Hi, thought I'd share my story.
I work hard and earn good money. Online Roulette is the worst thing thats happened to me in the past 3 years. Started off with £50 the odd weekend. After winning £XX I was hooked.
Smaller wins didn't do it for me anymore - so I started gambling £XX a weekend to try and win bigger.
I did win some big amounts - I won £XX one night and lost it all the same evening!
It's gotten to a point were I'm rattling through £XX a night - every time I would wake up the next morning with huge guilt - I could have spent that money on a holiday with my family, bought the kids anything they wanted etc
I dread to think what I've spent the past 3 years. The anxiety and stress that gambling causes is just not worth it.
My trigger to gamble is drink. After a few beers the urge to gamble in front of the computer gets too much to resist.
Last night I lost £XX on roulette in 10 minutes! what an idiot I have been.
My wife is very understanding - she signed up for gamstop last week.
So I signed up this morning - and sticking the finger up to the whole gambling industry that is so eager to get people hooked with offers and 'free cash for deposits'
Looking forward to spending my money on my family and not giving it to the Gambling sites.
My advice - share your problems and don't hide your addiction - get help as soon as you can and don't spiral out of control.
Cheers
Hi there, believe me you're not alone. I have been gambling since the age of 19, I'm now 33 and have been off for just over a year. It's a horrible illness and takes time, effort and support to overcome. Have you thought about joining a GA meeting? I've been attending meetings for the last year and genuinely believe this is a massive part of what has kept me off.
There are also some practical things you can do. I have just started a blog and this gives a list of helpful hints and tips to support you in our abstinence, feel free to check it out. link below.
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Stay strong.
Hi
I would second the advice about trying GA - can't hurt to try as many things as possible to build up your armoury against gambling if you're serious about stopping right? It doesn't work for everyone but that doesn't mean it won't work for you?
I would say that your trigger to gamble is much, much deeper than drink mate. If you enter deep enough into this journey and put enough work in you may get your answers.
Be careful with your current rationale though my friend, it almost comes across as an ideology... You could put all your eggs in the 'drink' basket then one day find yourself smashing the roulette wheel while stone cold sober.
Alcohol may have been the justification you mind needed to pursue your fix for gambling but I'm doubtful it's the be all and end all trigger...
Have you thought about some counselling and therapeutic intervention to address your gambling history? Sounds like you've been through the mill mate and could do with some! ?
Who knows what it will uncover...
Take care and good luck
Hi
The addictions and obsessions were a form of escaping in my fears, the addictions and obsessions were a symptom that I was emotionally vulnerable.
One of my addictions was to drink, that was because I could not cope emotionally.
When I went to the addictions and obsessions were a way of me escaping in my fears from people life and situations I could not cope with emotionally.
I thought I needed to drink to over come my fears and be able to mix with other people.
The highs of my compulsive gambling were very heightened due to anticipation excitement the thought of risk taking fear and adrenaline.
Guilt is self inflicted pain due to the fact I went against my own conscience and against spiritual values.
I could not love other people until I loved myself.
I could not respect other people until I respected myself.
Sadly due to painful child hood trauma I built walls of fear to protect my hurt inner child.
Later in my life I would identify that that high wall built on fears was going t stop me having intimate relationships with other people.
The recovery program is about healing and our recovery, for me it is non religious.
Sadly healing and my recovery could not occur if I was not admitting my pains and my fears to myself .
The healthy people in the recovery program would help me come out of myself, they would help me give therapies where I would expose more and more of myself.
Being in the recovery program helped me heal and live a healthy life once more.
When pains reduce, when fears are faced, the healing process starts.
When I walked in to recovery program I did not know how unhealthy I was.
Please keep going to meetings, you will benefit from it in so many ways.
Love and peace to every one
Dave L
AKA
Dave of Beckenham
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