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Hi, i never thought i’d find myself here but i need to stop!! i was introduced to gambling about 9 or 10 years ago and started betting small but gradually it kept getting bigger with me trying to win what i lost etc! i’ve lost about 5-6,000 over the past 4 months and have eventually come to the conclusion this has taken over my life.. i’m determined to stop and hope this site and everybody else here can help!
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I am on day 16. This forum had been a HUGE help. Also- one of this biggest and most empowering things that I did was the self-exclusion. Emailing and chatting to the sites saying “I have a gambling problem and I need to self-exclude from the site” was AMAZING. I felt so empowered and free. Free from the chains that were leading me, not only into debt, but into guilt, pain, lies, tears, etc.
NO MORE!!!!!
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Well done on finding this forum.
It is a great big step to reach out and ask for help, acknowledging that you have a real problem and that it is “taking over” your life.
By admitting gambling is taking over your life you are admitting that you are powerless over gambling. This fact and admission is seen by many as the first step in a successful recovery.
I too am a compulsive gambler I had gambled for over thirty years to the most perverse excesses and thought it was impossible to stop. It’s not impossible and dosn’t even have to be hard, after all its as simple as saying “no,” isn’t it.
I’m sure you’ve tried to stop it before or limit yourself without too much success, again this emphasises that you are powerless against gambling. For me I have had to change my whole lifestyle and over many years gradually retrain my head to think differently.
If I had of taken on board all the advice given to me “at the time” over the years I would have said no and stopped a long time ago, but I always left a chink in my armour against gambling, thankfully I don’t now.
In addition to self exclusion there is software available that can block all gambling on your pc and other devices, most offer a free trial giving you thirty days to try it, so even if you cant afford it now you can use the free trial then pay for the full version when you have the money. K9 blocking software is completely free and works very very well. One word of caution though the software can be turned on or off with a password so it is wise to get somebody else to install it for you.
I wish you well on your journey of recovery, believe me you can change, you can stop.
All the best.
Geordie.
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Hi Rua, it was good to chat with you the other day. I hope you have been able to put to use some of the information and suggestions given here. I know we discussed blocking software. I hope you were able to get some installed. Let us know how you are doing, I am hoping that you are still here reading and learning about this addiction and what it takes to stop it. Take care,
Laura -
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Good to hear Rua that you are still hear and that you are already starting to use things to help keep your mind off gambling, like spending time with people and doing activities other than gambling! We are all a little different but if you find watching sports tempting you at all you may have to not spend time watching at least in the beginning. It is one step at a time. It is about learning how to put in places the supports and barriers that you need to prevent you from gambling. Keep reading and posting. Education and awareness are powerful tools in the fight against this addiction. I was glad to see your post 🙂 Laura
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