[martinb17]

Hello everyone,

I’ve had a little time going though the forums to get a sense on how everyone else is getting on, and can relate to so much.

To give a bit of background, I started gambling at the age of 13/14 on fruit machines in the local arcade (£5 jackpots) I used to help out cleaning the machines and would get paid a few pounds and put them straight in. Looking back this was my downfall and I was addicted. I remember being so exited going there at the weekends with my pocket money, or when I started working with my wages. I would pretty much lose it all.

Then I progressed to o line gambling when I was 18. This was a whole different level from gambling for me – unlimited winnings compared to what I was used too. I was working and had some control as I had to pay bills but would put a large amount of surplus income online. As I got older and as I worked in town I would go to the bookmakers and play in the FOBTS. Up to £100 a spin I had taken many payday loans and racked up in excess of £10,000 in debt. At this point I did speak to my parents but not how it was accumulated but just that it built up over the years. They gave me a loan to pay everything off then I paid that back over 4 years. If I fast forward to today. I’m pretty much in the same position, earning a lot more than I did but if I don’t stop know I don’t know where it will end.

As of today I have all the blocks in place, gamstop, self exclusions etc. I also have restricted my safari on my phone and my partner has the code so I can’t go into the websites. Even with gamstop you can still access the non uk licences casinos and I was spending to feed my addiction even though I know they won’t pay out.

So today is day 1, the last time I gambled was 840pm last night. I am now 36 and I need to get my life together, get a mortgage etc with out relying on everyone else. Any tips etc to keep my going would be a great help and I will continue ready the forum.

All the best
Martin

[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!

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