Who has a gambling problem ?
- Thread starter Super P
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Let's trade stories.agentundercover
Active Member
I used to dabble to much in the froooties. Knocked it on the head thankfully when it just got embarassing, but it took a few years. Still got a few mates for whome 1 pint costs 10 quid every time as they put all the change away (like pacha but without the fit women!).
I bet you a fiver you can't find it.
fatphilb
Well-Known Member
when i was about 14 i went through a phase of buyin scartchcards with my lunch money, was on a pretty good roll, wouldnt say i was down on my money, had loads of £20s, some £40s and a £100 after United pumped Dumbarton 8-1 at Tannadice one day (celebrated in Style with 2 bottles of Merrydown that night)
Knocked the habit before I turned 16 however. Started smoking, drinking more, and generally became more of a fat bastard cause i was buying Half pizza suppers from the chipper with my lunch money....
Knocked the habit before I turned 16 however. Started smoking, drinking more, and generally became more of a fat bastard cause i was buying Half pizza suppers from the chipper with my lunch money....
SmokinBabe
Active Member
I have a problem although I have took steps to stop. A couple of years ago my problem was the online slots when I was in the house myself when my boyfriend was working abroad. I'd do loads of lines of coke and play the slots - kinda went hand in hand.
I won a fair bit but lost it all. I'd be willing to share stories if you'd like....
I don't have access to a computer in the house now - back at mum and dads, although did occassionaly play at work but have closed my accounts.
I play bingo at my local club now with my mum and thats about as far as it gets now. But there are slot machines in the bingo so I do not take any extra money with my when I go.
I won a fair bit but lost it all. I'd be willing to share stories if you'd like....
I don't have access to a computer in the house now - back at mum and dads, although did occassionaly play at work but have closed my accounts.
I play bingo at my local club now with my mum and thats about as far as it gets now. But there are slot machines in the bingo so I do not take any extra money with my when I go.
good move.
ive moved from fruties-football-dogs-horses/fruties/football-football/fixed odd machines-internet.
i went 6 months on the wagon from the start of this year, but all ended come grand national day... just no escape from it. been wobbling on and off since, and since my overall financial situation has improved, and that im in the last chance saloon with regards to being bailed out, i try and only bet what i can afford. its all about control. if i dont walk into a bookies with wads of cash and a cash card im fine. if i dont input my card details, im fine.
for me its about escapism and i usually do it to escape something/someone who has pissed me off.
reading this at the moment.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Compulsive-Gambling-Alex-Blaszczynski/dp/1854874845
dominicfiend
New Member
Chewie, Is that what the "£21,600 to go!" is from?
know someone who has spunked £50,000 away on those fixed odds betting machines... evil things
Best of luck everyone in your road to recovery!
know someone who has spunked £50,000 away on those fixed odds betting machines... evil things
Best of luck everyone in your road to recovery!
Just stories on overcoming, but now see that you say you "control" it rather than completely giving up. I've tried this, no chance for me unfortunately. I gave up for a year a few years ago and recently I'm worse than ever.
Same as most, started on fruities, bigger badder fruities, bookies in general, fixed odds betting machines, poker, online casino ( blackjack and roulette ). My cards skills are fairly good to be fair and last summer I made a living from it, so that really isn't the problem ( and it's paid for an Ibiza holiday ) but it's mainly online casino gambling these days. Last year, I went through a stage where everything I bought, I had an issue with paying for, so gambled to get the money back, which worked, suprisingly. i.e. I buy a shirt for £50, then I run home and win that money back. I won about £3500 in three weeks and kept hold of it over the winter. Now I usually just play when I'm sitting at home, with no real need for the money or the excitement, I just do it. I start with like £25, then keep doubling up to recoup losses, which invariably works, but the times it doesn't, I get hit, HARD. Recently, I've been doing really well and over the past couple of years am definately up, maybe £4-5K. But I know that my overall record is not quite as rosey, infact, sickening, literally. So I lost £250 the other night, which relatively, is not that much. However, really ****ed me off as I had just won £360 on a long fought came of cards and basically spunked the lot coz I'm an idiot instead of enjoying my winnings. So that's it, called it a day. End of everything. Allowing myself social gambling only, cards with friends, real casino's, dogs, horses etc. but that's it. It's only been a few days but really sorta having trouble already. Just with little things like the Spurs match tonight, I would love to have a punt on that, and have everything sorted in my head for what I would do etc. Anyway, through GamCare, I have self excluded myself from everything I'm on ( alot ), except Betfair which I have a big treble on for Wednesday but if I win, will withdraw and close.
As for feelings afterwards, very nonchalent about the whole thing. Can spunk 500 notes easy and not give a second thought. However, if someone pikes a round while I'm out or something I'm livid. It's like money is completely different and not valued when gambling, this is my problem I know. That's why online gambling is so bad, they change it into the most virtual world possible to make you think it's all not real, except your money. The thing I have an issue with is like where the money could of gone elsewhere. Like I give money to charities etc. and my friends just gone to Mozambique helping orphan etcs. and told me what they could do with the money I'm losing and it destroys me thinking about that, however I still give fairly generously to them, if I gave my gambling money too it would be a much better situation.
Anyway, sorry for the essay, but I was giving one bit of a advice which is really working. As cheesy as it sounds, talking helps so much. I'm literally telling everyone I know about it. Such things as online message boards help too, because obviously it's anonymous and people can give you little bits of advice and listen, well maybe not...
If you talk to more people, the more people your letting down and are embarassed to, therefore less likely you are do it.
For reference, the way I gave up previously was to think, "if I gamble, I'm pissing on my nan's grave and disrespecting her". As stupid and funny as this is, it really worked, but I'm beyond that now.
Anyhooways...
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Another thing which I talked to with a girl I was seeing to was that I percieve gamblers to have this James Bond image, and I think I'm the big man coz I gamble. Like everyone, you always boast on the winnings and hide your losses. I'm not so bad with this and like to tell people my losses, but in a strange way I feel like I'm being the big man here by showing I'm LOSING so much money. Anyway, after telling this girl she told me her perception of me gambling was pathetic, weak and general sad and geeky. This really did sorta shock me as I thought I was the tits. There's me boasting to girls that I gamble and looking I'm the bollocks, when everyone actually thinks I'm a tit, which really I am. However, I read on a gambling site that most gamblers are quite intelligent, logical thinkers etc. yet why do they gamble ? This is true, I'm very rational and methodical in every thing I do yet when it comes to putting £50 on a ball popping around on a little wheel, I'm well game.
Worth thinking about...
Worth thinking about...
Get a book on the '12 steps'...it's a framework of recovery followed by AA and can be placed over any addiction whether that's alcohol, drugs, sex, crime or whatever.
The first step is admitting you have a problem and are powerless to resolve it...experts usually say attending regular group sessions is the only way to break the cycle. You're dealing with a moment of insanity there that's impossible to reason with on your own after all.
Good luck!
The first step is admitting you have a problem and are powerless to resolve it...experts usually say attending regular group sessions is the only way to break the cycle. You're dealing with a moment of insanity there that's impossible to reason with on your own after all.
Good luck!
partly. also hangover from student days and having a decent job for the 1t 5 years earning an "average" wage while going mental on the plastic
all gamblers kid themselves that they're good at the task in hand.
i know that feeling. doesnt make sense to mere mortals - its just an excuse you give yourself to get your next fix.
stop. and treat today as the 1st day.
good move. although closing an account will feel like cutting off an arm.
anyway... when i say i know i'm trying to control it, what i mean is, im trying to get my mindset to be something like i dont need it and that i can bet for fun only when i can afford it. that way im getting rid of the the compuslive robotic urge to wander into ladbrokes every 10am on a saturday morning which i did for a bout 2 years. that cycle is broken now. if i do go in, im armed with a tenner and nothing else, i put down my 5 timer on the footy and leave.
its a hell of a lot easier to stop before starting than to stop when ive started.
the above is working for me. the 6 months i had on the wagon was horrible - and the thoughts and compulsion was too much for me to cope. its my release, escapism - a bit like bashing down drugs/drink.
probably lacking something deep down, like all addictions, its a break from reality.
it is. VERY. but when you're "in the zone" nothing matters, time flies, and you lose all sense of everything... which is when you start to rack up huge losses.
the horrible thing is, you're on a loser either way. if you lose big, you go back next time with the sole purpose to chase the losses.
if you win big, you go back and think you can win more.
theres times ive had a decent win on the footy... £800 once... did i go on hol, treat myself? nope.
like polack says. when you are a compulsive gambler, you just cant justify spending 40p on a twix. yet can justifying lumping on a 3 legged horse in a 2 horse race at 1/3 on a ****ty grade G claimer ridden by a blind woman, cos at 1/3 its bound to win!
its all about numbers.