ex and would be ex-gamblers support thread

gggareth

Anyone got any tips ( for not having a bet)for the weekend.:)

Sorry cantcope..

Thanks George . find it difficult rugby mad but cannot watch it

cantcope

I have a tip for you.
Go away from this thread

GeorgeUK

There are two ways to take that comment gareth.

Any tips on what to bet on at the weekend, which is how cantcope has taken it, and if this is what you meant, then i think that reply is way too polite.

Any tips on how not to gamble at the weekend, as many people do most of their gambling as they are not at work and there are many sorting events. If this is what you meant, then i would make sure to stay away from the television and computer. Possibly also the newpapers too so you will not be looking at any sporting events. Make a list of all the things you need to do and would like to do if you had time. Not gambling at the weekends will hopfully give you time and this will be a distraction for you.

cantcope

Much better response than mine George. I didnt look at it that way. I just checked "other posts" and noticed a few sarcastic ones so took it to be a nasty post.

Jazzking

Hi everyone,

Been reading this thread on the quiet for a few months now and never really thought I had a gambling "problem", but tonight, after a few drinks, and £160 down the pan, maybe I do....?

Started off doing the casinos online for the cashback through Quidco. Then realised that blackjack was quite easy to master and did it for a while for the monthly bonuses and won a bit, lost a bit....

Not played fir a while since Christmas as before Xmas I'd lost about £300 in a day chasing losses.... Tonight I had a few quid in my account due to the free daily scratchcards and put a tenner in to play through and withdraw what was left.

Needless to say, I lost the tenner, put in £20, lost that, put in £40, lost that, put in £100 and now that's gone too
All this just because I was a bit bored, happened upon a casino site and deposited money and should have just gone to bed....

Not quite sure what I'm hoping to get from this post, I'm just annoyed at myself.... I'm so cautious with money in other ways, chasing the best 0.5% savings account to save myself a few £££ and then in the same night, wasting a whole year's interest playing blackjack....

I really thought I'd had it cracked as well and I ould just go on every day for the free scratch cards and not properly gamble.... Obviously not.

riquelme

welcome new posters

jazz - im sorry to say but thats how most of us started, taking offers up, starting small stakes, dont think we have a problem, chasing losses. it only takes 1 bad run and access to a few credit cards and you could face years or a lifetime of misery. my advice would be to stop it now and close the accounts. you are not going to win your money back and yoy arent going to win, full stop! sorry to be so blunt, thats the way it is.

best wishes in whatever decision you make

hi everyone, stay strong, today i will not gamble

cantcope

Hi everyone.

GGGareth. I'm sorry i was so short on my post. We've had a few nasties on here. I hope you got through yesterday without a bet. There's nothing wrong with you watching the rugby although it's not advisable to start with if you would normally put money on it.

Welcome JazzKing. I started exactly the same as you with a double your deposit offer. That original £10 deposit cost me almost 80k within 18 months.

Close all your accounts and get a block put on your pc so that you cannot gamble. Things can get better and it really is best to stop now. You've realised you have no control and if you carry on it will get a lot lot worse.
You have to accept you wont ever get your losses back. Even if you win, you will end up putting it back in anyway.

Good luck xx

copperjar

I've gambled Really upset with myself especially as I could see it coming and didn't stop myself. Have had a bad couple of weeks at work, finding it all a bit stressful saving every penny and not going out because I want to put any spare cash onto my debts. Found myself day dreaming about having a couple of bets to get a bit of extra cash.

First bets I had, I withdrew the same amount as I deposited...but wasted a whole afternoon getting back to that. Second day, lost £50 then spent days daydreaming about how to get it back. My partner has been away this weekend, so I've spent a lot of the weekend betting. Luckily haven't managed to lose any more (or win) so I'm "just" that £50 down. But I'm scared. Played online games for the first time in ages - I've always stayed away from them as I've convinced myself that's its all a con and the system just makes sure you lose, but that's what I did last night.

My parner is back tonight. We don't live together but spend most evenings together - I know I'll be fine tonight. Its when I'm on my own that the demons appear. Even now I can feel myself wanting to get that £50 back and I want to have a look at what I could bet on today.

GeorgeUK

CJ - not much i can really say to that except i'm glad it was such a relatively small amount you lost. If you want to get your money back, think of how much time you have "invested" in gambling over the years - then think of how much you can actually make doing daily clicks in that time. It may not be alot but it's safer than gambling.

You need to get back to square 1 and try to recover your discipline. When gambling you need discipline or you end up chasing losses and lose everything. If you get the discipline back, it will hopefully allow you to steer clear of gambling.

Have you closed down your access to the accounts?

Look on it as a small investment. It cost you £50 to fall off the wagon when you were doing so well. Hopefully you will learn from this and be able to move on. When i fell off it cost me £9.5k.

I don't know if it's because we don't keep out minds busy enough with other things that we start thinking about the gambling again or if we just need to feel like we may be able to achieve something. Try to regain focus and keep away from the sites CJ. good luck.

Hi Jazzking - I had to stay away from any form of gambling and still am. I used to refuse to even play the lottery because the odds were so out of sinc. It's best to keep away from it entirely so the temtation won't be an issue. I think most on this thread can relate to what you have written. When we are no longer able to control the gambling and act without thinking of the consequences, yes, we have a problem.

Hope you are able to steer clear of the sites from now on. I'm going to look into doing the free clicks to hopefully keep me focussed away from the gaming sites.

cantcope

Hi Copperjar. Sorry to hear you have gambled again. Try to keep this sick feeling in your mind for when you are next tempted. It might only be £50, but think of what you could have done with that. You havent paid it towards your debt so you may as well have had a really good night out or treated yourself. By gambling you've wasted time, money & made yourself feel bad.

Block all gambling sites from your pc NOW. buy gamblock or look at getting a child block put on that only your OH knows the password to. These are free and i use K9. my dad has the password and as i live alone i have no way of getting it. He woudn't give it to me for a million pounds.

If you want some extra cash, sell some bits on ebay, get a saturday job, do a bootsale.... make sure you are setting aside enough money for yourself to have a small treat each week. Doesnt have to be extravagant. a takeaway, dvd rental, few drinks at the pub.

If you have nothing you will always want something. If you have a little and are seeing your debts going down at the same time it will make it easier.

Good luck x

just for today i will not gamble.