in when boozy and in possession of a debit card. Not sure how best to deal with this yet.
12 days in. Sleeping and eating back to normal. Still find myself looking at football fixtures/results and contemplating odds and what I would/would have bet on. No real urge though. Maybe because I know I m blocked and going into a bookies has never really been my thing. Looking forward to a GF much less stressful than what had become normal weekend.
2 weeks GF but a very strong urge to gamble today. Not that I can with the blocking but came on here to post rather than ferret about looking for holes in the block
Well done mate, go push ya self to do something different on the weekends, it’s reinventing ya self that keeps the mind off it .
I try and pencil stuff in for peak period 1pm to 5pm , stay strong and keep positive.
Urge gone now. I reckon I would have put money on Hearts to draw with Aberdeen today so that was money saved and can enjoy the result.
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