ex and would be ex-gamblers support thread

riquelme

well done sam, gazza and karrie. Its not easy but it does get easier. If you keep doing the right things that take away your ability to gamble then the temptations do subside. Join the gym, put the blocks on, give up your cards, close your accounts - these are all good positive steps.

feel proud of yourselves

dont give the bookies any more money

keep posting

cantcope

Hi all. Welcome back Samorgo x
Sorry for late respsonse but i've been to Jersey for a lovely nice long weekend away. Just what i needed i stayed in a 4 star hotel with silver service and room service to my garden!!! how about that for life without gambling?!!

Karrie, you say you've excluded yourself. I did that, and so did Samorgo, waste of time if you really want to gamble. You must get the block on and if you really want to stop you will. good luck.
I say this because it works.

samorgo

Hi all!

I am still battling with the temptation to gamble - I say temptation - I know that I physically can't because of the block but I just want to get the money back... It is weighing heavy on my mind but hopefully over the next few months as I build up a little rainy day fund I will start to feel better...

Karrie - I absolutely agree with CC - I self excluded last year on a number of sites but I joined others in the meantime and once the 'ban' was over I rejoined. Get the block on - I know how scary to think that you will never gamble again is - but think how scary your life will become if you continue to gamble and you end up losing all your material belongings and your relationships - there are plenty of examples on here of people who have lost everything because they didn't give up gambling.

Believe me I know how hard it is - after all I'm back because I fell off the wagon but I now realise how bad gambling really is for me.

All the best x

cantcope

Hi Samorgo

accepting you wont get the money back is really difficult and it took me a long time of "what ifs" and "if onlys". i now accept that its gone and work towards the future. i had an extra kick a year after i quit...i'd cancelled my critical illness insurance as i didnt have a mortgage anymore and it was £14 a month i could be paying off debt. 2 months after i cancelled i was diagnosed with MS. This was on the list (id chosen the policy specifically as its in my family). it would have paid me out almost 80k. way more than my debt......but it didnt, because i'd cancelled. major kick in my female nuts.

but that was a long time ago. my debt is cleared. life is good. i could go through my whole life asking what if, what if i'd married the first boy i ever loved, what if i'd stayed at college, what if i hadnt rowed with someone.......life is a one day at a time. live it like someone left the gate open

samorgo

Oh CC - thanks so much for your support and your honesty. I never thought that stopping again would be so difficult - maybe last time I didn't really believe that I would never gamble again but this time I know that is the truth...

I can't believe it's been 4days - I am still struggling but I'm determined not to buckle and I am chuffed that I got paid today and I'm not going to waste any of it on gambling this month!

All the best x

cantcope

4 days is brilliant Samorgo. 4 days!! thats 4 days without torturing yourself. Yes you might have won, but you know as well as any other compulsive gambler that a win, no matter how big, is just a loan as it always goes back.
One day at a time x

Gazza1964

samorgo wrote: »

Oh CC - thanks so much for your support and your honesty. I never thought that stopping again would be so difficult - maybe last time I didn't really believe that I would never gamble again but this time I know that is the truth...

I can't believe it's been 4days - I am still struggling but I'm determined not to buckle and I am chuffed that I got paid today and I'm not going to waste any of it on gambling this month!

All the best x

Well done Samorgo - I hope you have reached 6 days now...:T

I am 27 days today - :j

Looking back and thinking about how much you have wasted is hard to do for all of us.

Do your best to look forward instead and think about next week, next month, next year.

Gazza

buddiebabe

Hey

Not posted in a while as been doing ok and have no inclination to gamble, however, I'm going to my sister in laws hen night this afternoon which is going to involve a trip to the casino.

Now I have never been to a casino and this type of gambling never appealed to me.... I always liked to be anonymous and hide behind the computer.

I can't get out of it and believe me I have tried! But she has already had 10 people pull out.

Now all my friends and family know about my problem but it's just hubby's sister and future partner that don't and I'm not prepared to discuss it with them as they are already quite judgemental.

My dad has already phoned me to make sure I'm going to be ok with it and hubby also worried. I'm actually not worried too much as I don't have a lot of money and I'll be leaving my cards at home but just wondered if any of ou have had to deal with that kind of situation and any words of advice?

Buddiebabe x

cantcope

I would be worried. I had that situation come up once and i told the person i couldnt go and why. They changed their plans.

My friends know not to invite me to these places now.

You CAN pull out. if they are judgemental, let them judge. Better than them judging you if it all goes wrong and the thrill of seeing all this stuff makes you come home and think about betting if you dont bet while you are there!
Listen to your Dad and hubby. please please dont go into the casino. Not even the bar. While you may not do any damage tonight this will set you back eventually.

buddiebabe

Hey

Well the day went as I expected and I gambled I wish I had been able to stay away from the whole place but the hen day was actually in the same place as the casino which I didn't know until we got there.

Needless to say I decided to be upfront with them and told them about my problem in the hope that we wouldn't venture into the casino part of the club, however I was really let down by the lack of support and instead of being sympathetic to my situation it went completely the opposite way and they were trying to give me money to spend because that would make it ok that it wasn't my money :mad: :mad:

If I had known where to go to make my way home I would of but had no idea where I was so I stayed.

I spent £40 which was a lot of money for me and I didn't even enjoy it. The casino was not what I expected, I thought it would be exciting and glamourous like in the movies but it was nothing like that at all. It has made me look at things in a whole new light.... I think it was a good experience for me it's answered a lot of questions about me and my gambling problem.

I returned from my night out feeling better about myself and no longer questioning if I'll gamble again. I have a problem and it is never going to leave it will always be there I just have to learn to manage it better.

Today starts the first day of my gambling free life I will never put myself in the situation I found myself in yesterday.

Buddiebabe xxx