Really struggling today

Dont do it  you will only loose more 

Be grateful that because you haven’t gambled you have the money spare to pay the parking ticket.

Try to view betting as 10 parking tickets.

Hi Hope,

It really doesn't matter if you win or lose. If you lose you’ll be distraught. If you win you’ll continue gambling until you lose. Then you’ll chase your loses until your broke financially, mentally and physically. You came here because gambling was making your life a mess. You’ve got some time under your belt so build on this and one day you won’t need or want to gamble. Until then keep clocking up the days gamble free.

Your head is only doing what its always done so don't be hard on yourself. As gamblers we always try to see the easiest way out with the least amount of effort. Your ticket will cost a bit of money take this one on the chin and move on.

In time you’ll be better equipped to deal with these situations but you need to gift yourself that time of recovery before we can see things the way the rest of the non gambling addicted world does.

RR

Thank you for all the replies. I fought the urge and didn’t put anything on. 

I used to always gamble when a bill came through. I couldn't handle losing even £10. If I won, and lost some of it, I would end up giving it all back and then a load of my own cash on top trying to get it back again.

A £10 loss once cost me over £3,000. I kid you not. I played for 7 hours straight until I couldn't see anymore.

I tried to forget the tenner, but the idea festered and festered until I went on and deposited a hundred. Of course, I lost it. I chased the loss and ended up £15oo down by the afternoon. I could have walked away and left it at that, but I had to play on. I went on to bet £1500 in one spin on roulette, spread out across my so called lucky numbers. It was all or nothing and I got nothing.

I placed my chips on the board, hit spin and closed my eyes. I was terrified to open them.  That afternoon, a quick go on some stupid slot game ended up costing me over £3,000 on roulette. I couldn't get it back quick enough on the slots so I headed to the roulette where the stakes were higher. I only stopped there because I had ran out of money.

Whenever I used to spend something, I used to try and win it back. I would go to the supermarket, spend £40 on food then come home and try and win it back because I was in so much debt, I couldn't handle spending money. For reasons only known to a gambler, I could easily blow thousands on a machine, but I wouldn't want to pay for normal things like food and rent.

It wasn't even greed, it was just the mentality. I wanted back what was mine and it cost me dearly. Half way through the session, I even got half my money back, but it wasn't enough to walk away, so back it went.

No matter what life throws at you, it is so much easier without gambling in the mix. You will get dealt a rough hand sometimes, bills will come and fines will have to be paid. It is real life. You cannot hide from it behind a machine. Pay your bills and get on with stacking up your days. There's no such thing as just a quick go. If you dip back in, you will keep at it until you give it many times the cost of your ticket. Trust me, whether it is today or some day in the future, you will wish you had just paid the d**n ticket and got on with the task of being gamble free.

Remember, that £10 cost me £3,000. Gambling again could be far more costly to your finances and your health and mentality than a mere parking fine! I'd take the ticket now anyday! At least you know where you stand with it!

I can relate to gambling to try and get back what I had just spent. I’d go shopping or out for a meal and as soon as I would get home I’d be on the roulette trying to get it back. I don’t need to tell you how that ended. 

Really isn't worth it beeni. My bed so depressed after losing yet again, gambling really drains us, keep up good work.. 

Thats one of the key triggers but you have to face the reality of life full on

So you had a bad day...Thats life....tomorrow will be better. You have to suck it up just like you have to buy day to day items to carry on.

Yes you may feel cheated but gambling is not the answer and never was. Its a deluded, addicted arrogance that gambling is waiting to refund our downs. Nobody would go to work if that was actually true. 

A crucial point is that many problem gamblers are at heart careful with money and they dont like giving it away.

That may seem a paradox but its true. We have an ill relationship with money whether we feel flush or skint. 

Buying things or saving for a holiday lost its buzz for me and I had to learn to get the positivity of handling money back. Yes we have to spend it but in as positive a way as we can. 

Its not an intelligence or stupidity issue....Its a highly complex addiction that gets into our bones. It is a mental illness whether you like that term or not. It makes absolutely no sense and when I think back I was going totally crazy or insane with it. I was literally going out of my mind

Bad news or a mundane items repeatedly cost me whatever my bank balance was. The reality of this addiction is that a pack of socks ended up costing me £700. An £80 council tax installment cost me an extra £1000.

I still find that difficult to handle today. Its proof that I was seriously ill.

Best wishes from everyone on the forum