ex and would be ex-gamblers support thread

Oregon

Ah. I didn't think of that. Oh well, too late!

twirly09

I personally think your in a better position than me! I go home every weekend, easy to just uninstall. Tho, i work weekends so figured i wont have time, and have given mum the password to look after and told her why so if i ask for it back without a valid "my computers !!!!!!ed" excuse i wont get it!.

Just think how great we will feel in a few weeks

cantcope

Well done guys. I've had k9 on my laptops and pcs for years now and have NEVER had any problems. The only reason you'll need that password is to gamble!!
My dad has mine and he wont ever give it to me. If i need him to update my laptop for anything and the block comes up he comes around and does it for me.

The block wont stop you from gambling (we know we can do it anywhere) but what it will do is take away some major temptation which is a massive help.

Have a good day everyone. Just for today i will not gamble.

twirly09

cantcope wrote: »

Well done guys. I've had k9 on my laptops and pcs for years now and have NEVER had any problems. The only reason you'll need that password is to gamble!!
My dad has mine and he wont ever give it to me. If i need him to update my laptop for anything and the block comes up he comes around and does it for me.

The block wont stop you from gambling (we know we can do it anywhere) but what it will do is take away some major temptation which is a massive help.

Have a good day everyone. Just for today i will not gamble.

well god knows why i did then :S... it seriously wouldnt even let me load up google . I dont know the password though, and mum wont give it to me. so as far as im concerned i might as well have torn it up

samorgo

Morning all - well done everyone on your progress and especially well done for those who have put blocks on...

I destoyed my password in a blaze of glory and it has gone forever but it doesn't bother me - I haven't had any problems at all...

It's best to fight the fight one day at a time but it is suprising how quickly the days go by once the block is on and gambling is not part of your life anymore.

Well done everyone - I hope you all feel as good as I do having committed to not gambling anymore x

lilvixen

right here we go. thought i would confess my sins and hopefully not feel so bad afterwards.
I got using sun slots again after a couple years break. last time i was on them i managed to run up a £2500 overdraft and even won the money back but lost it all again. felt so stupid. dad paid it off for me and prob got into debt himself and i swore i'd never do it but guess what....
i recently broke my wrist and got signed off for 6 weeks. last week out of boredom came across sun again and saw 200% bonus when sign up again. seeing as they blocked me last time i decided to use a different user name and it worked...wish it hadn't now. all was going ok winning and losing money. kept putting in £100 and £50 just to get more back. i ran up £700 on the damn things. yesterday morning i was on it and won £400 making my winning balance £500 but guess what happened..yep it all went back in. the trouble is when you withdraw the money it doesnt go straight away it pends so you can just cancel it and play with it more. so now im over a £1000 overdrawn and still will be when get paid on friday but hopefully will go down abit. just feel so stupid that i let myself fall into the trap again. i haven't told my parents or fella as they would go mental at me. im sure i can get myself out this overdraft at some point even if takes awhile. i refuse to take out a loan to pay it off. i got myself into this mess so i will get myself out.
will this affect my chances of getting a morgage or loan when me and my fella decided to get a house?
thankyou for listening

frankfish

Morning

Long term lurker, who thought it was about time I shared some of my story.

I had a gambling problem when I left home to start Uni, blew my grant a few weeks into term and had to get my gran to bail me out, looking back I think it was down to my imaturity and not being used to the freedom, some how I stopped, or kept my gambling at normal levels and started getting on with me life, jobs , marrige , houses kids etc,

All going fine, then 20 years later I started again, had a row with my wife, went for a wal, out on a fixed odds for a few quid and went to pub, came home sorted things out, check coupon and discovered I was waiting on a game on the sunday, tried to be clever and cover my bet by going on-line, bis mistake, took me into a world of internet gabmling I did not know existed and I was soon hooked big time.

Over the next few years, spent more and more time and money online, kept borrowing more and more and kept it a secret, took me to places I do not want to go to again, turned me into a theif and liar. Finally after running out of money I knew I had to do something, thought about running away, but was too sacred so had to tell my wife. She was devisated, but promised to support me, like a fool I didn't tell her the whole truth, she found out about more loans two months later, but still stayed with me just, but I was told to do something about it.

I found GA in Oct 2007, not sure what to expect, but I was made welcome and offered the hand of friendship, bit by bit things got better, had debt but was managing to pay it off, home life starting to get better to.

April 2009 got told was being made redundant in Aug, bit of a shock but with the support of GA I was able to stay positive, found another job (lower pay) starting 2 days after I finished up. Had to take a good look at my debts and started a DMP which I changed to a DAS later.

I still go to GA, usually once a week, I know people say go to as many as possible, but I have found what works for me, I have met some incredible people over the years.

I have normality back in my life, things go up and down but I can deal with them with a clear head instead of hiding away gambling.

I suppose what I am saying is that there is HOPE out there, going to GA did not magically make things better but it helped make me realise I can make things better. I know I have done teribble things to my family but they have supported me, and it has shown me how strong a family can be, I was scared to tell my wife, but when I told her she offered nothing but support and has continued to, she goes to GAM-ANON for herself and she has become strionger.

To all the newbies, you are not alone, you are not different, you can have a better life.

Just for today I will not gamble

maxco

Lilvixen,

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sure you've read through this thread and have seen similar stories to your own. The one thing about your story that was key was boredom. It will probably feel that nothing can replace that feeling of putting money on the line and winning. The buzz you get is extraordinary and can be very powerful. All of a sudden, gambling seems like the only thing that's worth while doing. The problem with that logic is that you will inevitably lose more than you win. Is it really worth going into debt and losing a lot of money just to experience those rare highs that happen every so often? The reason why I was able to stop was because I realized it just wasn't worth it. You can convince yourself that the next time you gamble it will be different, but look at all of the posters here who have shared their experiences. It never works out like that and it will always end in you feeling miserable and likely owing money. If you stop now, you said yourself that you think you can get yourself out of the overdraft. Stopping is the only way you can do that.

Frankfish,

I'm glad to hear that GA has worked for you. I think it depends on the individual. I've never been to a GA meeting, but I have contributed to forums such as this one and online chats on websites such as GamCare. I think people will find their own ways of dealing with the addiction and you certainly have seemed to have found yours. Please keep on coming back and just telling us how you are feeling from time to time.

Hopefully all of the regular contributors are still going strong. Remember, life is ultimately better without gambling. You'll be better off financially and won't be held to ransom by some silly slot/casino game or sports bet. Keep strong everyone.

cantcope

Hi Frank, thanks for sharing.

Lilvixen, I'll give you the same advice i give to ALL online gamblers. Install K9, bash some numbers in....write it down, enter again then burn the paper.

I would also advice you do tell your partner and your parents. Lies have a nasty habit of coming back to haunt you when you least expect it. Most peoples par tners will admit its the lies that hurt more than the financial loss.

Post back tomorrow and let us all know how you are doing.

All good here, meeting last night was ok. Had some good texts from strong members today though
Just for today i will not gamble

lilvixen

hi there. quick update. i haven't gone anywhere near the site:j
i have also sorted out what im going to do to pay money off. i have another account so i am going to put my wages in that one and then pay off £150 a month to clear overdraft on other one. spoke to bank and they understood. this way i still have money for food etc. im going to set up a direct debit to it so i won't even miss the money. if i have any spare then that is going to it aswell. i will let you know how i get on:A

thanks everyone for the support and advice. good luck everyone and hang in there xx