Have such a bad addiction to online fruit machines have been gambling for years with no bad problem, the odd couple of hundred at casino on night out couple of times a year the odd lottery ticket, £20 on game of golf that sort of thing. I know it is still gambling but feel in control of that, online fruit machines are a different matter. I have got worse over the last 6 months and a lot worse last few weeks. I have a well paid job and still pay mortgage,bills as I should but everything else I waste on online fruit machines. 5k on credit card in 2 days, 4K wages in a few hours and am now leaving less and less to get through living, have not brought clothes in ages been away on holiday. Am away next weekend playing golf, have paid for it but spent everything else so zero spending money, just want to stop, have tried before and was told take up running/meditation etc there ain’t no buzz in that. Have managed to stay off before but was replaced by another buzz addiction of having an affair. Just want to be normal, but then normal seems so boring☹️
Update having read lots of other posts on here I have registered with gamstop, that by itself was hard and know I should of clicked 5 year button but only clicked the 1 year, hoping the shame of talking to someone in a year to unblock will put me off. I feel I need some sort of support but have tried gamblers anonymous before and got annoyed with them telling me to never play lottery or have a £10 bet with a mate cos gambling is gambling and you must stop all of it!!!. Just need something to occupy by bad side.
Yeah the slots are what get me as well bro. I've gambled sensibly, sports, poker, casino, bookies etc for 15 years. Two years into slots and I'm nearly bankrupt two times over.
Do you have anyone that you can hand over the bulk of your finances too or look for one of the bank accounts that will limit transactions daily etc. It's at least a way to limit huge losses. I blew 15k in two hours the other night on slots so really do feel your pain.
Hi Mate
I have done silly numbers on several occasions , and end up feeling sorry for myself and angry. Might try the bank account thing, got tax rebate today I and first thing I did was look through what sites gamstop did not cover to try and get online. Thankfully client phoned about a job and a couple of problems they wanted solved so have been distracted since. Have you blocked yourself from online sites?, it just ain’t real money on there is Monopoly money till you check the bank!!!, in a casino I can take a couple of hundred and not get more out as i see it as real money.
I know what you mean by monopoly money i'm the same would never go into a casino or even the arcades the 2p machines is all i ever played on, so how can i lose hundreds in less then an hour on these sites
How about withdrawing money from bank as soon as you get it, so that you have real money rather than the Monopoly money we spend without a second thought?. Think that is tip to myself as well as keep getting the urge.
I think if i shut down my paypal too would help but i have paypal credit, it is paypal allowing me to deposit although i have nothing in the bank. How are you doing?
Hi
The wording the Buzz I use to think was fun and I truly thought that I loved gambling.
In time I found out that Gambling was a form of escape or deviating facing my feelings people life and situations I could not cope with.
I tend to thin that the Buzz was very much adrenaline based, the bigger the risk I took bigger the Buzz.
I had got in to the unhealthy habit of living in anxiety and fear that normal life was boring.
The recovery program would help me see that I was like a rat in a wheel going faster and faster getting no where.
Over time by attending meetings and having counselling I would identify that Gambling for me was self destructive and very unhealthy.
By attending meetings I would use my time and money in much healthier ways.
One healthy thing I did on Saturdays was to go ten pin bowling with my family.
That was great fun and well worth while and got in to not fearing Saturday mornings.
The recovery program would help me exchange unhealthy habits in to healthy habits.
It was very important to fill my time and my thinking with alternative healthy habits.
The recovery program helped me in so many ways I hope that you find a healthy recovery.
Today I understand that every action has consequences.
That every unhealthy action has unhealthy consequences.
That every healthy action has healthy consequences.
Please take the recovery program seriously it will save from a lot of further pain and heart ache.
Dave L
AKA Dave of Beckenham
Online is the worst, as you’ve said, Monopoly money, you don’t see what your spending or how much you’ve put on. You don’t just go in your pocket and be like, well I came out with this much, have still got that much, so have spent this much. You don’t notice until 2 hours later when you like, c**P how long have I been on this. How much have I spent?
They are the devil! Hopefully I’ve seeked help just at the right time before the debt gets too big. I think we will be blocking the online sites and hopefully things will start to get better.
Some good ideas you’ve said around your money, so do whatever you need to and think will help. Maybe get a little book next to you and write down each time you deposit so you can physically see how much you are betting, looks worse when written down.
Good luck x
I’ve lost lots online and in the bookies in the early days, I’ve had 2 bouts of gambling in my near 40 years of it, the first without the internet was by far the worst as I had access to plenty of money , then I went bankrupt and getting money was tough, then phase 2 kicked in, mot massive debt but enough to make me realise how I’ve ruined my future.i should have been minted by now, however my journey starts, thankfully the online slots was never my thing but online roulette has lost me a few bob.You can never win at it, starting ar a screen pressing a button every 6 or so seconds just watching ya balance dwindle, it’s nuts.
the gamban self exclusion for 5 years is a game changer for me, it’s helping me no end.
ive checked a couple of sites I used to use and the ban is working, I must point out I had no intention of using them.I just wish the betting shops would start a membership scheme then the whole problem goes away for me.
online slots .....exclude from the internet and that solves a big problem.
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