[Lloollzzz]

Hi everyone. Im Claudiu. I gamble since i was a kid but i didnt realise my addiction is so strong. I dont know where to start from but i think is better if i say what i really want. And i want to stop gambling. But here is the problem, i can’t help it. First of all i dont talk about my addiction with anyone close because i dont want to lose them. And became overwhelming. I bet only on football and i bet all my earnings every single day. An usual day of my life starts with a coffee and checking all the games for that day. If i have money in my account i bet online. If i dont, as soon as i leave the house i place a bet in shops. I’ve tried to make myself busy doing lots of activities but when i have evan a 5 minutes break, i place a bet. Thankfully im single, i have everything i need for a decent life but money? I have them, i gamble them and i loose control. I want to stop, i need help.

[charles]

Hi Claudiu,

Well done on looking for help. I expect you will have been reading a lot of stories here similar to your own. You will also be reading some success stories – what are they doing that you could apply to your own situation?

What barriers can you put in place? A blocker to stop online gambling? Putting your money in a n account that doesnt have instant access? You gamble when you go to the shops? You are actually deciding to give yourself the opportunity to do that before you leave your house – just carry the money you need for whatever you are plannign to buy. Yes you might still gamble of course but it would have the immediate consequence of you not being able to shop.

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

[Lloollzzz]

Yesterday was the day when i said “i have to stop gambling”. So i closed all my online betting accounts. But my friends talk about betting everytime. I had a day off at work so i left the house, took the train and travel all day to see old friends. I told them about my addiction and to be honest was a relief. Was ok, i didnt bet but the urge was there. And i have to thank every one here as well for their posts cos every-time when i was thinking to bet i was reading their stories. For today i want to go in a bookie shop and deal with my urge of betting. I have to work as well and there is the worse part of it cos everyone at work gamble but I want to believe there is a hope for me after all to stop gambling.

[Lloollzzz]

To get away from my addiction i started to do an easy thing. I went to supermarket and i bought a piggy-bank. I called it “william pig”. I made my self a betting coupon worth 20£ and i put the money in my “william pig”. At the end of the day my selections were wrong but i won 20£. I’ll do it again for a month with a diffrent amount of money to see if i can save enough for a holiday. But there is the thought “what if my selections are right?”

[charles]

Hi again Claudiu,

Well done on closing your online accounts.

Can you talk to your friends who gamble? Your colleagues at work?

Up to you how much you tell them of course but it’s important to tell them that you ahve decided to stop gambling yourself.

If they talk to you about gambling then it usually only takes a few “I’m not interested any more” for them to find a different topic to discuss with you.

I’d recommend against doing those pretend betting coupons. “….what if my selections are right?”
I think you know the answer to that, it would make things very difficult for you. To even make those slips out you must be looking at the races/sports, studying the form, looking at odds and then of course checking the results and working out how much you would have won/lost. It’s just teasing the addiction.

If you can piucture the addictiion as a monster asleep in the corner, every time we look at odds, go into bookies etc we are poking that monster with a stick. Keep doing it and the monster is likely to wake up and bite our a**!

ry and find some non gambling related activities to fill your time and thoughts.

Again, well done on closing your accounts, have you asked them to ban you? That will stop any temptation to re-open them.

Keep posting.

[Author]

Posts