[Leigh12345]

Hi my name is Leigh and I’ve been gambling for almost all my life. I have had a problem for at least 25 years.

Over the years I have got help on and off and while I’ve managed to give up on and off the longest being 18 months.

However I’ve always gone back to it. Since last December I’ve been gambling out of control and got into over £10000 of debt.

I had a big win at the beginning of December which didn’t help. I played the slots online and in bookies arcades etc

I have been feeling like I can’t stop this time and am desperate at present. I haven’t gambled for a couple of weeks as I’ve self excluded from all the bookies, arcades and most online plus I have a gambling block on the internet at home. However today I woke up tempted to gamble and know if I could have I would have. I even thought of travelling for more than an hour to gamble.

I didn’t gamble today.

[velvet]

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Hello Leigh 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.

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!

[Leigh12345]

So have been feeling terrible since last night had a row with my friend……I’ve wanted to gamble since then but I haven’t. He has gone away so can’t contact him till Monday however I’m not going too I need space as much as I need him. I have a physical need for him which is not good.

[vera]

“Feeling terrible” i.e. lonely, deserted, abandoned, rejected, misunderstood etc are all huge gambling triggers for me too.
CGs often stuff those emotions into slot machines (my poison) or use other forms of gambling to alleviate them.
Make sure you think twice before you make the wrong move. Not only will you feel even more terrible but you will certainly lose more money.
Try to go for a long walk, call another friend, get busy with some physical task and hand over whatever money you have to someone who will mind it for a few days . Put your ATM card and Credit card in a sealed envelope and post it to yourself. Life goes on without gambling. Life goes on without friends who filled our needs in the past. Believe me, I have trained myself to do without both!
“When you enjoy the scent of a thousand flowers, you won’t miss the fragrance of one”!
Attend the online groups this evening to pass 3 hours You will get a lot of support there.

[Author]

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