Desperate times call for desperate measures ...

Hello guys,

I feel the urge to tell someone my short story. You guys don't know me very well, I don't have many posts but I'm online every day on this great site. I'm sorry if I bother you with it, but I'l explode if I don't tell anybody about these things.

I always knew that I'm at least a little addicted to Sports betting and Casinos. But I had it somehow under control. But the things that happened to me in the last 10 days are telling me that I should quit right now.

I'm a student with a relatively low income, who is betting now for 3 or 4 years. But I always was playing with small deposits ( 10€ - 50€ ) till 5 or 6 months ago. where I started making deposits over 150-200€.

Last week I've turned a 4€ deposit into 1000€, playing slots (Pictures are at winning screenshots thread). I withdrew it and lost it all in a couple of hours. It was a really bad feeling, I couldn't sleep two nights after it.

Yesterday then, I had 450€ in my bank accout, so I started chasing all my losses, first with 50€, playing slots. Then 100 with sports betting and the last 300€ also with sports betting.
But the really bad thing about those 450€ is that it was not at all supposed for casinos and alike. It wasn't my money. It was money that I should give someone else in two days.

I've crossed a line that should  never be crossed. I'm feeling desperate and  honestly don't really know what to do. The people I know will never understand this. They will judge over me very badly. But this is probably something that I derserve now.

In the past months I've lost a lot of friends because of my addiciton, an addiction that's getting worse every day. I can't motivate myself anymore to do other things than playing slots or make some bets and hoping for goals.

Long story short, I just wanted to tell you that I'm quitting gambling. At least for a couple of months. I just hope that if I tell someone that I'm quitting, I'll maybe try it harder. Please don't gamble if it's not your own money. And don't let the addiction control you, like it's controlling me.

But that doesn't mean I will leave LCB.com. I love this site, you all guys are doing a great job. .
I'll now need a break but after it I'll be more active at other sections on LCB.com, hopefully.

I wish you all the very best!

Goodbye, (for now)!

izi

I'm sure you've chewed your fingernails down and pulled your hair out over this.  I think you've made a very wise decision.  If you are out of control, the best thing is not to do it at all.

I wish you success in giving it up (for the time being) and I hope you sort yourself out money wise.  Perhaps you should reinforce your efforts with some help from gamcare or another agency that helps people in your position or alternatively ban yourself from sites for a certain period of time.

I hope it all goes well and do stay in touch when you can and let us know how it's going. 

Bye (for now).

          Hey Izi,  I'm sorry to hear about your situation.  I'm certainly not in any positon to judge you or anyone on this forum.    You touched upon several good points, one of which is that people don't understand.  If you're not into this sort of thing I think it's very hard for others to relate to it and I know people aren't always sympathetic to gamblers.    Also , I think
stopping , even if for a little  while is probably not a bad idea--Avery Cardoza  has a great expression  "there will always be another game tomorrow".    I  hope things get better for you and please talk to someone about this outside this forum. 

It's a wise decision Izi and one that takes a lot of strength because I know people that can't even admit that they are addicted. Stick to that decision and remember that we are always here to support you whenever you need help.

Thanks for sharing your story with us; it's a very courageous thing to admit it to yourself and now just stick to it. I'm sure that you have a support from all LCB members. Do whatever you need to do to help yourself and don't give up.

Hi izi,

You made a very huge step just by admitting it. The bravery to share your story at the forum is therapeutic in many ways and is the beginning of healing. Your are hardly alone and it is a easy trap to fall into especially since gambling can be considered such an adrenaline rush type of entertainment.

It's tough when you have friends that are not gamblers and it is so easy to judge another when they don't have a particular addiction. Don't be hard on yourself and remember those without sin can cast the first stone.

It always has been an issue when i hear friends walk away from someone when they clearly have a problem. There are plenty of people that have some form of addiction but when its not the one they have, they can easily judge.

Reminds me of a close friend of mine who would really get on her sisters case for being over weight and would say she has an addiction and should quit eating, riding her all the time. I said to her..........let me ask you something does your sis (who is a non-smoker) ride you every day for smoking over a pack a cigarettes a day? I think she got the point!

Nevertheless i wish you the best and when gambling is no longer fun and it begins to destroy your life it is time to quit. Just remember the best way to build your bank account is by doing it the old fashion way......working for it.

I hope you come back and let us know how you are doing from time to time. You can be a real inspiration to those in the same boat.

Lips

Thank you for all your support, everyone, it really means a lot to me. Good to see that there are people that can understand this kind of things.

I'm now will try to stay away from gambling for 2 or 3 weeks by myself. After this period, depending on how my condition is, I'll maybe get professional help. I also will take a break from the internet or at least I won't be longer than 30 minutes online a day.

Like I said, I don't want to quit gambling forever. Gambling is fun when we know when to stop and don't start chasing losses. But I've lost control, somehow. And I should stop before it's too late.

Once again, thank you very much.

Hi izi,

I think a lot of members in this forum have had these bad times when gambling, as have i, spending money that i should not have spent, and yes sometimes going too far, but i am very controlling with my gambling now, and i do it for entertainment purposes, i always make sure i have everything i need and paid all my bills first so i know where i stand.

I respect your decision and i wish you the best of luck in dealing with the temptation cos i will be honest, it is not going to be easy to stop gambling, but i really do wish u the best of luck and support.

We are all here at LCB if you need anyone to talk to further

Good Luck

Wish you luck izi, glad to see you took the first step in admitting it. There's def a fine between a hobby and addiction, I've had a few moments myself. Stay strong and see you back soon!