Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Hi John, I know it is usually the money that brings us to our rock bottom but the amounts involved aren’t so relevant.
The “winning stories” are always the loudest, no one talks about their losses. This is true even for non addicts. I was in a card school once. I know I was winning at the time, know my friend was winning too. Everyone else was claiming to be even!! Go figure.
I can tell you what you want to hear though, I think anyway.
If you mean have I heard of peole who have lost more and managed to stop and rebuild their lives then yes, many.
If however by “made a come back” you mean people that have lost and then won it back then no, not if they are compulsive gamblers. This is a progressive problem, continue to gamble and things always get gradually worse.
The good news though is that there is a lot of help available to you. Here, other online sites, Gamblers Anonymous, Gamcare here in the UK and more.
Read the other stories here. What thigns have helped others that you can apply to your own situation?Regarding the finances, here in the UK you can get great free advice from either the Citizens Advice Bureau or Step Change. Lots of options avaialble these days from bankruptcy through to repayment plans, with a lot in between. They will talk you through those options and even write to your creditors for you.
Whatever financial solution you choose though won’t make much difference if you carry on gambling. Keep posting and let us know what positive steps you are taking to help you do that.
Hi Mat and welcome. Well done on looking for help.
No simple answer I’m afraid but if I did have to give a one liner it would be “Use the help that you have available, if we could do it on our own then none of us would have a problem in the first place”
So, what help do you have available? Here and other sites, Gamblers Anonymous, here in teh UK you have Gamcare, counselling, residential treatment and more.
Start by repeating the things that have helped you in the past – self exclusion and not carrying money. Both are good ideas.
Read the other stories here and you will see the sort of things that have helped others. Could a family member help you be accountable for your money? Maybe hold it for a while so that you can’t gamble secretly or act instantly on an urge?
Use the support, keep posting here, find out where your local gamblers Anonymous meeting is.
You can get rid of an addiction but you can learn to live with it without having to place that next bet. Those urges do get less and weaker in recovery.
Keep posting.
I like the project Micky. ODAAT can achieve great things.
Hi Asus and welcome to the forum. Well done on looking for help.
I see you say that previously you “managed to quit somehow”? That seems to suggest that gambling was also a problem in the past, even without the alcohol?
I see from your profile that you live near a casino. How about getting self excluded from that casino?
Alcohol is always likely to weaken our defences. When you go out just take enough money wiht you to cover the cost of your drinks, then you can’t get tempted afterwards. As Lizbeth says though, if alcohol is possibly becoming a problem as well then you can also get support to help you stop drinking.
When it comes to gambling there is a lot of help around when we make the decision to stop. Here and other sites, places like Gamblers Anonymous, counselling and more.
Keep posting and let us know what positive steps that you are taking.
Hi and well done on looking for help.
Addiction has little respect for intelligence. In fact I don’t think I have ever met a stupid compulsive gambler, we have to be pretty “smart” to have been able to maintain our addiction for so long.
You are not alone with this problem, read the other stories here in the forum. You will see a lot that you will relate to, you will also see the success stories, what ate they doing that you can apply to your own situation?
You would have gambled your longer term investments if you had access to them? Of course. Now use that knowledge, one of the things that you will see has helped others is to tie up the finances, to be accountable for money. You only lost what you did because you had unrestricted access to it. Your family could help with that if you could be honest with them.
With or without any stress or pressures gamblign is now a problem in it’s own right; there is no return to “normal” gamblign I am a fraid.
The good news is that you have a lot of support available to you here in the UK. Here and sites like this, Gamcare, Gamblers Anonymous, counselling and more. The important thing is to use that support.
Telling your family might be hard but to not tell them might be harder for you if it means this recorring and gettign worse. This time you wouldn’t just be telling them about the problem, by asking them to help, by continuing to post here, maybe get to GA meetings etc etc you will be showing them what you are going to do to tackle it.
Keep posting and let us know what positive steps you are taking.
Hi Lorraine,
The group that is currently open is also a new members group but then I’m here for another two consequtive groups.
Hopefully I will see you in one of them.
After tonight keep your eye on the group schedule as I am on vacation fro two weeks. Monique is back from her vacation next week and her and my colleague’s groups will still be running of course.
Hopefully see you soon.
<
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 youre currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if youre 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. Were 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 youre 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….
Im going to hand you over to our community because Im 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!
Well done on your gamble free time Whatif.
A good day in recovery and everything goes well and we don’t gamble.
A brilliant day in recovery and everything goes to chit we still don’t gamble!
It sounds like you got through one of those brilliant days so well done.
Hi Rayman,
You might not feel like talking about things right now but now is exactly the time to take action.
I’ve just skimmed down this thread, did you get excluded from those remaining casinos? Will you get excluded from where you have been gambling now? I also see that your previous relapses involved quite a lot of money; what financial barriers can you put in place? Who could hold your money for you and make you accountable for it?
How about those GA meetings that someone has mentioned?
Yes, I know your hurting. So what things can you start putting in place now so that you are less likely to repeat that pain?
It is a progressive problem so in reality the choice you have to make is whether you take some of those steps now, or later when in deeper trouble.
Keep posting and I hope the answer is now.
Hi Mark and welcome to the forum.
I think you might at some stage have to make a decision. This is a gambling addiction, even if you are a good poker player but it is course still gambling.
I can see two problems for you. Firstly, now that you have blocked other forms of gambling the addiction will have only the one way to get it’s buzz and fix. As a result you are more likely to have less control with your poker, more likely to chase etc as your addiction switches it’s outlet.
Secondly, when you play poker, either online or in “real life”, you are going to find yourself in very close vicinity to other forms of gambling. You will do so at a time when you have access to your gambling funds. Again this is going to make it very difficult for you.
There were forms of gamblign that I was pretty good at, elements about gambling that I truly loved to do, there came a time though that I had to make a choice. Were the things that I loved about gamblign worth the ***t that followed? Unfortunately as an addict I couldn’t have one without the other. It may be that, either now or later when in deeper trouble, you may have to make the same choice.
Keep posting and maybe I will meet you in one of the groups here as well.
Thank you for posting that list SJ, I hope to see many more. Well done.
Hi Danielle and welcome.
Well done on looking for help. If you read the other stories here you will see that you are not alone with this problem. You will also see the success stories, what are they doing that you can apply to your own situation?
You will see that many people put put barriers in place. How about a blocker to stop that online gambling? How about being completely accountabel for any money so that you can’t gamble secretly? Maybe limit your access to funds entirely for a while.
Use all the support you can as well. keep posting here, get to the groups if you can. Think about other support as well; places like Gamblers Anonymous.
Whether you get that loan or not you need to look at the finances. Are they manageable? Can you kepe up repayments in a sustainable way? if not then get proper advice. Lots of financial options around these days, from bankruptcy through to reapymant plans with a lot in betwee.
Keep posting and let us know what positive steps you are taking.
<
Hello Danielle 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 youre currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if youre 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. Were 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 youre 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….
Im going to hand you over to our community because Im 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!
There are lots of financial options these days; from bankruptcy through to repayment plans with a lot in between, get some proper financial advice.
Regarding the gambling you have a lot of support available to you. Here in the forum you will get support from other members. If you want to talk then click on “Support Groups” and see the full schedule. All bar the “Open Groups” have a facilitator in them. We also have a one to one Advice line that is open office hours, UK time.
There is also other support available, otehr similar sites, Gamblers Anonymous meetings, counselling, and even residential programmes.Keep posting here and I hope to meet you in one of the groups soon.
<
Hello Bill 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 youre currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if youre 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. Were 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 youre 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….
Im going to hand you over to our community because Im 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!
