- This topic has 9 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 8 months ago by .
-
Posts
-
-
Hi everyone ..
I played bingo most of my adult life and it was my hang out, my place of refuge where I could get away from my problems and just sit and stare at numbers! I could always go there as long as I had a couple of bucks and maybe even win some money .. it worked for me and got rid of the stress of my crazy life .. it felt like home and ” people knew my name”. Then I found ” slots ” about 10 years ago and bingo just didn’t stand a chance! The slots were exciting and daring and noisy and I was retired then and needed excitment not stress relief ..,and I loved them .. and I won lots but I always lost lots too ..now bingos is not enough .. I’m so bored there but I can’t afford the slots .. they are killing me .. I win but that’s not the problem .. but I can’t leave with any money no matter what I do .. I always leave before I spend everything soi keep some money to pay my bills but I’m in debt and it sucks having $1.29 in my checking account ..
im tired and I can’t do this any more but even though I will stay away for weeks .. I still go back and spend everything that I managed to save. Can you help me ?
Thank you for reading
karo
-
Hello Karo 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.
As well as the forums New Members are invited to join Charles in the New Members Practical Advice Group On Mondays at 21:00 (UK) and Thursday at 19:00(UK)
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!
-
While I’m sorry you have found yourself in this situation, I’m happy you have found this forum.
Slots have always been my poison too….I loved sitting and watching the reels, zoning out, forgetting about everything..
of course until I lost everything and then would be sick with worry and stress.
So….some things that might help you…
Have you got someone you can trust, that you could ask to hang onto your debit cards and access to cash? No money = no gambling. Being accountable to someone can really help. It can also be a big relief! Giving control of your money to someone else ensures that you are spending only what you need to for the time being.
Have you thought about GA? Other compulsive gamblers helping each other. It may be worth you going to a meeting to see what its all about.
My biggest barrier was self exclusion. I first did it 9 years ago. 2 years is the max here (in Australia) and ive done it every time its due. I have slipped, but only when my exclusion has lapsed and I thought I could be ‘normal’ again. Big fat nope to that one.
Can you find other things to fill your time? Catching up with friends, family. A new hobby or volunteering?
Gambling is such a secretive addiction.
Our secrets keep us sick.
Try the help line and forum here, keep reading and posting, you will get some great tips on how to manage this addiction.
Well done on finding GT and reaching out.
Its not easy. I hope you use all the tools given to you. You can lead a gamble free life, and that life can be amazing!
I look forward to hearing more from you,
Love K xx -
Oh gosh, reading your story just made me think: ‘Yup. I’ve been there’
I’ve been bored and fed up and needing excitment, and the way the slots whirl and the promise of a big win just out of reach (maybe the next spin right?) was that excitment i needed. Like you, i started with bingo (online, not clubs) and i enjoyed it for a time, what the with roomies and sense of community and a few very nice wins. But it was when i started clicking on slots and winning £30 a spin (more than the house prize in the speed bingo rooms i played in) i knew i was hooked. I won money fast, and lost money faster.
I kept this up until the losses outweighed the wins, and i knew i was in trouble.
As K has said, you are in the right place. This is a healthier community for us to be in, rather than with workers in bingo halls who know our names or roomies who care nothing for us really.
Everyone here wants you to succeed, and i believe if we all stick together, post often, and support each other, that is easily achievable.
best wishes to you,
BBB X
-
-
Hi Karo,
still with us? have you thought about what you will fill the time with? Have you thought about how much worse this can get if you don’t take the bull by the horns? Your sister sounds like a very smart woman and a great source of support. What adventures can you plan together? Maybe when you realize yourself that you need to stop to save your sanity you will return to GA. It can be a great source of support as well. And don’t forget about the people here. Take care,
Laura -
Hi Karo I know the feeling of being stuck. Recovery isn’t easy but gambling destroys our souls. I don’t believe there is such a thing as CONTROLLED GAMBLING for a compulsive gambler. I’ve gambled here and there since joining GT eith devastating results. I’m retired and have a lot of debt and no savings. Not a good situation to be in. Currently, I’m looking for a part time job . I understand boredom being a trigger. I can always find things to do. Maybe they are not exciting but it keeps me out of the casino. Maybe you can give GA another try. Sometimes it takes awhile to find your niche in a group. Hang in there and stay strong!
-
Typo: Karo. Sorry, I’m typing on a phone.
-
I want to share this – because it has been a Miracle for me. I can’t tell you how badly gambling (slots) have destroyed and consumed my life for about 15 years. There was NEVER any winning, because it would all go back in as fast as I can shove it. I won 5k one night, stuck it all back in and then another 3500 in cash advances, draining checking, cashing checks…this was the norm…always. I would stand in line at the atm, almost shaking to get up there, like a junkie. I worked a lot and made good money, but couldn’t even put together enough to get a $2.00 car wash. Wrecked my car a couple times, driving home so tired I couldn’t see straight…and on and on it went. At one point in my life I was in a very toxic relationship with a man I had no future with – and it was very bad for me mentally and physically…I started talking to a psychologist about why I stayed and could not leave – almost like I was addicted to him. After a while, we figured out why I was doing it (I had my mother abandon me at age 7) and I had pushed this man away time after time and he stayed…leading to my stuck state of toxicity. Once I wrapped my head around why I was doing what I was doing, a switch was flipped and I left. The gambling was going to kill me, I too froze a credit card, set limits on debit card, but it was still there – the desire to go, just waiting to fall off the wagon. It still had my mind, that sick sick feeling of consumption. Last thing I could think of, I went to see a psychologist, a pretty good one about 4 months ago. I told her I had to figure out why I kept ruining my llife with the gambling. I thought – like before if I knew why I was doing it, I could stop. One night coming home from a night out during white knuckled cold turkeying…I had a thought and I spoke it into the notes of my phone. – It was that I was thinking about gambling, at the moment I did not want to do it, but I was not sure if I would be alright with not feeling that sickening gut twisting disappointment in myself that I would feel after losing everything – as I did everytime I played. She said that it made sense because my childhood was very volatile with severe ups and downs and a repetitive (similar) sickening feeling I would get when my bipolar parent would become abusive and terrible. She said that was my way of life, and although miserable, familiar. After this revelation I can say, no joke I 100% have had 0 desire to gamble since. I had a dream I was at my favorite casino about 2 weeks ago, and I felt sick and walked out…this was once the only place i ever wanted to be…It is a true miracle. Maybe if you think about how you truly feel about your gambling, you too can look to your past and find out why you are stuck. I know the slots are fun and exciting and hypnotic and and and…but if you have it bad, and it sounds like you do, there is more to it than that. My apologies this is so long, but if it can help you – and I hope it can, may have been worth the read.
-
Hi Karo, I’m sorry that you gambled again. Barriers! Banning You may want to join GA and continue counseling. I self sabstoge myself because I feel unworthy of anything good due to my past mistakes. I’m working with a counselor now. A lot of things have surfaced concerning my childhood. Things I never dealt with and just carried with me. There is a reason why we gamble and cause ourselves grief. It’s never too late to figure it out! Recovery is hard and sometimes painful. But don’t we owe ourselves the best life we can have? Keep strong. Keep going.
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.