Redemption - The journey of a recovering gambling addict.

Lonelygambler

Busy few days, spent £10 out yesterday but nothing today. 

35 days without a gamble. Looking at the rest of the month positively. 

Longest ever I can remember now.

Lonelygambler

Florafauna said:

Just want to say well done and keep going. You will rebuild the trust between you in time

Thanks I hope so. 

Lonelygambler

Judes123 said:

Thanks for posting about your addiction, i have gambled on slot machines ( online), to a lesser amount,than you, but in the scheme of things,have still been in debt with personal spending limits exceeded.. much nicer things i could have spent the money on but always thought,i was on a winning streak or i was going to have a big win soon! I have suspended my slots accounts for 6 months,in the past,only to go stupid when suspensions are lifted ( partner not impressed,to put it mildly!) With your honesty ,i realised my downward spiral was getting worse…i have now gone to gamstop for 5 years. 1 day gamble free! Thankyou

Well done you. That’s amazing. 

It’s an illness, with no cure! We need to look out for each other. 

Thanks for checking in and making that positive step. 

Lonelygambler

Meeting family at the zoo so probably will spend money today. That’s ok, seeing all our children play and have fun is the best way to spend a Saturday. 

£20 for a present 
£10 for coffees and drinks 

Packed lunch for family. 

Have a good Saturday. 

redlaces

Lonelygambler said:

Judes123 said:

Thanks for posting about your addiction, i have gambled on slot machines ( online), to a lesser amount,than you, but in the scheme of things,have still been in debt with personal spending limits exceeded.. much nicer things i could have spent the money on but always thought,i was on a winning streak or i was going to have a big win soon! I have suspended my slots accounts for 6 months,in the past,only to go stupid when suspensions are lifted ( partner not impressed,to put it mildly!) With your honesty ,i realised my downward spiral was getting worse…i have now gone to gamstop for 5 years. 1 day gamble free! Thankyou

Well done you. That’s amazing. 

It’s an illness, with no cure! We need to look out for each other. 

Thanks for checking in and making that positive step. 

This is an absolutely huge positive you can take from this experience, look at the good you are doing in inspiring others by sharing your story! Might be some solace when things are feeling a bit ropey.

Also massive congratulations on your effort and achievement, it is no mean feat.

The wife will come round in the end, time is a great healer and you're doing all the right things to start rebuilding. In the meantime keep resisting those urges and celebrating every time you do. Addiction is a tough nut to crack.

Lonelygambler

So - Around £27 spent today. All good, a great day with the family. Still on for an overpayment of £500 for April. 

Lonelygambler

redlaces said:

Lonelygambler said:

Judes123 said:

Thanks for posting about your addiction, i have gambled on slot machines ( online), to a lesser amount,than you, but in the scheme of things,have still been in debt with personal spending limits exceeded.. much nicer things i could have spent the money on but always thought,i was on a winning streak or i was going to have a big win soon! I have suspended my slots accounts for 6 months,in the past,only to go stupid when suspensions are lifted ( partner not impressed,to put it mildly!) With your honesty ,i realised my downward spiral was getting worse…i have now gone to gamstop for 5 years. 1 day gamble free! Thankyou

Well done you. That’s amazing. 

It’s an illness, with no cure! We need to look out for each other. 

Thanks for checking in and making that positive step. 

This is an absolutely huge positive you can take from this experience, look at the good you are doing in inspiring others by sharing your story! Might be some solace when things are feeling a bit ropey.

Also massive congratulations on your effort and achievement, it is no mean feat.

The wife will come round in the end, time is a great healer and you're doing all the right things to start rebuilding. In the meantime keep resisting those urges and celebrating every time you do. Addiction is a tough nut to crack.

Hopefully the more people can talk about gambling addiction the better. 

Time is a healer, and thankfully I am not addicted to drink / drugs. Just terrible with my money in my 20's and early 30's. 

I have over 13 credit cards with a combined limit of £150,000! Amex are the worst...

Thankfully my utilisation is under 5% and I've never ever missed a payment or I think paid interest on them. I used to move money on cards via paypal. They have closed this loop now as it is a cash advance if you use Paypal FF. 

My wife wanted to me cancel all cards, I believe this would be a bad move, however I got all cards replaced and have given them all to my wife apart from the Tesco CC I use for food shopping. 

Hopefully the sun is out tomorrow for another good day. 

My youngest is a terrible sleeper, and is my bed buddy. He's not had a great day of naps and has a cold. It could be a bad night for me! 

This would normally mean a night playing blackjack or slots with him on me. Now no more. I leave my phone out of the room and just have my watch on. 

WinterWarrior

Personally I would cancel the cards as soon as they are empty (excluding Tesco) If you are never planning to use them, then they are pointless to own. You don’t need a utilisation rating if you aren’t needing to borrow again. If your aim is to become debt free and to save for big purchases then the cards are just taking up headspace. It would probably please your wife too as thats what she suggested, so that might help. Do you have a kindle for night time reading instead of games? 

OldTimer2023

Really, truly inspirational stuff, LG.  Just wanted to pop-on to say 'thank you' for sharing your story, and to wish you all the best with your journey  I'll be following

Aimingforthegoodlife

Just a little positive for CBT- I have seen it work really well with many people, although it may not 'fix' any problems, it gives the person the tools to work on how they think, feel and behave, allowing them to feel more in control of what is happening. It is like all therapy, led by the person who is receiving it, so hopefully it will be of good benefit!