ex and would be ex-gamblers support thread

cantcope

Far from recommending how we should look at odds i have to disagree and say this thread is for ex and would be ex gamblers so by looking at these and analysing it is not going to help us one bit.

If anything.. by reading this it just makes me think about it more. Which is not a good thing for me.

riquelme

tom - not sure how to take your posts, people on here are looking for spport in stopping gambling, please keep such posts to threads read by people that would be interested in them.

tomstickland

Point is very simple - if you understand how it works then you should realise that you will not make money from it. The long term result will be a loss. Maybe you knew that already, after all how many poor bookmakers are there?

I suppose, as an analogy to a serious alcoholic, would talking about what alcohol does to your body help abstain or merely make someone desperate for another drink.

GeorgeUK

Tom, good analogy, but it wouldn't really help if you invited the alcoholic to the pub for that talk.

I knew about and researched odds, betting strategies, money management, value and varience, but because i have this problem, i ignored all that and started playing slot machines!!!

I appreciate that you are trying to help and if it was a case of pointing out for instance that the odds of winning £10 mean you will need to spend £52 then that's fair enough. Some people here need a complete break from it all and are trying to go cold turkey. Anything that makes us concentrate on an aspect of gambling could have a negative impact as we don't even want to think about it.

Not having a go Tom - really. I just think we're not far enough removed from it yet to be able to see that gambling doesn't make sense if you are looking to make or save money. All it would take is someone to think "but what if..." for them to undo any progress they've made.

riquelme

hi all, its 42 days without a bet of any sort for me.

been very tempted though, its worst at weekends and at times im left to my own devices

just made 1st payment on DMP also

so far so good

riquelme

tomstickland wrote: »

This is the famous Martingale strategy.
It's been analysed; it does appear to offer a means of making profit. The probability of a losing run like that posted is quite high. It very quickly uses up the bankroll, until you could end up with a stake of £10,000. Imagine the moment when you bet your credit limit of £10,000 on Black and it loses.

imagine?

this happened to me,

it wasnt nice and then suddenly i realised that im in a big mess, stuff your maths and probability (this isnt personal tom) ive been bitten by this big style on the !!!!! and it nearly cost me everything. so thats the reason i posted something that appeared to be short and !!!!!y.

it can cause untold misery to people, im seeing it at GA, people that are worse off than me that have lost everything

GeorgeUK

Keep up the good work Riq.

Just imagine when you pay off the last payment on the DMP.
I bet winning would never have felt that good!

riquelme

thanks george

it seems a long way away after 20 years of debt, its going to be a good feeling nevertheless

stay strong everyone, no gambling today for me

cantcope

Keep up the good work. It is so worth it

When i first started paying off my debts its seemed like i would never get there. But i worked hard, did everything i could to earn more cash, even moved home with my parents!
The feeling you get when you are finally debt free is overwhelming.
My life really has started again and it feels great

I'm coming up to 2 years off a bet now and it seems to have flown by. However, it didnt seem to fly by to start with and like you riquel i counted it day by day. Now i rarely think about it so just a (hopefully) quick note to say it does get easier i promise xx

That doesnt mean i wont ever so it again (i'm as vulnerable as anyone else trying to quit) but if i do everything i can to stop me having the opportunities to gamble then i should be ok.

mimar

So glad I found this thread. Riquelme, your story mirrors that of my husband, only he ran up 40 grand of gambling debts in a year. I had no idea until he broke down and told me, one week ago. He's been to GA and is determined to stop gambling and make amends. We have been in touch with CCCS and National Debt Helpline and are trying to sort out how to cope with the debts. I am still reeling from the shock and don't know where to turn. There is a lot of advice on how to manage debts but not on how to cope with the emotional side of gambling - the betrayal of trust, the lies, the fact the whole family has to suffer the aftermath. I found your posts really helpful, you seem to have it sussed and for the first time I don't feel so alone. I really hope it all works out for you, and that goes for George too, a lot of stuff you said about gambling is exactly what my husband said as well.
Let's keep this thread going.