ex and would be ex-gamblers support thread

KPR11

Thanks CC!

Yes the urges are usually close to payday or just after!! I think it's a case of "damn it I am broke" and then "i have got some money let me go try my luck" but I have not given in and I don't intend to - it is a very slippery slope and like you said it only leads to misery!! [it's very dark down there and I don't really want to be spending the rest of my life there!!]

What doesn't really help is some "friends" would say hey lets go to the casino, I am sure you can convert the £100 to a grand in no time!! I will bank roll you!! Eh no!! What I can do instead is take the £100 and pocket it, just pretend we went to a casino and I lost it all!!

cantcope

Maybe you could ask some of your "friends" not to invite you anymore. If they knew the kind of trouble you got yourself into a real friend would not dream of asking.
My friends still go to the casino and dogs occasionally but they know not to invite me as i would take this as an insult. They know that just the one flutter could ruin my life so to ask me to risk that is just plain awful.

well done for staying strong x

KPR11

Thanks CC

They not really friends per say and thats why I said "friends" IYSWIM.

Someday I really want to be able to walk in to a casino and walk out without having gambled a penny but I know that it may never happen so I am just going to keep away - I would rather admit having a really weak will power than risk ruining my life.

I am going to stop with the rambling!

Once again thanks guys for all the inspiration and motivation - it's good to know that I am not alone and that I can come and ramble on here if I ever get tempted

TMoose

Hi All

Just to say that today is my 1-year gamble-free anniversary. Thank you all, your support has been invaluable!

Keep strong!

Moose

cantcope

Thats great news TMoose. Maybe you can tell us about how you are now compared to how you were when you were gambling.

well done xx

williamD1964

This is a serious question. Does anyone consider entering "free to enter" competitions as gambling. As a recovering gambler (clean since 23rd feb 2010), I have taken to entering the competitions on the competitions forum on MSE. Please, would like to hear your opinions

GeorgeUK

That's a tough one William. I guess it depends on what the negative impact gambling had on you and if any of this will be repeated with the competitions.

We all know that the financial impact is only part of it.
How much time does it take up? - Is there anything you are neglecting or would be putting aside while doing the competitions?

How much are you spending, is there a limit? - postage, envelopes etc

Is it a hobby or is it a compulsion? Can you just stop or are you looking at replacing a toxic habit with a relatively harmless one?

I probably spend about the same amount of time online as i did when i gambled, but i think i have just transferred the focus. I tried to develop other habits so that i wouldn't focus so much on the gambling. Still working on developing some good habits but at least i don't have any harmful ones (i think).

Is it gambling?
I'd say no - it could potentially become as toxic but should not have the same impact. It may be you are just shifting the addiction from one to the other but i don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing. It may be easier to wind this down than the gambling or you may be able to find another focus after a while which would take up less time or not be part of a "habit".

Well done for stopping gambling.

cantcope

Hi William,

I would say entering a competition is not gambling unless you are spending to enter it. If its a free web entry then it's not really gambling. If you are calling premium numbers then its a different story.

However, as George has said, if it is consuming your life, although not gambling it could be destructive. Do you sit wondering what you'll do with whatever you want to win? Live ina dreamworld?
If it's just harmless fun to pass the time then good luck

We had a similar discussion at a meeting recently. Someone had taken to buying loads of stuff to purposely put it on ebay to try and make more money. It didnt quite work out and they admitted that although it wasn't a direct bet they were gambling with money as there was no guarantee they would recover their outlay.

It made them feel like they'd had a bet and i think thats the most important thing. If you feel like its a bet to you, then it is.

Well done on keeping clean from gambling so far

williamD1964

Thanks for your responses. I have been doing FREE online comps on and off for a while. Always free, no purchase neccessary stuff. Spend about 15/20 minutes a week and don't see it as a compulsion. As for sitting wondering what I would do with what I would do with what I would win? Well my luck is pretty consistant...mostly bad with some some really rotten stuff thrown in. That is until I ended up winning an all expenses paid trip for two to florence, with £400 spending money thrown in (Thank you MSE comps). Oh, and by the way, I see it as fun, as the only financial outlay is the cost of the electricity, but just wanted others opinions.
With regard buying stuff to sell on ebay and considering that as gambling? Thats a bit harsh, but I see your point. Its something I have done in the past (and might do again if the right opportunity came along).

cantcope

Hi William.

If its just for fun and not costing you anything then you have nothing to worry about. There's no harm in entering a competition if you've nothing to lose.

Re: ebay, i dont think anyone else would have thought it as a bet, it was how it made him feel more than anything. He felt he'd let himself down and needed to talk about it.

If you analyse too much you could say we gamble on many things but not to the point of ruining our lives and without financial contribution.

Good luck with the comps x