[Zero no hero]

I am gonna be raw and honest. Today is my first day of not betting. Yes I have stopped many times in the past and always return eventually but with another angle, another strategy that will work this time. Of course it never does. I cannot even begin to quantify the damage I have done to myself and moreover to my family. I ask myself what keeps me at it? The answer is a lot more complex than simply I am a compulsive, even though that is in essence the truth of it but I bet for many reasons. The biggest one is fear. Fear of losing my family home so I figure if i can just be disciplined long enough then I can make a living from it and pay my mortgage. This preoccupation stops me from looking for a job, I am in and out of work but now I am in my mid 50s and things ain’t gonna get any easier. Ever smash a laptop or thrown your iphone across the room when your bet lets you down? Yea I know you have. I reckon I have smashed 20 phone screens and maybe 10 laptops too. Ever have your kid tell you to shut up as you shout in frustration cursing your head off , FOR FUCK SAKE !! over and over as you lose. Hey isn’t is so embarrassing when your kids friends parents won’t allow them any more sleepovers in your house because of the crazy out of control gambler father, what is even worse is you don’t even realise your’e doing it , oh but everyone else in the house does. How about the debt collectors? The red letters? Oh and the fact that your kids don’t get a family holiday once a yr like their peers in school, and worst of all maybe they will be homeless when the baliffs arrive to throw you out for non payment of your mortgage. Anyhow I said it ain’t gonna be pretty I won’t sugar coat it. As gamblers we are disgusting degenerate excuses for human beings. We are selfish lying cheating and not worthy of respect. I am that guy.You are that guy. I do not want to be that guy anymore I WILL NOT BE THAT GUY ANYMORE. More anon.

[G Rec]

Hi, Zero no hero,

Welcome to the forum and well done on taking a positive step.

I like most people on this forum can associate directly with the majority of items and feeling that you have mentioned.

One thing I would like to respond to is this statement ” As gamblers, we are disgusting degenerate excuses for human beings. We are selfish lying cheating and not worthy of respect” While it may be true that the attributes mentioned can be associated with most gamblers when they are gambling, I don’t believe these attributes define the people themselves, and if we stop gambling, we can also help remove or at least limit these negative attributes that go hand in hand with gambling.

For example, you mentioned that you are not worthy of respect. I would counter that by saying the fact that you have acknowledged your problem, want to make changes to address it, and have taken a positive step in making that happen by joining and posting on this forum, is worthy of respect in and of itself.

The next question is what you do from here. There are new member’s groups held on Mondays and Thursdays, and I would recommend attending one of these as they can be very useful when you first join the forum and are trying to be gamble free, with useful advise and tips on the next steps you can take.

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