Good day injame
Thank you for posting brother you are here and gonna make that change of your mindset. You gonna start speaking more and more positive words into your life. Life and death lies in the power of your tongue. Seek good counsel brother. You can read people journals on their struggles and their victory over this addiction. You are an amazing person bro. Keep posting on your progress. Look forward to reading more from you. Keep on keeping on.

Hi Injamea

I gambled compulsively for an entire decade, and looking back the things which kept me trapped in the cycle were shame and embarrassment. I was too embarrassed to seek the help I needed.

Reading your story I feel a very positive step for you would be to go and self-ban from all local casinos. Sure you will feel embarrassed at the time but you will also feel hugely relieved..

Most of us need barriers to help us stop – this is usually MAT- money, access, time .

A few thing I have done which might help you –
I ordered a new debit card and got someone else to open it and scratch off the back three numbers. I can still use it in shops but cannot gamble online.
I put gamban (gambling blocker) on my phone – I told myself for years I could not afford it and yet it has saved me thousands as I can not gamble online.
I speak to a counsellor almost every week to help me stay focused.
I also visit the groups on here – there are species groups for new members.

You can stop gambling -if I can anyone can. Make it impossible to gamble !
It takes a little time for our finances to recover but they will.

By the way you have not lost the chance to be a husband or father. You have simply put it on hold.
As for attractiveness – once we have money to spend on grooming and clothes it is amazing how attractive we become!
I have great hope for you and your future Injamea!

If you are seriously thinking that your family would be better off without you -then please talk to someone … there is a link here and you can find a helpline in your country to contact: https://www.befrienders.org/

I too lost my 20s to gambling – it probably took most of my 30s to recover – but I was in a much better place at the end of it and I was married in my early 40s – so it is never too late!

I did it has given you lots of good advice and it is difficult to add to it – but I would just ask if you have spoken to any of your family or friends about what you are going through. Challenging this addiction is hard when you are alone with it. Having people close to you on your side would help you enormously. Keep posting here and it would be good to see you in a support group soon. I wish you well.

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!

Just read your thread and I feel for your every word. It sounds the same as myself and every other compulsive gambler. Just know that you can beat this. What you need to realize is people like us are powerless over gambling. It’s like if an alcoholic was able to go into a party with an open bar, he would 99% relapse and have a drink. We cannot go into a casino, or place our first bet. Once that first bet is placed, all of our logic is thrown out the window. We can tell ourselves we will bet smarter, we will leave when we are up , and sometimes we do leave, only to go back thinking we can keep winning and lose everything and then our own, chasing our losses. I have a similar story to you but I don’t want to get much into it except I was in the wrath you are right now , 72 days ago. For 11 months I was in a casino weekly, chasing my losses and playing with over 150k of mine and the casinos, only to quit , relapse, lose everything, win it back, feel happy, then lose it all again. Until I then I lost everything , lost my savings, lost my chequing, lost all money in every account , maxed out cc, credit line, overdraft… and now owe the bank due to this disease. That’s just to sum it up briefly to tell you i know how you feel, sleepless nights, forgetting to eat, our brains get consumed by this. We lose ourselves, our relationships with loved ones, our families. We lie we steal we do anything to gamble, no matter what. Because we are addicted to this. Now I believe you can beat this just as I have. First you have to accept your losses, which won’t be easy. You have to tell yourself that money is gone and never coming back. You have to just treat the debt like a student loan or car loan. Then you must ban yourself from all casinos. Attend GA if available , to see what this disease has done to people a lot older than you and I. You are young enough to rebuild and get your life back, but you must put a lot into your recovery. There may be relapses on the way, as there was for me, but it doesn’t mean you are back at day 1… you have to think of the overall progress . Try to join the gym, pick up any type of hobby, read a book, go to church, not for the religious aspect if you’re not., but just to be around people. One on one councilling helped me a lot too and it can get covered for free by social services if you can’t afford it like. Myself. Take it day by day, and eventually you will not even have any urges or thoughts to place your first bet. I like to think of it as the time you drank and got really sick from booze, you wake up With the worst hangover and you say you’re never drinking again.. 4-5 days go by and you feel normal and then you do it again. Gambling is the same, but we must think of the pain before we place another bet, think of this feeling and how it made you feel.. don’t ever think you can bet smarter or beat the casino. Even if you win, it’s just a loan from them because they know you will come and give it back. There are no successful rich gamblers, trust me. Work hard, stay busy, keep posting. And just know it does get better. You are worth it. You can beat this.

Merry Christmas and I wish you all the best. You are never alone.

you have not lost the chance to be a father and a husband. You have that chance as long as you’re alive. And you will
Overcome this addiction with the proper help and tools.
It’s never to late to better your life and you’ve made the first step.