Well... where do i start?

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 ac09
(@ac09)
Posts: 2
Topic starter
 

Hello to anyone who is reading this i hope your well but just like the title says... where do i start?

I don't really know what i am trying to achieve with this post whether i am looking to get things off my chest as i don't really have many people to talk to regarding whats going on or am i looking for people who have been in my situation to reply with some advice or anyone in general replying with advice or with any kind of input?

My problems with gambling and how i am approaching tackling my problems may well be different than many others and in no way am i trying to justify it nor upset anyone.

Over the years i have had issues with certain aspects of gambling, some i have overcome and never returned to and others i still struggle with. Nowadays i seem to struggle with online gambling, mainly computer blackjack/roulette - live blackjack/roulette and of course slots. I don't gamble everyday but when the fun stops i certainly don't stop! In other words i don't stick to the amount i originally set myself out to gamble with, i tend to do the recognisable 'chasing' etc, its very frustrating!

After a losing session a week ago yesterday i felt as if something actually clicked and i asked myself do i actually enjoy it anymore? Whether it is a £1 bet or a £1000 bet on a hand of blackjack... a spin on roulette or a spin on the slots the amount doesn't actually matter... i just don't think i enjoy it anymore because of all the problems that it has caused!

Not because i am unable to financially because i could if i wanted to but i haven't bothered returning to computer or live blackjack/roulette and i haven't bothered with the slots either since and this is because i feel the penny has dropped... is that penny 'when the fun stops... STOP' i wonder? 

I am only ever going to be honest on this post and any future posts because thats how i try to live my life through honesty - I deposited £20 into my sports betting account early on in the week to have a sports bet this weekend, its still in there i haven't touched it yet. I once did enjoy gambling for a bit of fun and that was mainly of a weekend on sports bets, mainly doing football accumulators as they say 'for a bit of interest' - If i lost i wasn't to bothered by it because it was affordable, budgeted for and i never went beyond that and i always stuck to my original amount i set out for myself. If i won that was always a bonus and i usually withdrew the lot and that was that...

The question i ask myself is 'can one self go back to that point where it was fun and enjoyable'

Only time will tell i guess...

This topic was modified 2 years ago 2 times by ac09
 
Posted : 15th October 2021 5:21 pm
Banx1234
(@banx1234)
Posts: 15
 

Without sounding cheeky which I am not trying to sound, but that's a silly question gambling will never be enjoyable to any of us in here ever again. If you have a problem give up all forms of gambling you can't have any access to gambling. It's only way to beat the addiction 

 
Posted : 15th October 2021 9:19 pm
(@rouletteregret)
Posts: 571
 

Good Morning ac09,

As an introduction, I am just over two years gamble free. Before this, I had went four years gamble free and then stupidly thought I could gamble one innocent day which led to about 8 months or so of being as bad as ever. So, in the past seven years, six have been gamble free. Before all of that, about a decade of gambling from first innocent steps to brutal addict.

Anyway, when I read a post like yours I recognise myself many years ago. I don’t know if you have ever read about the 5 stages of grief. Its very interesting:

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Denial - what problem? I don’t have a problem. I’m not addicted.

Anger - Why me? Its not fair. Why did this happen to me.

Bargaining - Negotiation with self. I will just bet on Sports. I won’t bet on roulette. I only have a problem with roulette not with gambling as a whole. I’ll just bet a small amount etc.

Depression - Stages of Bargaining failed. When I lost football bets I tried to win it back on roulette. Same problems existed.

Acceptance - I am an addict. My life is unmanageable. I need help to stop. I need to stop.

I went through these stages. Bargaining stage was tough. I convinced myself that I wasn’t addicted to gambling- just roulette. I convinced myself that Saturday at the bookies was fun, that I was successful in picking football accumulators and that I used to win at this all the time. It was big bad roulette that was the baddie and as long as I stayed away from it I’d be fine. Not true - wasted a long time with this.

Now I don’t gamble. I don’t miss gambling ever. I have more money now than I ever had when gambling. Even when I won large amounts I rarely spent anything on myself. Now I buy things. I treat myself as anyone should. I sleep better and without worry. I no longer lie about my whereabouts or time. I had to quit and then educate myself about gambling addiction to get to where I am today. Life is far better without gambling and I have a feeling the longer I go without it the better life I will have.

Good luck to you. I wish you well.

RR

This post was modified 2 years ago by RouletteRegret
 
Posted : 16th October 2021 6:58 am
 ac09
(@ac09)
Posts: 2
Topic starter
 

Morning, thanks for taking the time to post replies after reading my post. ANY advice given or any opinions people may offer i respect wholeheartedly! 

I guess this is all a learning curve, a journey? 

Hope everyone has a great weekend. 

 
Posted : 16th October 2021 7:33 am
(@dave101)
Posts: 294
 

Yes it is it a journey ac09 and to be honest the best thing you can do now is just just keep coming back and reading people’s stories and building a bigger picture of the problems are there and inside yourself. I know myself that I can’t gamble on anything again not even a free raffle draw to win a bottle of wine or some thing.

anyways I hope the posts and this post helps push it home the seriousness of this addiction and to understand we are compulsive gamblers and will not be able to stop until financially ruined.

I hope to see more posts

take each day as it comes and just for today I will not gamble

dave101

 

 
Posted : 16th October 2021 1:08 pm
(@jon39)
Posts: 36
 

Gambling can NEVER be enjoyable.  I hate everything about now, the advertisements, everything just makes me feel sick as I know more and more people will become addicts and run their lives through online gambling. Just the thought of it sickens me as a person who had a gambling problem. Yes they provide tools such as deposit limits and self exclusion but not every gambler is capable of using these tools. The only way to resolve the problem with online gambling is that all online gambling operators should set a low deposit limit of say £200 a month and if a person wants a higher amount than that they should have to provide bank statements showing they can afford it. I do not understand why this has not been brought in. 

 
Posted : 19th October 2021 8:56 pm

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