Well done on putting the blocks in place and making sure that you have no access to money.

You are asking what more can you do?

I know when I first made the decision to stop – I thought I was doing as much as I could and I still kept relapsing into gambling. I was fed up going to GA and having to say it is day one again, or telling my counselor what I had done.

I finally came to realise that I had to put as much effort into my recovery as I did into my gambling. That meant not just paying lip service to recovering, or even being ordinary about it – but really taking it seriously and looking at myself to see why I was slipping, what the triggers were and how to avoid them. I could see that some form of “boredom” was a trigger for me – hard to define but lets say that when I was gambling the noise in my head was deafening – stuff like “why won’t it pay out, where can I find an atm, will I be able to come back to this, where can I get my next loan from.” Some sick part of my brain must have missed this “busyness” and felt that without it my life was boring. I had to negate that.

So, (I’m writing an essay myself here) the one thing I don’t see in your recovery plan is an alternative to gambling. Something that will keep your mind active in a positive way, not working out odds or wondering where the next loan is going to come from. I don’t know what that is for you – but I would find something not sports related as this could be a trigger. For me it has been travelling, for others something creative – maybe a hobby you let go of for gambling or something that you have always dreamed of doing but felt you never had the time / resources. See if you can work on this in your counseling sessions! 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.

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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

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It’s hard man I’m on day 3 myself after about 12 years of heavy sports betting, probably run up a similar amount of debt ( don’t really know as it’s been over such a long period) I did ok with it back home as it’s legal and I’d use my own money… came to US and eventually got hooked up with a bunch of bookies and credit lines… went on an incredible tear for about a year and now it’s been at least 7 years of overall losing… currently owe at least 60k in loans and borrowing from family while still owing about 5k to bookies.
I’ve finally made the choice to stop and start seeking help to stay away from it. I’ve had periods where I stopped before but it was mostly because I couldn’t. I asked my books for accounts to be closed yesterday ( haven’t bothered to check as I don’t need the temptation).
Money’s replaceable and recoupable with hard work and determination, for me I’m hanging it onto wanting a better life and to stop destroying relationships with my loved ones… The disappointment from letting them down over and over needing help has to stop.
I believe we can beat this and live a happier healthier life man stay strong keep posting maybe seek out further support elsewhere and we will get through this.

It’s hard man I’m on day 3 myself after about 12 years of heavy sports betting, probably run up a similar amount of debt ( don’t really know as it’s been over such a long period) I did ok with it back home as it’s legal and I’d use my own money… came to US and eventually got hooked up with a bunch of bookies and credit lines… went on an incredible tear for about a year and now it’s been at least 7 years of overall losing… currently owe at least 60k in loans and borrowing from family while still owing about 5k to bookies.
I’ve finally made the choice to stop and start seeking help to stay away from it. I’ve had periods where I stopped before but it was mostly because I couldn’t. I asked my books for accounts to be closed yesterday ( haven’t bothered to check as I don’t need the temptation).
Money’s replaceable and recoupable with hard work and determination, for me I’m hanging it onto wanting a better life and to stop destroying relationships with my loved ones… The disappointment from letting them down over and over needing help has to stop.
I believe we can beat this and live a happier healthier life man stay strong keep posting maybe seek out further support elsewhere and we will get through this.

Right there with you man, I am 35, gamblined most of my adult life in some form or another. I ran books, gambled myself. In the end, I ended up with about 100k in persona loan debt, credit cards maxed, credit destroyed.

Last year I made the decision to get clean. I realized I was gambling as a means to an end, not for fun. I picked up a 2nd job to pay my bills, and I’ve been clean since July 7th 2019.

My bills are lower, credit is almost back to where I started, and my brain is completely re-wired. I’ve found some hobbies to follow instead of sports and the betting, and life is better.

It will get better. Figure out WHY you gambled. Was it to pay bills? Get another job. Were you missing something in life? Find out what fulfills you Put up barriers and youll get there.

Trust me when I say your life can be turned around, and in 6 months you wont believe how you were living. This doesnt have to be your life.