[Beastjoe89]

Hi guys my name is Joe. I have a gambling addicition. Im 18 years old and i have been gambling since i was 14 years old.. atleast for money. Growing up i learned how to play texas hold em by the time i was 6. Gambling has ovetaken my life and i just want to be free. My problems escalated when I went to college. I was two years clean before I went to college. When I got there I met my roomate who for the sake of confidentiality we’ll say his name was jeff. Jeff had addictive tendencies himself as he was addicted to cocaine and also gambling, i thought i was strong enough to just avoid relapsing. He’s definitely not all to blame as he never forced me to gamble deciding to gamble and continue gambling is 100% on me. As you can guess im here because I want to get my life back before it gets any worse. I’ve read quite a few of yalls stories and they really touched me. Starting today Im going to do everything possible to ensure i stay Away from gambling and give this shit up for good. Heres to day 1. Will update tomorrow and hopefully can let yall know ive made it 2 days !

Figure Id give a little update here after getting through 12 hours without gambling.
For starters Im definitely feeling the withdrawal symptoms as crazy as that may sound, i was very restless but when I finally
fell asleep my dreams were all gambling based slot machine noises poker tables in my mind reflecting on all the awful losses ive dealt with in the past 6 months. I did take a huge step though and I told my friends that my name is ” beastjoe89″
obviously just using my username here for obvious reasons and I have a gambling addiction. It was recepted better than i thought it would be they told me that theyve know all along but needed me to realize it on my own before they could address it, since i wouldve gotten aggressive and denied it. They all gave me kind words and promised to support me through this journey. My best friend whom we’ll call Timmy for privacy even said I shouldn’t have to go through this alone so he threw away his juul and said were both gonna kick our addictions together. Really cant wait to make it to day two. Im sorry if this is super long for some of yall to read just really trying to get this all out in order to heal. I Think I’ve come to realize that my gambling had to do alot with escapism and trying to escape the reality of not being able to financially care for those i loved so i turned to gambling tryna make a quick couple dollars.. little did i know itd lead to the loss of tens of thousands roughly 12k
That all for now, Joe

[dunc]

Hello 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!

[Steev]

Good that you have shared your story, not only here but also with you friends – who will hopefully look out for you.

You have discovered that you cannot gamble “normally.” This is why we are here because we have a problem behaviour which means we can’t switch off from gambling like other people can. It is good that you have found this out early – before you can do more damage.

What you need to do is a) ban yourself from gambling sites either on-line or off – where you might still play. b) Cut yourself off from access to finance – if there is some-one you can trust enough to handle your money then that is ideal, if not just take out as little as you can. For on-line order a new card (say you lost it) get rid of the old one and when the new one comes get someone else to scratch off the 3 digit code on the back – so you can’t use it – but can still buy stuff in real stores. c) get good support for yourself, keep in touch with friends or consider self-help groups like gamblers’ anonymous. d) Find new ways of using your time which do not involve gambling. You may have to work longer for a while in order to help with finances – but don’t forget to make time for fun as well. Take good care of yourself and let us know how you get on.

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