[charles]

Hi Jimbo,

Well done on looking for help.

I hope you will have been reading some of the other stories here. You will have seen a lot of stories similar to your own. You will also have seen the success stories – what are they doing that you could apply to your own situation?

How about getting yourself banned from the bookies and arcades you pass on the way home? How about only carrying the cash you need on a daily basis? If you only have enough money on you for lunch then you can’t gamble those sort of sums. You could even take sandwiches.

Try and talk to your family and girlfriend? Do they know it’s been a problem in the past? This time you wont be just presenting the problem; you will be showing them the positive actions you are taking to start dealing with it.

Keep posting and let us know the positive steps you are taking.

[charles]

Hi Betty,

I have got some good news for you. A new member here or at GA doesn’t know how it works. Thye don’t know what they should do, if it works and if it’ll work for them. Whilst it might not feel like it right now you are in a lucky position – you know what works. You did it before you can do it again, well done on getting back here and being honest, now you can move forward again. keep posting

[charles]

GMA will give you a lot of tools as you move forward Mav. great news about the job. An instant benefit of being honest with your friends. 🙂

[charles]

GMA will give you a lot of tools as you move forward Mav. great news about the job. An instant benefit of being honest with your friends. 🙂

[charles]

Good to see you back posting Seri, maybe see you in a group later.

[charles]

Hi Lostitall and welcome,

Well done on looking for help here.

This forum is where people arrange to meet in some of the open groups we have here. Can I suggest you copy and paste what you have posted and start a thread in the My Journal Forum? It is a busier forum and you will get a lot of support and feedback there.

Alternatively I’m here in the group at 8pm (UK Time) if you pop in and ask I will be able to move it for you.

Read the other stories in the My Journal Forum as well; you will see many stories similar to your own. You will also see the success stories, what are they doing that you can apply to your own situation.

I myself facilitate some of the groups here, click on Support Groups and you will see the full schedule. I am also a Compulsive gambler myself. As I said, I’m in the groups for the next hour and a half or so, I hope you can pop in and have a chat.

Hopefully I will see you in a group, if not this evening then soon, I also look forward to reading your progress in the My Journal Forum.

[charles]

<

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.

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!

[charles]

Hi Lorraine, I hope you are well.

I always say that if we could do it on our own then none of us would be in trouble in the first place.

Maybe there are a few little things you could do differently? How about posting here more often and getting to groups?

How about getting back to that GA meeting and asking that lady if it’s ok if you have her number so that you can ring her?

The man from GA who might have asked you to have a coffee? Yes he could have done things differently, who knows how his own recovery is going. GA is a room full of people from all walks of life. If you have a room full of people anywhere, GA or not, we aren’t going to get on well with all of them, we might even dislike some of them. maybe even think one or two of them are a *****!

I always say that if I dislike someone then the last thing I am going to do is let them affect MY recovery. I hope you don’t let this man affect your recovery and get back to that meeting or another.

Hopefully see you in a group here again soon.

[charles]

I’m not sure what I felt on the way there, a little nervous, a little deflated as I was admitting I had been wrong for years.

I don’t remember much about my first meeting. I got there after the start so I remember the person who spoke to me outside for a few minutes to tell me how it ran. I can remember the person chairing the meeting. I can remember being surprised to hear several stories similar to my own, up till then I had thought that I was “unique”. Everything was a bit of a blur but the oen piece of advice i still remember was someone saying i should surrender and admit that the bookies had beaten me. Strangely up until then I always thought that I would beat the bookies!

I think the biggest thing I got from my first meeting was hope, I looked around the room and saw lots of people just like me. A lot of them were no longer gambling so I now knew that it was possible, up until then I hadn’t thought that. If they could do it then so could I.

I hope you get to that meeting Happy, then get to the next one. However you feel after your first meeting I’d recommend getting to at least six before making your mind up whether that particular meeting is for you. As others have said, a closer meeting would be easier to get to, it is what it says on the tin – anonymous. Anyone you see there or who sees you there will be in exactly the same position as you are – a compulsive gambler using support.

[charles]

just bumping this up, a discussion topic in this evenings groups was that recovery doesn’t come to us, we have to go out and grab it and then work at it. I thought this story was relevant.

[charles]

Hi Viper,

Maybe now would be a time to come back to the UK where you have more support from what you said?

You can make your own decisions about relocating but of course we can never relocate away from our addiction – it comes with us. So where ever you end up geographically make sure you keep using the support you have avaialable.

[charles]

<

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.

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!

[charles]

Well done Izzy. I’m glad you are seeing and enjoying the benefits of recovery 🙂

[charles]

Hi Maria,
Good idea about getting a parental control on your kindle.

You could still get your friend to help you with that card. if you report it lost or damaged you will get a new card with a new 3 digit security code on the back, give it to your friend and don’t learn it.

Keep posting and let us know the positive steps you are taking.

[charles]

Hi David,

Well done on posting here when you are struggling.
Try not to just “…. see how long I last….” though. You are aware you are vulnerable so use that awareness.

Who could you give your money to so you can’t gamble it? Where would you gamble? Ban/block yourself from it.

Try not to look at those “missed chances”. Certainly don’t look at odds etc. if watching sport at the moment is making things hard for you then don’t watch it right now. We all had our wins, they make no difference in the end as we just carry on till we lose.

Keep posting and let us know what positive steps you are taking to make that next bet harder to place.

[Author]

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