New here? Change makers introduce yourself here!

[pamela]

Hi Spartan and welcome..its never too late to turn your life around.
Take it one day at a time and just remember ..I won't gamble today

[the_penguin]

Hey @Spartan

Glad to have you with us. You'll find that we are a welcoming community, and always happy to support you.
I have to second what has already been written. You can do this, and it's never too late to turn things around.
I hope you will use us as the support you need to turn your gambling behaviour into a thing of the past.

Take care.

[Styris]

Hi, I’m new here. I have tried councillors before but didn’t find it much help. Is it just me? Because I don’t know what else to do. I tend to relapse every few years.

[Lodger]

Hi @Styris ,

Welcome to the forums.

Sounds like you've been trying really hard over the years and have made some progress.

We tend to feel like a failure after a relapse but there are plenty of things you would have learnt along the way. You just don't have all the tools - YET.

My favourite Yoda quote: "Failure, your greatest teacher is". What went wrong this time? What was happening before your relapse? Can you remember any thoughts or feelings that were triggering you? How could you handle those things differently next time?

There is no one thing for everyone and you are not alone in your experience with counsellors. Different things work for different people. Perhaps you had the wrong counsellors. I have found it helpful to cherry pick things different people have told me, and gone with the things that resonated.

Keep trying mate. You'll get there.

[Damaged_Armour]

Hi, I’m new here. I have tried councillors before but didn’t find it much help. Is it just me? Because I don’t know what else to do. I tend to relapse every few years.

Yes mate, it's a battle that never ends, I don't think we will wake up one day and not be gamblers.

[the_penguin]

Hi @Styris

@Damaged_Armour Makes a good point. There is definitely a lot of effort, or a fight involved when dealing with any problematic behaviour. It's often a long process, and as you've found out, very difficult.

@Lodger Also makes some excellent points there. There's no 'one size fits all' approach to dealing with a gambling problem. The issue is that you have not found the right tools....yet. The other point I took from their post is about analysis. Break it down.... what went wrong, why did it go wrong, what have a learnt from my mistakes... It's a process of refinement until you find what works best for you.

@pamela @Spartan @Squeaky

[Mooks]

Hi, I’m Mooks - I’ve been to individual counseling before and my family were aware of my addiction to pokies. I thought I had it under control - I keep myself away from money, have given control of that to my husband. My adult son is very supportive but my husband is very black and white and doesn’t understand why I can’t just stop. I’m seeking help again today as I just went through $150 in 10 minutes and then tried to access wallet wizard for more money. Red flag, guess I’m not over my addiction.

[Kwams5]

Hello all,

I'm 38 yrs old, have been addicted to sports betting for almost 20 years. I estimate I've lost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2million. I work a good paying sales job. I find it infinitely harder to hold on to money than to make money.

Given I moved to Aus from the U.S. a year ago for my now wife who is 6 months pregnant with our 1st child, it seems like a good time to fight this addiction with all my might.

Rock bottom has always come and gone. I've quit for months only to return. I've lied, stolen, gambled rent, contemplated suicide, lost friends and girlfriends, etc. to the grip of this disease.

I plan on using this forum daily along with GA and counseling, as many of the testimonials help remind me of the struggle along with all there is to lose. There's always a new/worse rock bottom.

Thanks to everyone here for sharing and accepting other stories. It is comforting to know there are others out there going throuh the same daily battle.

[Safari]

Hi @Kwams5

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you for sharing your story, it sounds like it's been a bit of a rollercoaster, and a struggle for a number of years.
But you show a strong sense of resilience in not giving up and taking the initiative to get help for yourself, and on behalf of your family (congratulations on the pregnancy of your first child).

Using this forum, along with accessing GA and counselling is going to be highly beneficial to help you reflect and develop skills to beat urges to gamble.

Wishing you all the best on your journey!

[JB-nsw]

Hey @Kwams5 I look forward to reading more from you. It can be done, evident by stories here but also other stories and experiences that show it can be tough. This forum is a good place to get some insights and affirm some things you already know.