[Jacko195]

Right here goes I guess,

 

I am 29 years old and have had a problem with gambling for a little over 10 years. For the first 3 or 4 this I wasn’t too bad. I would gamble a lot but always have enough left to see me through. 

That changed in about 2012. I started to gamble more than I could afford, and started taking out pay day loans to subsidise more gambling, thus plunging me in to more debt. In the end I managed to get myself in to about £6k worth of debt that I had to get my dad to bail me out of in 2015. At the time I lied and said I had spent the money on lots of nights out and buying clothese etc. as I wasnt ready to admit the truth. That I was a problem gambler.

My gambling didnt improve. I was still gambling more than I could afford and losing it all. I would have some big wins, getting in to the thousands, but all I would do is increase my stakes to try and win more but lose it all. The only gambling I have ever had a serious problem with, is online gambling on tennis. No other sport intrests me the way tennis does, in terms of gambling. I found myself putting £100s a day on bets like, “who will win the next game.” I am the kind of person who needs instant gratification, so waiting 90 mins for a game of football never interested me much.

In January of last year I finally told my parents about my addiction. I gave my dad access to my bank account and let him have control and keep an eye on me. I went by months without having a bet, or only having a tenner here or there. I felt great, I felt like I had finally gained some control.

Then in October I had another relapse. Only about £700, spread over 3 days, which my dad spotted and we sat down and reset. I never wanted to get help outside of talking to him, as I believed I could do it on my own.

Another 3 months have gone by and I have relapsed again. This time spending a little over £1300 in just over a week. This is now the first time I have looked for help and support in any way other than just talking to my parents.

I have signed up to Gamstop as 99% of the gambling I do is online. My problem isn’t that I gamble all the time, its that I binge gamble, and cannot stop when I get in to that mindset!

I just wanted to post on here to see if anyone had any advice, as I am scared that I will never be able to get rid of this compulsion to binge gamble.

Thanks in Advance

[Steev]

Hi Jacko. You may want to ask to get this post transfered to the “my journal” of the site – as that is where most of the stories are and yours may get missed here.

It seems you have already accepted that you have a problem with gambling and you have shared this with your parents. You have also put blocks in the way of further gambling. You now have to change your behaviour to someone who does not gamble. You say you only gamble on tennis games – so I am guessing that tennis is an obvious trigger for you. That is something that you will need to give up. I know that is not what you want to hear – but think of it like being someone who has an allergy to peanuts – you might love them but it is deadly to eat them. It is close to deadly to keep gambling.

You will need to replace the tennis and the gambling in your life with something else that gives you pleasure but does not involve odds in any way. What did you give up for gambling – can you take that back on again. In my case it was music and walking – for you it may be different things.

Getting good support for yourself – posting here regularly, using the groups, counselling, self-help groups like GA will be really helpful in the early days.

Also your parents may want support as well and if they could read and post on the “friends and families” part of the forum – they will find out ways of coping that could help the family dynamic.

Working out what triggers a binge may take time – so don’t feel too disheartened if you are struggling to control your gambling behaviour. Put the effort into being a non-gambler and it will come good for you. I wish you well.

[dunc]

Hello and thanks for starting a thread in the Gambling Therapy forums

Here at Gambling Therapy we pride ourselves on being a caring and diverse online community who can help and support you with the difficulties you’re currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if you’re new to recovery, so come here as often as you need to and participate in the forums, access online groups and connect to the live advice helpline if you need one to one support. We’re in this together!

Here on the forum you can share your experiences in a safe, supportive and accepting environment. The beauty of writing it all down is that you can take your time and you will be creating a record of your progress that you can look back on if it ever feels like you’re not moving forward. So, share as much or as little as you like but do try to stick to keeping just one thread in this forum so people know where to find you if they want to be updated on your progress or share something with you.

As well as the forums New Members are invited to join Charles in the New Members Practical Advice Group On Mondays at 21:00 (UK) and Thursday at 19:00(UK)

And on that note….

I’m going to hand you over to our community because I’m sure they will have some words of wisdom for you 🙂

Take care

The Gambling Therapy Team

PS: Let me just remind you to take a look at our privacy policy and terms and conditions so you know how it all works!

[Andrew927]

Jacko I’m in the same boat with you my friend. I know what you mean about the binge gambling. I will go months without gambling and then decide what’s the harm in a $50 bet? In my head I know where this leads because I have been down that rabbit hole time and time again but I don’t know why I can’t stop myself. Before I know it I’m about $1K+ in the hole. I did this last night after months of not gambling which is what led me to this website. I was in the fog, I had even won the $1,000 back, but couldn’t stop and knew it was only a matter of time before I hit 0.

You’re not alone. I know the only way to beat the casino is to not gamble. I’m determined to win this time

[Author]

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