Time to change

Hi Jon,

Firstly thank you for your honesty with yourself and then then courage to share that on this platform. You have made that first step so you should be extremely proud of yourself as the first step is the hardest and the biggest.

Now it’s all about using your honesty and that first step in repetition and remembering why you don’t want to gamble… You’ve shown your strength now so you can trust in that.

Gambling in a dark friend as it will cloud your thinking and draw you in… Whether that be to carry on after a win… To carry on after losing to as you say regain your losses… It will go to show you that it’s a friend to lean on… But these are all false to you as it’s the chemical reactions in your own make up… 

Gamban is a great starter but this now comes from you… Find a pattern that will be great for you so that you can move forward without gambling… I found that keeping a daily diary on here helped and being open with my feelings, mood & what was going on right now & trying to pull out of me what my triggers to gambling were… 
Everyone is different and will deal & cope with things differently… Everyone’s gambling experience is different but we can all share our stories to aid the next person so that there struggle is aided by the strength of knowing we can overcome this devil of gambling…

This for me has been a safe environment… My advice for you would be to put in place an early structure and a promise to yourself on a daily routine and keep to it… I found the dairy worked, writing down why I gambled, was I unhappy? Where was I unhappy? Could I look to deal with that rather than turn to the darkness of gambling… 

You will never recoup a loss with gambling… You will never be up with gambling… All you will ever do is reinvest and lose!

Look around for the wins in life… Are you healthy? Do you have a partner? Do you have children? Do you have friends that don’t encourage gambling? Do you have a job? Do you have time with family? Do you have hobbies? Do you have a dream?…

There are so many wins in life on a daily basis that fill any and every void that the false economy of gambling has been looking to take from you…

Money has to be earned… You have to put in the time and graft for it… Nothing is a given in life so don’t look at money as a given and that you can just win what you want… When you earn it you respect it!

Im always free to chat but be proud of the step you’ve made here!

Speak again soon.

Thank you very much for your words and support. You make perfect sense.

Thanks again!

Hello Jon,

Welcome to the GamCare forum. I’m really glad you have joined, and I hope you find the support and encouragement from other members helpful.

Many people who problem gamble find that they try to win back money they have lost. Unfortunately, this often turns into a vicious cycle with the gambling usually leading to further losses. The more you gamble over time the more money you will lose.

You are not alone in finding it difficult to accept your losses. However sometimes it takes some losses to help someone recognize that gambling is a problem for them and decide to make positive changes.

Installing GamBan is a really great step to take. If you would like to install it for free, please contact us on 0808 8020 133 or on Netline, and we can provide you with a free license.

We can also discuss with you various other options that could be helpful. We are here 24 hours a day to give information, advice and support.

Best wishes,

Sophie

Forum Admin

Hi Jon and welcome to the forum.

You need to focus on those losses and I hope you will tell someone close to you.

To an extent its not about forgetting. Its about facing the truth and reality NOW. Its about doing reality exercises with loved ones and non gamblers. Try explaining why you handed over £5000+ to gambling dens. It makes no sense whatsoever!

Weve been there and as an addict you will be confused and delusional. Its a drug addiction and mental illness. Do I sound over dramatic to you?

You have a lot to learn and all the gambling risk is with you. Do you like handing money to multi million hedge funds?  They are not risking their housekeeping money I can assure you

You need to associate gambling with sheer pain to stop doing it. Something has to shake you out of it so you abstain long enough to heal properly

Its not an income scheme on those risk assessments and odds. NOBODY has ever offered you life changing odds on Man U vs the Grannies 11....get my point?

Tipsters??...its all part of the temptation and scam of gambling

Its not even about the money any more...it becomes a drug and most gamblers have an ill relationship with money...they dont really know what to do with it when they have some...its never enough and the drug is in the act of gambling.

The answers are within you. You need help and Im afraid it takes far more than gamban. Pick up the phone to your father (for example) like I did I got my money protected and then I could move on with healing with a huge feeling of relief that I was getting help.

Its no game about a silly flutter. This addiction ruins people and to be blunt it kills people!

My best advice is that its already gone too far...its already way out of hand...make this your rock bottom moment because it gets far worse if you continue...its a progressive addiction that only goes downwards on the road to hell

Best wishes from everyone on the forum

Posted by: JR1995

Good morning everyone,

So, I am writing this at nearly 3am on a Sunday morning when I should be asleep in bed resting for a busy day tomorrow. Sadly this is not the case. I am sat here after re-backing a Double that I have placed on the Copa America, after losing the first leg of the bet. Why? To win the money back of course!! I don't think I've even watched Argentina or Ecuador play a full match in my life!

 

I have been reading through some of the posts here and thankfully I am not in as deep financially as most here but the red flags are telling me it's time to make a change sooner rather than later.

 

Im 25 years old and I've been gambling for around 6 years now. Overall losing around £5000 total and probably 1/10th of that in the last month. As I say I'm now chasing losses even more than usual and have been trying to use gambling as a way to make money, even missing a day of work to follow a tipster! Would. Not. Recommend. (The tipster didn't win overall btw, but but was sure to post his winners!) 

 

I will be installing gamban after writing this as an attempt to stop the problem at its source before it gets out of hand. 

 

The one thing I'm struggling to accept is the most recent losses and I know that I will struggle to sleep tonight, thinking about the losses. If anybody has any advice to help with this, that would be hugely appreciated.

 

Cheers for reading,

Jon

You've made the best decision over. U will look back in near future with a smile on your face and telling yourself " u know what ? I made a brilliant decision to stop before it was too late". I'm speaking as a former addict , played it all, roulette, Blackjack, sport, baccarat, sicbo etc. Since stopping in January of this year, I have seen so much improvement in all aspects of my life. I'm living my best life ever and realising how deep I was in an abyss of despair.

Posted by: Ngabi

Posted by: JR1995

Good morning everyone,

So, I am writing this at nearly 3am on a Sunday morning when I should be asleep in bed resting for a busy day tomorrow. Sadly this is not the case. I am sat here after re-backing a Double that I have placed on the Copa America, after losing the first leg of the bet. Why? To win the money back of course!! I don't think I've even watched Argentina or Ecuador play a full match in my life!

 

I have been reading through some of the posts here and thankfully I am not in as deep financially as most here but the red flags are telling me it's time to make a change sooner rather than later.

 

Im 25 years old and I've been gambling for around 6 years now. Overall losing around £5000 total and probably 1/10th of that in the last month. As I say I'm now chasing losses even more than usual and have been trying to use gambling as a way to make money, even missing a day of work to follow a tipster! Would. Not. Recommend. (The tipster didn't win overall btw, but but was sure to post his winners!) 

 

I will be installing gamban after writing this as an attempt to stop the problem at its source before it gets out of hand. 

 

The one thing I'm struggling to accept is the most recent losses and I know that I will struggle to sleep tonight, thinking about the losses. If anybody has any advice to help with this, that would be hugely appreciated.

 

Cheers for reading,

Jon

You've made the best decision over. U will look back in near future with a smile on your face and telling yourself " u know what ? I made a brilliant decision to stop before it was too late". I'm speaking as a former addict , played it all, roulette, Blackjack, sport, baccarat, sicbo etc. Since stopping in January of this year, I have seen so much improvement in all aspects of my life. I'm living my best life ever and realising how deep I was in an abyss of despair.

Great to hear that you're doing well now mate. Onwards and upwards for us both! Gambling will hopefully soon become a distant memory.