Hi Charles,
You are absolutely right. Today I am going to install betfilter because it sounds like that is what the majority of people recommend. I am also going to google some casinos that I have not signed up for and reach out to their support to request a self exclusion. Day 2 of gambling free and still feel fine, but I want to be prepared for those urges because they will come. I just need to have blockers in place, and when I do get those urges just talk to myself out loud. Really take a look at what I’m feeling, and what will happen if I act on them. And be brutally honest, no more thinking “I could hit the jackpot”, because even if I do, well, you know the story.
Oddly enough though, I’ve never really had a problem with scratchers or the lottery here. Everything is cash only here, which I never carry much of. I would normally buy one or two scratchers and leave it at that. I think there are two reasons why I don’t blow my entire paycheck playing the lottery:
– When I run out of money, I have to run to the bank to get more and it gets tiring (I guess this is an unintentional blocker). There is no convenience to keep spending money freely.
– To me, and I feel a lot of problem gamblers are like this, they don’t want people to know they have a problem. So when I go back to the same store and buy more tickets, I don’t want to be judged by the clerk. Even bringing in a winning ticket right after I scratched it feels weird to me. I could go to different places (and I have), but eventually I stop because I come to my senses (another blocker)?
I guess i just need to distract myself for long enough when those urges hit. They usually show up at night when I want to stay up and “work”. I kind of wish I could just get rid of my computers, but unfortunately I am a web developer so I don’t think that can happen.
Anyways, day 2 gamble free. I feel fine today. I have money in my account for food and other things until I get paid again. I will install betfilter when I get home. Cheers
Best Regards,
Nick