Resources to help professionals identify problem gambling clients and respond to their needs.
Practical tips
If gambling is causing you a lot of trouble and you are really struggling financially, it might be best to give it up altogether. Here are some tips to help you stop gambling.
Practical tips for breaking your gambling habit
- Ask someone to help you
- Talk to them about your lying
- Limit your access to cash
- Fill the gap - find new ways to spend your time
- Relax and look after yourself - learn stress management techniques
- Busts and setbacks - relapses are common, don't beat yourself up, just try again
- Friends can help if you are open with them about your situation
- Become a good problem solver - many people use gambling as a way to escape problems - learn to face them head-on instead
Ask someone to help you
Don't be put off by this. You can do it on your own but a support person makes it easier, especially if you've got serious problems caused by gambling. This person might be a spouse, parent, friend or counsellor.
Talk about lying
Many problem gamblers end up hiding their gambling from people around them. This is understandable as it is hard to explain to a partner, family member or friend some of the things that problem gamblers do to keep their gambling going, such as borrowing money from finance companies or taking cash from a child's money box.
When people lie about gambling and debts, they may sometimes try to gamble their way out of debt so they won't have to ‘come clean'. This usually leads them further in to debt. Coming clean about gambling with a trusted person can relieve pressure and provide the space to prepare a more thoughtful plan for recovery.
Lying is a hard habit to break. If it happens with your support person, it stops them being able to help you because they won't trust what you say. You and your helper need to talk about this and plan out how to cope.
Limit your access to cash
About one in five problem gamblers can give it up fairly easily. Most find that for quite a time they can't stop if they have cash in their pocket and the club, TAB or casino is open. Many who stop gambling take a lot of trouble to get their cash flow under control.
- Don't keep large sums of cash kept in the house
- Carry only enough cash for the day's expenses
- Have wages paid direct to savings or bank account
- Have wages collected by spouse
- Ensure all accounts need two signatures to take out cash
- Pay bills by automatic transfer, cheque or credit card
- Tell family and friends what you're doing
- Ensure they have been told not to lend you money
- All cash flow must be ‘visible' on account print-outs
- Make new plans to control cash flow when there is a change, such as a holiday or a new job
- Use teller machines to provide limited amounts of cash per week
- Avoid jobs handling cash
- Ensure EFTPOS cards have no pin numbers, so they can't be used at a gaming venue
Fill the gap
Problem gamblers may spend 10-20 hours or more a week gambling. They also spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about their gambling. When you give up gambling you need to fill the gap it leaves. There are lots of ways to do this:
- Plan ahead
- Get to know family and friends if you have neglected them while gambling
- Take another part-time job
- If you are a lunch-time gambler, go somewhere different with workmates, arrange to meet someone, take a sandwich and read a book, go for a walk or a jog
- Take up a hobby or a sport
- Set short- and long-term goals
- Look at other things you can do to ‘treat' yourself
- Make your home an interesting place to be in, with interesting things to do
- Start to do the things you may have stopped when you started to gamble too much
Relax and look after yourself
Giving up when you've spent hours each week gambling can make you feel tense and irritable. This can feel even worse when you still go into the places where you gambled, like to the club if you played the pokies, or pass a TAB or the casino on your way to work.
Learning how to relax, getting plenty of rest and eating properly can help you stick to your goal of reducing or giving up gambling. You can try:
- Muscular relaxation training
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Meditation
A counsellor may be able to help you with your own strategies.
Busts and setbacks
Problem gamblers can kick the habit. However, you must be fair to yourself. Problem gambling is like an addiction. It is really hard to stop or keep it under control. You can often predict when problem gambling will reappear. You are more likely to lose control when you have bad times in other parts of your life that make you feel sad, anxious, angry or depressed. When you feel this way, it's challenging to stick to your plans, as you may feel an urge to borrow some money and go back to the old habit.
When you feel like you might gamble again, or if you do gamble again, there are five things you can do:
- Call Gambler's Help on 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au. There's always someone there to talk through the issue.
- Talk to your helper or write your feelings and actions in your gambling diary. If you gambled, look at what happened and see if you can spot ways of stopping it next time. Look for the good bits too. Did cash limits help? Did you find it easier to talk about it instead of lying about it? These are big steps forward and next time it will be easier to cope.
- Control your cash
- Fill in the gap with new things to do
- Practise your relaxation
Friends can help
There is no doubt that if you have help from your spouse and close friends you are more likely to succeed. Make an effort to explain your problem to your friends. Most people can understand the problem of getting addicted.
Once you can admit that your problem may have hurt them, and you can tell them so, then they will be barracking for you.
Become a good problem solver
If problems happen in other parts of your life, don't stick your head in the sand. Do what you've done about gambling. Look your problem in the eye and cope with it. Good problem solving has the following steps:
- Recognise there is a problem and look closely at it.
- Brainstorm all the ways you could deal with the problem. Write out a list and put down even the silly or impossible ideas.
- Decide on the best solution and try it out.
- Check to see if it works. If it doesn't, start again.
If you need help putting your action plan in place visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au, or, call Gambler's Helpline, FREECALL 1800 858 858 or TTY 1800 777 706 for free, confidential, professional help and support.
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Comments
I now have come to the realization that I have a problem. It all started out as fun and games but now it is the most serious thing in my life. I am 27 years old and have been gambling since the day I turned 21. I have lost plenty of money through the years and it sickens me to think about it. If I had to put a figure down it would be in the ball park of $100,000-$150,000. I am writing this not only because it is going to be my first step towards recovery, but also to reach out to those that share the same addiction. How and why would someone in their right mind go up to a machine knowing that there is a 9/10 chance you are going to LOSE!! It defies all reasonable thinking. Sure there is a chance that you will win, momentarily, nut the second you start having "fun" is the time where you start to lose. Please seek guidance and help for this situation. Write a note to yourself or to someone on the internet so that you can fully express and be aware of you problem. Keep money in your pocket. GO shopping for christ sake!!
Where can I start? Well I lost $1000 dollars today on my way to pick up my kids from kindy. The sad bit is that I was suppose to buy milk and nappy for my little one but I could not because I put every single cent I have in my wallet and card into the machine. Now am sitting here thinking of what to tell my wife. My wife works hard to afford rent and food for the family and I don't help her much not because I am not working but I put all my dollars in to these crap. My parents worked so hard to send me to this country but I can't afford to even support them back home. [....] This is too much pain to handle. It's true gambling can reduce a great man to a begger and I am a living example of that
my husband is gambling for few years. I tried to save our money; last night he used my credit card in casino and he didn't say me even one word about it. He wants to divorce because I blame him and he always has excuses why he is gambler. Is somebody can be recovered from this addiction?
I too am a compulsive gambler. When I was deep in the addiction, I would lie to my children, and stay in the casinos for several hours. When my life came crashing down around me, I couldn't believe that a person could become addicted to gambling. I went through a 30 day treatment center for help, and I have to say, it saved my life. Since treatment, my mind is so much clearer. While in the addiction, I would rationalize gambling, making up excuses and reasons why it was acceptable. I gambled for 18 years, and lost an incredible amount of money. It is in the past, and the best thing for us to do is move forward, taking one day at a time. I won't lie, it's a tough addiction to quit, but days without gambling are much better than the gambling days.
I am 37 years old and started gambling at about 15 playing blackjack with friends for lose change.At 18 i moved on to the TAB and am now a compulsive pokie addict.When i was 22 i began smoking heroin and dealing to support my habit. I was making so much money,anywhere between $4000-$7000 dollars a week. This is something i am not proud of.I had so much money and so much free time and this is when i discovered the pokies.My days would mostly consist of dealing and playing pokies,usually both at the same time.Sometimes up to 14 hours a day.Most of the venues knew i was dealing drugs but only one ever called the police on me.Probably because they didn't want to put a stop to the obsene amounts of money i was losing.This went on for about 5-6 years everyday.Although i can't put an exact $ figure on my losses, i estimate them to be around 1.5-2 million.Even with all this money i never bought myself a really expensive car,i put it all through these machines.I have now been employed for the last 9 years and now earn about $50,000 a year and still put the majority into these machines.I may only go once or twice a fortnight after being payed, but that is enough to lose everything.Once i get inside the venue i can't control myself. The funny thing is i actually rarely win and when i do i never walk out with the money.I have been a heroin addict and beaten that addiction,i have been on the methadone program and beaten that as well.These are some of the most addictive substances known to man.But the pokies i just can't seem to conquer.There is alot of psychology that goes into these machines. They get in your mind to the point where even though you know you are going to lose you still have this incredible urge to play them.[....] They say the number of problem gamblers is a small percentage, but everytime i go into a venue all i see are the same people all the time.
I'm 22 and have been gambling since I was 18-
Over the last 4 years I would estimate my loses at around $200,000- every cent I have earned has gone into the pokies except for my rent money and petrol, sometime I go without food and just eat the fruit that's supplied at work.
My partner knows and is very judgemental so I no longer turn to him. My parents are addicted as well.
I am losing control of myself now, I feel old and tired. While my friends are traveling overseas and buying new cars, houses, clothes ect I'm sitting by myself infront of a screen as I waste my cash away.
I've battled many things in my short life so far, being sexually assaulted, quit smoking, bullying, lost 30kgs on my own when I was a teen but this is the hardest battle I've ever faced.
It's a secret addiction because people don't understand how it can be addictive or why somebody would chose to play it.
I want it to be done and gone out of my life. I'm going to have nothing to show for myself soon
I'm sitting here devastated. I have kept a running tally of my wins/loses, every time I go(Pokies), I note it in my diary. I've now hit the $17,000 loss mark. $10,000 of that has been this year alone. When I was working I gambled my disposable income, but now like another person said I'm taking money from my nest egg, the nest egg I had been saving for about 14 years, knowing that I would eventually lose my job.(lost my Job in January, not my fault though)
I've been yelling at the kids about spending money for them, then I go and lose $500 or more. I feel guilty about yelling at them.
Yes and it is a secret life, only an online friend of mine in another state knows about my gambling. The kids know as well but they only hear about my good wins, not my losses.
I can't understand why I am doing this, I have more than enough projects in the house to keep me busy, I exercise almost every day. Yet I still find time to gamble. I'm thankful for the $400 limit on the ATM's and my daily $800 limit, that has really saved me. Looking forward to the $1 limit coming in. That will probably save many of us.
I have lost a lot of money from gambling, I kick myself immediately after for spending so much, I just can't pull myself away when I’m down thinking the features will come up on the next few spins. The next few days are hard, thinking about what I could have done instead with my money. In my case days, weeks months can go by and I feel very happy and don't feel any desire to play at all. When I do go it’s when I’m bored and a mate wants to go play. At that point I think I’m fine and can control it but usually come home feeling like crap. I think the only solution is to not bloody go! You’re not going to win, and if you do you're still a loser! I feel sorry to everyone out there who on occasion feels this addiction. Fight it.. be strong. You’re not alone - Good luck!!! :)
Ace
I think I totally lost control. I hate myself and sometimes i really want kill myself. To be honest i have the very very good husband and very good business. But I don't know why I keep fighting with my bad habbit--gamble on pokie machine. Even I know i cannot win because machine is design for get your money but I just keep want to get my money back and keep lost every dollars in these five years. I really tired to fight with machine and always think if i never play and never lost even 1 dollar that will be great. Then I lie to my good husband and my friend. That's really bad to me.
My friend lost 3 properties and 200,000 cash in the last 3 years.
I also 6000 in the last couple of month.
then I found a very effective way to stop losing.
I gave my bank card to my girlfriend which has my weekly income.
I lose money when I was getting crazy on pokie,when withdraw money, then loss everything.
I used to win a very big jackpot of 4338 dollars
but you know what, I lose every dollar in the next month.
so now I can only sit there, have some drink, look at the others to lose money because my girlfriend keep my bank card and I cant do anything.
If you keep playing, finally you lose, so now I spent my money in food and drink, fashion.
I can lose 2000 a night, but now I have the best food, drink, cloth and everything for not more than 1000, and I feel happy
which one you wanna choose?
I feel for all of you. I'm am not a gambling addict but I know my father is. I never understood why somebody would waste their money time and time again but it came aware to me that gambling goes perfectly hand in hand with personal problems and issues. It's like you are trying to find the solution through the problem and that's where the problem lies. I hope my dad will recover one day he is on the road to realization. I just hope you all get the help and guidance you deserve and this is the best place to start.
Im only 19 at the moment but i have lost thousands of dollars , i cant even track how much i have lost. The sad thing is , my mother died when i was younger and she left me a large sum of money that i have been using without thinking of the concicences , i have blown at least 1/3 of it at the DAMN casino , i dont even like playing. when your playing 1/1 odds you know youhhave to spend alot to make alot .
I really really wish i had never discovered gambeling , I try to save money but as soon as im near the casino i manage to lose it all.
That place has brought me nothing but heartache.
I wish it was illegal to gamble , every hard working person would be better off.
Im so sorry mum , i have wasted away so much of the money you left for me to start life with.
I just want to stop
I lost my first paycheck which i was trying to save. last night which was $900.00 in online gambling.
This gambling has haunted me for a few years. I feel so upset I'm 27 got a nice job I am paying rent. I'm now broke untill my next paycheck
I'm just tired of this.
DITTO!to all the above..
we are lemonade drinkers trying to live a champagne lifestyle and that just doesnt work.i have read the stories on here and can relate to them so much.the best thing i did was to exclude myself from everywhere that was tempting i.e bookies,bingo,etc then there is nowhere to go.i also opened online bingo accounts on then straight away excluded myself without making a deposit to them.you can exclude from anywhere where there is a gambling establishment and they have to cater your need to exclude by law.i hope this has helped. gd lck mmwwaahh xx
Sitting here reading all of the stories has given me a good sense that I am not alone with my addiction to the Pokies. Seeing that I am not alone in blowing my hard earned wages all the time, borrowing, scrimping to get through to the next payday, all because these demons have a hold over me that I just can't seem to break. The shame, the humiliation I feel, how I let something powered by electricity, take hold & ruin my life, after all, if I could pull the plug out of the socket it would be gone?? Nope, this is not the case, if only it were that easy. I punish myself all the time, "winning"? what is that, all I seem to do is put money into the machines, I play 1 & 2c machines, should the odd occassion arise where I get over $50.00 I put this back in also. For the $50.00 payout, I have lost $300 to $400, then lose the $50 also. Reading all your stories and your stuggles with gambling has helped me in my mind and given me hope that maybe there is a way to get over this addiction. So many of your feeling you have expressed is what I feel, you have expressed about how gambling has affected your life, well it is the same for me, I struggle all the time, say "never again" and then payday comes around & I blow it all. I have been to councelling & GA, they help people but I did not want the help so they could not help me. Again I have written down some counsellors name's in my area, I am hopeful I will try harder this time as I 'really' want to get over this addiction, I just don't try hard enough it is easier not to. I wish you all luck in your journey to get over the gambling addiction, wish me luck that I get over mine, sooner than later, thanks for your messages, I did get comfort knowing I was not alone and other gamblers felt exactly the way I feel a lot of the time,
Firstly,i am sorry for my bad English.I am a turkish man living in Turkey.
After 7 years at last i admitted that i am a problem gambler and i have compulisive disorder.there is no difference between an alcholic or drug addict and me!Yes i have never confess this before but this is the reality.the same urge with them and the same regret.we all hate ourselves when we came out our fake heaven.but we have the same urge to enter that fake heaven as soon as possible.because real life problems hurt us.we have done most of those bigger problems by ourselves,not the others.nobody put a gun to our heads to gamble to win!but we behaved in this urge.we thought we'll die if we dont bet!or we will have no money even to pay a bill!we are all sick people,normal people cant understand us.taking risk is a part of our lives.there is an turkish idiom "the gambler's wife is widow and his childeren are orphan".
but we are in a deep hypnosis of the worldwide betting monsters!the same aim everywhere in the world,to increase the amount of hypnozised people all over the world.
they will never care about our stories how we destroy our lives and the ones we love:(
there are lots of reasons why we are problem gamblers but there are also many reasons to stop it.
what am i doing to stop it:
1-i am going to thearaphy once a month and taking phills every morning .
2-i have assigned all financial issues to my wife.
3-i dont drink alchole anymore.
4-i will go to gym everday.(not started yet)
5-after work i am going home directly,take a shower relax and try to spend time with my family not with friends who coureges to gamble!
6-i am trying to plan how i will rid of from depth which caused because of gambling.this is the worst step for us.because when the payment day approaches ,our fake believes about winning occurs.we bet all the money we have in our pockets.
7-i pray god to forgive me about the harms .and try to make resititutaions.
GOOD LUCK! [....]
i am 51 years old I have been gambling all my life my dad hate it I have lost everything I lied I made up stories and you gamblers they all of them lies I could have been retired by now with the money dad left me but I have nothing to show for brothers sisters mums and dads u better quit its never too late [....]
I am a gambling addict. In the last couple of weeks, I've gambled away thousands. I have a good job and had a nice nest egg in the bank but that is just getting lower and lower. When I start playing pokies, I can't stop til my wallet is empty. Like somebody else posted before, I'm very competitive and hate losing, this is one of the reasons I can't stop. When I'm at work or sitting at home, I hear the pokies music playing in my head. I'm lonely and don't have anybody to talk to. I'm deeply ashamed of myself [....]. I'm such a phony, I pretend to be good and kind but I lead this secret evil life. I just want to stop gambling.
i live in a great town called [....] but dont enjoy walking round as there are so many bookmakers with eftpos machines then youve got all the cartoon racing once over i wouldnt dream of putting money in a machine but theyer so addictive even when the money is for something i need i just pop in there first and very rarley do i win but still i do it i know i have a problem but nowbody likes to admit they cant look after your own money any thing else in my life i sort out but this as been going on to long and i want to sort my self out i also have mood swings its always the horse i back that gets beat in a photo or am i just being scitzo im not but you get worn down by it
I am another one of those lost soles that has so much more to give to life than give my hard earnt money to people that don't give a damn so long as they are making money for themselves (yet I still do). How many of these people do you see sitting at a poker machine, not many [....]. I hated gambling but my husband did, so if we every went anywhere it was the CLUB. Now rather than sit and have a conversation with a friend I prefer to sit in front of a pokie, I even make sad excuses to my friends if they ask me to do something just so I can go to the club. I'm almost at breaking point and think it to is my time to admit to myself that I have a problem. So many things to do but unfortunely you need money to do them!!! I hate to think how much I would have put through them in total, that is one thing you dont keep tally of.
Reading all these stories and thinking so many of them sound like me,
I have spent more money on the pokies than i make.
Iv recently got a loan to pay all my overdue debts and actually spent most of it on pokies and won nothing...
And yet i still play,
I thought i had changed my habbit. And started playing with just $40 and actually winning.
I played all 7days last week.
Sunday i made $200
Monday lost $300
Tuesday spent $30 -made $90
Wensday-spent $30 made $100
Thursday -spent $90 won $190
Friday -spent $50 made $200
Saturday -spent $100 made $250
Sunday -spent $100 made $300
And instead of walking away like i did the last how manytimes and i blew it all and now i realis e iv got a problem,
Doesnt even matter how much i spend..
Its the mindset i have..
If only it was simple as putting $20 and walking away.
I get so emotional after a loss
Iv spent up 2 nearly $2000
In one place .and nothing i couldnt believe it...
I dont have any dependants or support anyone but myself finacially &my partner knows exctactly how much i spend and is fine with it&i guess thats part of the problem is that i have no support,he supports my wanting to give up but hes not always around when all of a sudden i want2play and where i live no matter what way i drive theres pokies....
also my really good friend is starting to actually play so most of our outtings involve the pokies which i try so hard not to play but she has a big win and will slip me
$40 and then i lose control from there..
I work in a bar with pokie facilities and i also deal with the machines and accounts side of things and i seee a lot of people lose big money.
And i always tell people how much iv lost and
How im not going to play anymore but the thing is i always play again and i form a bond with these people who do the exact same thing as me...
Im actually too ashamed to play at work incase people see me and judge the way i play.
Im ashamed of my habbit and really want2quit...well most of me.i enjoy playing to be honest.I Just want2be able to control how much i spend but i should give them up all together..
I also find when im down or depressed pokies is my place to hybernate....
I have no idea how this will turn out with all these influences in my life but ill try to give up...
Its money wasted and all for what nothing....
1day at a time.........
i believe im to smart for all this [....], i know i have a problem and i know its [....]but i dont know how i always end up back at the pokies every time a have money. Its ridiculous how many times ive said ill stop and yet i seem to always come back to it. Seriously need a change and i dont know how i can, ive taken every precaution not to gamble (leaving card at home with girlfriend in a SAFE and having no money at home) yet it still seems like i find my way to access money) ....lost everything today for a holiday i was supposed to go on, gf broke up with me, cant tell my mum coz her divorce was over my dad gambling and shell never be the same finding out i have the same problem so it kinda just looks like one solution...
Ill continue working till i have enough to try win back my 20k debt and if not, gooluck to all of you i guess...cya
I have always been in control until I found gambling. Late starter, early loser = early addict. I went from playing one dollar bills to now 1000 dollar losses in ten yrs. I need help.
I started GA once but became impatient without telling my group. Fell back into this financially deadly cycle.
I'm taking step 1. I'm calling for help. I don't think I can get any worse.
[....]
I am a compulsive gambler. I go to Play the pokies any time I have money in my pocket. This may sound unbelievable but I was running my own business profiting over 5k a week for the last 8 years. I have nothing to show for it. I rent. I drive a rubbish car. I have no money in my bank. I have $70 in my wallet right now. My wife loves me so much even though I can't even buy her a house or give her enough money to live. My bills are all overdue and on the verge of disconnection. I recently lost my business due to not being able to pay my staff and expenses. I used to earn 5k minimum a week and put it all in the pokies! Now I only earn $1000 a week working 6 days and I put that in too. Yes I have had some great wins up to around $14000 one weekend but have lost that so many times over. I lie. I make up stories. I am depressed. I hate myself. My children lobe me so so much but I just keep gambling and not being in the mood to spend time with them. This is so sad but true. I am a dead beat. People don't respect me anymore but before everyone wanted to be around me. The staff at the club know me by name and i know they laugh at me when i lose all my money!My brothers and sisters don't talk to me anymore because of gambling and i wish I could stop. I owe almost every member of my family money! I am ashamed to be writing this but I feel I need to in order to realize. I always say no more when I have lost everything then on Friday when I get paid I forget how bad I felt when I lost and I do it all again. I feel sorry for my family and can not change the past. The future is in my hands but I can not control the need to play the pokies. What can I do to stop? When am I going to buy a house? I feel never I feel I am going to lose my wife and kids one day over this and it's not too long a way. I need help urgent! Don't play the pokies they will ruin your life like the have ruined mine!!
I am a 38 year old woman and ive been gambling since I was about 23 years old. I dont even have the slightest clue as to how much money i have put through pokie machines. All i ever wanted in my life was to be happy with someone and have a child. I have just ruined the final chance i had in life with the love of my life because last week i gambled my whole pay and panicked so much about what he would say i stole his ATM card and spent $800 of his money trying to win back what i lost. He is in utter shock that i stole from him and he has kicked me out of the house. i am literally living here and there at friends or in my car, i have not eaten for 6 days and my stress levels are so beyond breaking point that ive been ringing lifeline every night. i do not have family here so am reliant on friends but they do not want to know me for what i have done. ive hurt the best person in my life, the person ive cared about the most in my whole life and now he does not want a bar of me. he told me he was going to propose but now he cannot find love for me. cannot live with a thief.
im the most down and out ive ever been in my whole life. i would not wish this addiction on my worst enemy.
Hi I am a compulsive Gambler..
I am 29 in a few days, i have been around gambling since i was fourteen, My step dad in the US had a 0.25 cent slot machine which i played hours on end and actually made him pay me when i won the jackpot ($50) i was using my holiday money. Of course i lost all my holiday money... from there i got addicted to $0.50 bets at the TAB as a 17 year old.. the guy never carded me...it then went to pokies again at 18 when i could get in a pub and get destructive, this has not gone away and i bet multiple forms of betting, ie horses,greys,casino,keno,Sports...
I calculate i have easily lost over 300K in 11 Years which is very sickening however i also know what is going to happen to me if i do not stop from TODAY ONWARDS... I will kill myself or Gambling will kill me on the streets.. Its really that simple..
Through out my gambling life i have steadily progressed with my career as it helps to earn money to feed the beast.. I am at the stage now where i am a business owner (sole) and everything that i bill is getting gambled.. for the first time in a long time i gambled my whole receivables without paying my long over due bills. Over 6.5K in the last 7 days..
I know im not getting the money back, I just can't stop.. I have been to GA on and off.. tried councelling but always found an excuse to not go..
People say you need to hit rock bottom before you change, but im not really sure if i have.. all i know is that if i dont fix it now..then..
I think its worse that i have known and addmitted to having a problem for years now but have not been able to take the next step.
I have lost 2 really good relationships with past partners since i was 14 to now, Shouldn't this be enough to motivate me to get my life on track..
10% of me does not want to quit, Im fighting a battle with myself.. My ex took it personally.. i tried to explain it was a disease and was not her fault.. we were together for 7 years and should have kids,marriage and part payment of a house right now.. this is not the case.. She is moving on and I am happy for her.
I know this is what i have to do:
1. Read the books, create diary entries
2. I have a gym membership which i never use but this will change as i will have several more hours on my hands.
3. Make a list on a white board and place it in my room on the wall listing all the GOOD and all the BAD things that Gambling has brought me in the last 11 Years.
4. I am going to attend GA twice a week for at least 6 months then maybe drop it back to just once a week.
5. Hand over complete control and passwords of my accounts to a close friend that is aware of my situation, I will reduce my card limits (again) to $100 a day max withdrawal, I will speak to the bank about getting a co-signatory on my account for withdrawals of monies as i have a gambling problem.
6. Advise anyone that i associate with that i am not interested in further discussion about pokies, multis... etc etc..
Bottom line is that i know what i have to do, and this time i really really hope i can find the strength and get the support to finally kick this for good..
p.s there is no restriction settings for compulsive gamblers.. dont fool yourself thinking you'll just spend $20 cause eventually you'll bust again... its all or nothing and as compulsive gamblers WE KNOW THIS !!!
I feel like i need a total personality reset as i dont know who i am anymore... I just know i really dont like me at the moment and i want to change it. I'm thinking of attending church and seeing what that may bring.. Hey it can't get any worse can it !
Good luck all, we are generally smart people but we have a disease that needs attention and hard work.. but we can put it into remission if we try !
We only have ourselves to blame for this and it is 100% up to us if we want to stop... no one can make us !
Tyler..
I am so sick of being addicted to the damn Pokies. Every month i get paid every month one or two days after "payday"i am broke. I am a liar, a trickster, i fudge the story to suit i am totally out of control. I am completely ready to give up the pokies. Time for me to do what i have been saying for months and give my cards to my partner. The instant i give over the control of my money i know i will be admitting my big problem - am am an addict. I am a recovered alcholic and i have heard the term Dry Drunk - i have substituted alchohol with pokies to block out dealing with the world and responsibilites living involves. If i get through this this time i will be forever grateful. Time to realise its not the brain that can solve my problem - I am far to smart and talk myself around anything. Its time to give myself to a more spirtual life, i am not religious but i do believe that there has to be something more, a strong spirit inside my, my soul that makes me the person i am and i need to get back to. Life isnt worth living in this empty lying shell. Hating myself is so depressing and no one can fix me except myself, i cant be watched 24 hours a day, so ultimately its up to me. If i had one wish i would ask to be cured of gambling for the rest of my life. I hope everyone and me can look forward to a much much better life free of this evil soul destroying beast
Hi i am 25 yrs old and i started gambling when i was 18 . I got a 10,000.00 dollar payout for a accident and i lost it all in a matter of two weeks . Since then i have gambled over 40,000.00 in total . I lost 1,000.00 dollars last week and 900.00 last night i want to save for a house and am so tired of feeling so depressed . Today i called to make a appt for counciling . I went to buy a book of the internet for help www.YourLifeBeyondGambling.com and didnt have any money now thats low . You dont evan have enough money to buy a book to stop gambling . When i get paid i will buy the book and kick this dreadfull habbit. I hope everyone else succeeds in there battle with gambling.
I have read all the stories.. I have found something about me in everyone. I can't believe it has happen. We had a great america dream. Family,church,small business,plus good jobs with a good 401k. It all started when we would take a yearly trip to Vegas... Had contol then, spent only what we could afford and that was very little. Then they started with riverboats. Way to easy to go. Fast forward 20 years. It is all gone and living check to check because of my gambling..Went through it all and more. We should be on easy street. Retiring, living off our retirement and 401k. doing fun things like traveling and being with family and friends.. WRONG WRONG.. IT IS GONE.
when you get to this point, the reason we are going back is to chase the money. ONE MORE BIG WIN. AND NEVER GO BACK TO THOSE DAMM CASINOS.
ALL GAMBLERS know that is not going to happen. No win is big enough.
Nothing is going to help me now because it is all gone, but, if I could tell all the young adults DON'T START BETTING OR GAMBLING ON ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE CONTROL TO STOP.
SINCERELY, WIFE,MOTHER, & GRANDMOTHER
wish I could turn back time BUT that also not going to happen.....
Hi i have been gambling since i was sixteen started playing on the pokies after winning a jackpot, was then playing the pokies for about another five years, then stopped playing the pokies for about two years and reformed another gambling habbit betting on the horses and the dogs, i would have spent around $10,000 this month. i am finding it really hard to give up. no matter how many times i tell myself not to gamble i find myself back in there,and now i am seeing that my actions are becoming a big issue that i am hurting my friends and family.. today i gonna stop once and for all go to some meetings and maybe get hyonotized.....
I am 31 years old and have been gambling for two years, mainly slot machines and lottery tickets. I had a couple of really nice jackpots early on, which didn't help because I've basically been chasing that feeling of excitement that accompanied the first couple of big wins. It has caused me to feel so much inner shame and humiliation. I really wish that I'd never started gambling in the first place. I've decided that I'm tired of lying to my wife about my whereabouts after work. I'm tired of the dishonesty. It's a dark and lonely future that I'd be facing if I didn't quit cold-turkey, which I've decided is my only option. I joined a self-restriction program at the casino, and I haven't been back in 2 weeks. Please keep me and everyone else that is facing the challenge to stop gambling in your prayers. It's a horrible addiction to overcome, but I'm two weeks into it and have decided there's more to life than slot machines...
46 years of age, been gambling for 30 years, on just about everything.
Commited fraud, stolen so many times, told 10'000's of lies.
Lost probably over a £million, if im honest, if its not i cant be far away.
I am know completely fed up with the whole scene, hanging on to my personal life by a thread. I have a compulsive personality, so i throw my self into things when i get hooked, this could be anything, at least i have not been down the heroin route, but if i tried i know id be in.
Back to gambling i'm going to give this a real go in kicking it, get my respect back, get my family back, get my life back, I cant advise anyone on what to do if they have a problem, apart from i know for one sure thing you can bet on, it always, always get worse.
I have to tell some truths tomorrow which i'm not looking forward to, but i;m going to have to stand up and be counted, once ive done that, i'll breathe again, its going to take me 6 months to get myself out of the latest situation, I'll come back on the 25th of July 2011, if ive been succesful. Keep on tryin to kick it guys, All the best. KAS
I am in my mid 30's and have been playing the poker machines for about 15 years now. I have lost a tonne of money, more than I really want to think about. Honestly, over the years, I reckon it's over $100K. I really have no interest in poker machines, it's just a reason and way to escape from the present. The machines themselves are boring, all I just want to get is the feature and get a big payout. Half the time I don't even look at the screen, almost willing the machine to win a big one which invariably it doesn't. Countless hours have been spent the days following payday at the local RSL. I always think $50 more and that's it, but it never is. I get embarrassed when I see people I know at the RSL and they see me playing poker machines. I had a new years resolution to quit, but it only lasted a couple of days (and in those days I felt the best I had in a long time) but the poker attraction was there. I work hard for my money, and am disappointed almost disguested with myself for losing. I really want to quit, and I thought my will power was greater than this, but it is one of the most difficult things I have had to do. Good luck everybody
I am 20 years of age and have been gambling heavily since i was old enough to gamble.
It started of just 20$ here and there i won a jackpot at my local rsl and after that it turned heavy. I famould get my wage into my accouny at midnight and be at the pokies waiting for it to appear in my account, it wad all gone within 10 minutes of recieving it. My problem quickly turned ugly. I started to borrow money of friends and family members i even borrowed money of my girlfriend when she was saving it to pay for a uni course. I have now gotten myself into such debt that i cant see a way out. I cant even give the girl i cared so much for the money to pay for uni course. I have hurt alot of people and ruined alot of relationships with very close friends and fanily. My sister doesnt even talk to me anymore. My dad has reached breaking point and cannot help me anymore. I have read over tje other comments and seen that i am not alone. I dont have the guts to go to meetings hecause i am to ashamed of my problem and dont want people to look down on me. I need to fix myself and get rid of my problem for good. I am going to try my heart out to prove to myself and the ones that love and care about me that i can do it and can lead a nornal life but until i do that i dont expect much from them. Thankyou for listening and to all of you dont bother its not worth getting into the situation i am in.s
i am 30 years old and a big gambler , i have a great job and make really good money but have nothing in the bank to show for it , i only bet on horses and sport , and would hate to think how much i have thrown away on gambling , im sure id be able to buy a house outright with everything i have lost . though today i have thought enough is enough the moneys gone i cant get it back . these are things im gonna do cancel my credit cards , bar myself from the sports bet operator i use , i ve called up and am going to go to councilling regulary not just for one week . i have cancelled sky from austar account and bar gambling sites on the home computer . and stop lying to my wife as everyone on here knows gambling makes you lie and denie. im gonna get through though it will be tuff as i have gambled since i was 17 . but if i give up now i should still die a wealthy man .this is the first time i have read anything about gambling it s good to no its not just me going through all this crap , best of luck everyone.
I am 33 and had been gambling on and off since I was 18. Most of the time I bet online on sports especially soccer. I will classify myself as a compulsive gambler. I do trade shares online too. So far I lost over $60K and decided that enough is enough. Planning to start a family next year and I have decided to stop gambling online and share trading from now on. It had been 4 weeks I am free of gambling and I am very proud of it. I could sleep well and my stress level is coming down. Thanks to all posters for sharing their stories. There is more to life than gambling. Don't chase the easy money and wish me luck to stay away from gambling forever.
I am 22 years old and have been playing the pokies heavily for the last 3 years. It has ruined so many things in my life and I've lost alot of things close to me. When i have no money in my wallet its easy to think ill never be back there again but sure enough ill get paid from work and i find myself going back again. I don't make alot of money and I've got myself into debt with friends over the years. I just wish this could all stop and i wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. It's gotten to the point where even if i walk in with $100 and win up to $600, ill still leave with nothing. Its not even about the money anymore i just use it as an escape from my life. I'm still young i don't want to turn out like all those people spending their whole life's there
I am only 18 years of age, and I already can feel myself as a problem gambler. The shame which rises from this is a terrible feeling. Lying, stealing to my close ones is what really hurts me inside. The feeling of walking out of the club with $0 in your wallet is even worse. I always think of elsewhere that money could have gone, like new clothes, gifts, holidays, even a new car.
I gamble my weeks wage and I being young don't earn much, so makes it even worse.
I really need and want to stop but it I always have that constant urge to play, I don't understand why? It's just a machine that eats your money, I may aswell throw my money in a bin.
I feel too ashmed to get help from a professional, I think I need someone close to support me and help me but I need to build the strength up to ask that person. Having a boyfriend who gambles alot too doesn't help one bit. Makes matters worse. I really don't know what to do...
I have a gambling problem and I read many of the comments. It was sad to read, a bit like a Stephen King novel where everyone is under mind control. I used to despise gambling when I was a kid because my mum played bingo 4 nights a week and bet on the horses on weekends. But when the pokies arrived I couldn't wait to try them. What began as stressing over losing $50 has now grown to $1000. As my earnings have increased so has my habit. I seem to have a reckless childish approach to them whereby I dont keep track of what I'm losing and even though I'm intelligent and know the odds I keep thinking soon i'll be lucky and win my money back. When I do win a large sum I'm really happy and go home cheerful but when I lose I get really down which is most of the time. I even want to go and play them today after losing $800 yesterday bacause I think I might recoup my losses. I think the machines have hypnotised me with the music and images spinning away with all the really good combinations wizzing past. I wonder about starting a class action to sue the manufacturers for manipulating my sub conscious. It would be illegal to use this in advertising yet pokies are clearly brainwashing 1000s of people. I never gambled much before the pokies only occassional lotto or scratchy. Now I have lied to my family, been late for appointments, maxed out my credit cards, refinanced my mortgage all for what? I really dont understand it. I've had counselling and stopped for 2 years but then relapsed. Its so hard for me to avoid the lure of those darn machines. [...] Its a real addiction. I am trying every day not to play. All the best to all the others.
I've have a gambling problem. It was really bad when I was in my 20s. I lost about 15000 in a 2 year period. I stopped for a while but gambled now and then. 20 years later I think I have lost up to maybe around 35000 dollars. The amount may not be as bad as other problem gamblers but we all have the same problem. I think I can give it up. The truth is you can't win at gambling, you will always have more losses than wins. I like money alot. That is not a problem just discipline myself to not gamble and gradually see thousands of dollars accumulating slowly in my account. Fast money is not the way.Gambling is heavily promoted in Australia and something should be done about it. Even non problem gamblers should think about all the money they are wasting. Give it to someone you love, give it the less fortunate but don't give to the someone who makes money from people being deceived into thinking they can make a fortune.
Like a lot of other people my gambling habit started quite early. EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF MY FAMILY GAMBLES. No coincidence then that I live with a man who also likes to gamble. We went out for dinner last night, stopped into the pub on the way home, and lost $800 in a pokie machine. Today I have to face my children knowing that all of that money could have been used for a family holiday, or even just a bunch of new toys. It's hard to break a habit when everyone around you encourages the behaviour. My family love hearing about the wins/losses stories and enjoy share their stories. I will break the habit. I'm getting to know the triggers and I really want to change.
[...]This is a huge social problem in Australia. We live in a small country town. The only venues open in the evenings that do not have pokies are restaurants. It's really hard to restructure your social life outside of pokies when there is so little else on offer. [...]Thanks for sharing your stories. It's good to know I'm not alone. Please pray for my success.
When I was 16 I started doin $5 bets on sport, it gradually got bigger till I eventually lost about 5000 over a period... Then I kicked the habit for a while saved up about 18000 in my account then had a bit of an urge.. I had a few bets between $100-1000... 6 months later my bank account was $46000 at 20 years of age... Loving life...had everything planned for life and I was so happy... Then in the space of 3 weeks I lost 30,000... I keep thinking how the he'll does it happen but it did... As of today I vow to NEVER have a bet again, I know it's hard but the thought of losing 30,000 makes me physically ill... I need help bigtime, I want that money back in my account I'll do anything to have it back
someone help me please
I feel so bad for everyone here. I have been there and still live there. Here in Canada you can request a ban from casinos and they take like 1000 pictures and if they catch you going into a casino they can arrest you! I signed up for 3 years and it's almost up and I'm scared about and excited to be able to go back into the casinos. I hated that life and don't want it back. The same problems aka a bad marriage are still here, why I needed to escape to the casino, but I guess I've handled them for 3 years without big time gambling, that is only scratch tickets, so I should just sign up again. I've tried to fill my life with other things in that time but the gambling bug is always there, like a larvae under the skin, just waiting to pop open. I can't go to counselling as I have a respectable job and can't let people know. My mom was and still is a gambling and alcohol addict, so this is what I grew up with, but I love her very much. I probably do need counselling but am scared to talk to anyone. If I could give anyone a message like everyone else here it is "Don't start, not even once. The only easy time to quit is before you even start. It is never easy again" good luck everyone, be strong, be healthy,
I am willing to admit that I was full blown gamble addict.... I'd do anything to get that fix at the casino, even empty my own bank account ,and when that was gone I'd go into the other which I am not allow to accesss unless big emergencies came up or something. But it was the same thing, I'd gamble until it was all gone.
Then the crunch came when my parents couldn't put up with it anymore and after a heated row with them They helped me pack my bags and was left to fend for myself financally in me mates house, the rent....food and of course , the constant freezing at winter and toasted at summer for a year....After that I realized the obvious, I took everthing my family gave for granted to my sheer sorrow and guilt. After that, my addictive nature of gambling was slowly subsiding after countless vists to the gambling conselling I willing put myself under, to release me from savage beast called, "Complusive Gambling"
I've got the worst gambling problem. Sure I've started leaving my cards at home..but I still manage to find a way to lose about $1000 over a weekend.
I would be drunk and lose the cash in my wallet into a pokie, say $300. then the next day would go to the TAB and try and chase it by putting $500 on a soccer game or whateva and last nite LOST that bet.
I just have the worst feeling of the need to chase and I know the only way I can stop gambling is to STOP all together but when I'm drunk that's all I seem to wanna do is play pokies. I've said to myself so many times NEVER again! But Im always drawn back to the pokies which I never really win on. I feel the only solution is to not even go to the pub, but its pretty boring staying home alone all weekend so it's a bit of an oxy-moron. P:S: I hate it how every pub in Australia has pokies, they should be at the Casinos ONLY!
I started gambling at the age of 24 and was having fun. I was single and carefree. I then got married, openned up a successfull business and gambling was always in the background in a very moderate way. I sold the businesses made some good money but due to serious bad money management 2 years after i sold the business i had not much to show for all my hard work. I started gambling more and more in the hope i can hit the jackpot and get back the monies i wasted. the more i gambled the more i lost the more i lost the more i was ashamed to the point of considering suicide to end the pain. I am lucky as i have just come out and told the family and hey have been nothing short of wonderful in helping me get back on track one step at a time. I recommend that no matter how much you are ashamed of what you had done and no matter how bleak it may look, talk to our family. Its like a bandaid, it will hurt for a few minutes but the wound will heal a lot better. Family will understand more that you think and they will be the source of support as they do love you no matter what.
I thank god that they are there for me and i know your family will be there for you too.
Dont put off doing something about it because as i discovered waiting for that jackpot that will fix everything never comes and never will.
I'm a 27 y/o female who's been gambling since 2006. I've maxed out 5 credit cards since then, most of the money went to gambling. I'd make a payment on the cards then take it out again before the monthly interest was processed and gamble it, incurring more fees I've lied to my parents to get money for gambling. I've borrowed extensively from friends to gamble even more. It seems like I'll go to any length to get money to gamble. For example today I got my pay early because I told my boss I had urgent expenses. One part of it was spent on cigarettes. The rest went down a poker machine. I was meant to give a friend $50 I'd borrowed but i ended up gambling that too. When I got home I found a cheque in the post so I went to cash stop and cashed it, losing $19. I paid my friend with this money only to ask for it back when I was at the pub again gambling my last 5 bucks. I said I'd pay him $80 for lending me $50 so he couldn't refuse. I just needed the pyramids again and then I'd have won.
I prayed to God before I started gambling tonight and I lost everything. This makes me wonder. I think the message is that God has no control over poker machines. He knows I need the money. Or maybe it's just that he knows it's a mistake to gamble and doesn't want to encourage me by granting me a win. Either way the message is not to gamble.
Tonight I'm going to start afresh. I'm giving control of my finances to my best friend. I'm just going to carry enough money to get me through the day. I'm going to eliminate poker machines from my world vowing before you now never to touch a poker machine again. I'll keep you posted as to how I go.
Just remember one thing people. The universe is an amazing place, fundamentals of life is held together by balance. The harsh reality is
Free money = undeserved = lost
Hard work = deserved = money.
You cant beat this system no matter how hard you try.
Winning at the Casino/Pokies is 10 times worse than loosing becasue you will re-gamble approx 10 times the amount you won.
1. Don't gamble, there is no point.
2. If you ever win, take it and donate ALL of it to a charity immediately - you will not regret it.
3. Do it now, leaving it to tommorrow is already too late.
4. Go to the beach, sit down and relax :)
Peace out
My problem started about two years ago.I never enjoyed gambling until I won my first 1,000 on a two dollar instant ticket.I began going to the casino's and won 1,000 on a wheel of fortune slot.I WAS HOOKED!I thought man this is great!I enjoy the rush of winning so much that when I win I continue to play until my winnings are gone.It's a long ride home after you lose.Telling my wife I was 17,000 dollars in the hole after taking out a personnel loan was the hardest.I broke her heart.You don't realize the person you are lying to is youself.*** I did well with the support of my wife. Telling someone helped me stop trying to win back what I lost.I even turned the finance's over to my wife because she doesn't gamble.I still go to the casino once a month but I leave home everything but my I.D.and what I want to spend. Everything in moderation.That's what ive learned.
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