Topic: Recovery journey from gambling addiction. - page 7. (Read 957 times)

I am happy to know that you are gradually overcoming your gambling problems. It's not an easy battle because I have experience addiction but not gambling. Thank you for sharing some strategies that help you to overcome your disorder. I am more concerned about how watching other people's stories helps you to keep fighting to overcome addiction. When I was suffering from addiction I was always motivated by some celebrities who were able to fight some counterproductive behavior and became victorious. These true life stories give me the confidence and motivation that if these people can overcome this problem, then I can also achieve it.

Another move that helped me was to disassociate myself from some of my friends who are active gamblers. This was because I observed that staying around them and hearing discussions on gambling was triggering the urge to gamble.

If you ask me I will say I am not a gambling addict. Although I often gamble some times but don't take it too seriously. From your experience I see that you have undergone so much difficulty due to chasing the goodie bags, and meanwhile there is no easy goodie bags in gambling .Gambling is a game of luck, and if we pay deaf ears or neglect its rules  we would have problem of addiction. To controle addiction is simple just by not being greedy or selfish ad not trying to make fortune out of gambling.

OP, it's good to hear that you're finally getting recovered from gambling addiction, and you're not into gambling directly anymore. It's really a tough thing to keep oneself away from gambling because when someone gets addicted to it then it becomes harder and harder to distance oneself from it. However, the ones like you with strong will power and dedication can reduce the impact of that addiction and sometimes even fully give up on gambling altogether.

Oshosondy story have been ringing alerts on ears and many of us have learnt a lot of lessons for the various incident of gambling addictions  here in the forum so for sure what we can say is that, avoiding gambling addiction is better than recovery from gambling, because for someone who once is an addict, he she will easily slide back into addiction if Care is not taken, but for someone who have the discipline to avoid getting into addiction like making sure to avoid Excessive gambling, since do so will keep you a step ahead of any possible addictions.

Gambling addiction is not a thing for inexperienced gamblers alone, experienced gamblers too can fall victim of gambling addiction. OP is right when he said knowledge alone about a particular game isn't just enough, we still need some good discipline and self control to still be free from any gambling problem. Overconfidence is one thing that has made lots of gamblers take decisions they are not supposed to take, they believe that they know the game too well, so they have higher chances of winning. When they lose the first time, they keep playing because they have hope of winning. After a while, everything graduates from just hoping to win to chasing losses. I've been there before and I know other gamblers understand what I'm saying.

Gamblers need to be conscious of themselves always, one small mistake can give them years of regrets.

I can understand you better than anyone else I believe as I am in your exact position now from a few weeks and I have not deposited a single cent since these few weeks and for me it was another reason, I had no loans or better no real loans, meaning huge amount of money though I was losing since January 4 2024 until now and this made me think those few weeks before. I said to myself money is better in my wallet rather than in the casino wallet and even when I have lost, of course only bonus money that I am entitled too for a few more weeks I don't give a damn about gambling or depositing, 0 pressure, I feel relaxed and anytime my brain says why not try again now that you have a lot of balance I say no as I know it will be a losing session once again. Well done to you and I see a reflection of what I am doing although in a different way with different motivation though that goes in the same end goal.

You can keep yourself busy and focus on other new activities even if it's not work. Find another thing to maybe get your interests and distract you from gambling, that is to simply say find other hobbies and things to do for fun.
This can be very encouraging because you can draw from their strength and see that there are other people on the same journey with you, to turn their lives around, and there are those who have actually recovered from it.
Finding physical support groups for people recovering from addiction can actually help as well. The occasional meeting and sharing of stories and struggles helps a lot. If there is no one, maybe start one.

Good for you mate and congratulations that you had made it out. On the moment that you do caught yourself on getting addicted with gambling then this is something a situation that you cant easily be able to get out or able to avoid or getting rid of it once you have been shackled with addiction. Experience is the best teacher that we do all know but its not really that necessary for you to be able to experience things before you will really be able to make out adjustments. It all matters into someones control and decisions on which neither they will really be that continuing or not basing up into the current condition that they are in. It is really just that too impossible that you cant be able to determine the status specially on spending up money. We cant be perfect, we humans are never been perfect and on the moment that greed kicks in then this is the time or moment that we do lose up that good decision making when it comes to things and will really be tolerating into the things we wanted. At the moment that you do have that strong urge to gamble then you will really be losing your good decision making or control at that moment. You wont be thinking about on the cons and disadvantages that could happen ahead if you will really be deciding on continuing. Everything will really be that according into the thing that comes up into your mind, if you are hoping on getting rich with gambling then you will really be pushing yourself out of your limit and dont care about on the attached risks of gambling.

Congrats to your journey. Despite how long we been exposed to gambling addiction threads in the forum, it seem like casinos are pulling us up to keep trying our luck actually. Its gradual process maybe you can try just doing it on weekends.

I'm not big spender in casinos but when I see myself winning I tend to increase my bet too. I'm sure this is not addiction since I already pass that period of my life. That's why I tend to just stick to sports and just watch those matches on casinos stream.

I agree with you, gambling addiction is very bad and too difficult to left it, it’s not easy to everyone. I was addicted for the long time, i lost approximately thousands of dollars, but when i have seen there are no way to quite from it, but i am recovered gradually, as like same way of you, i play with low amount of money, now i am totally out of gambling addiction.

This is a very powerful and inspiring story. I love to read stories like this and to share it with folks in the gambling community. It is not everyone that is courageous enough to share their story. Just keep pushing and taking everything one day at a time. And let no one  make you feel otherwise. There should even be a thread where those recovering from gambling addiction can share their own story.
Keeping busy is a significant step in overcoming the urge to relapse during the recovery process. And it is not just about keeping busy for busying sake but a very purpose engagement in positive and impactful activities.

Getting out of gambling addiction is really hard. Very few have a perfect plan and move on it, whereas most users get distracted on the recovery journey and once again get back into gambling. I personally lost a huge amount and got into debt. At some point I understood I was addicted, but I wasn't able to come out of it. Later, with hard efforts, I took a long break, giving promise to my dear ones. This lasted, and at some point, once again, I had set my limits to $10 maximum for a day and began gambling. It went well for one or two weeks. Later, once again, I lost control and started to lose big as I focused much on Dice, and I wasn't able to have control over it. Soon after that, it was like bankrupt, as I don't have any penny, which is the end for my long addiction.

Happy to hear this kind of story from a gambling addict before. I must say, you did great. Not only on avoiding gambling again, but the previous addiction leave you a huge impact that molds your perspective on what you are right now.

I gamble, but I never end up getting addiction on it. That's one thing I am proud of. One thing is certain, if you don't have discipline and self-control towards the urge in gambling, you will definitely fall on its trap. If you are weak and would easily get tempted, just don't try to enter gambling in the first place.

Congratulations GxSTxV and thank you for sharing your story. It's much welcome getting an actual real discussion about a sensitive topic and not thetons of threads opened, many that do not help people in that situation or getting there. Thank you also for sharing the tips that has been helpful to you in your journey.

You're right about avoiding gambling for fun, that sometimes can be an easy part to return to addiction, more so when the urge to gamble is still there a little.

Mine story is no more new on this forum. I was addicted since 2014 and lost money until 2019. That was 5 years. After losing huge amount of money, I knew I had to stop gambling. I stopped for a year. I gambled again and I noticed I can get addicted again and I stopped. Until now. I rarely gambie now and I can control it. But my advice for you is just not to gamble anymore. I have not gambled more than 20 times this year and I do not think I used more than $50 in total. So I can control it and I do not think if gambling at all. Probably because I got job already that is keeping me busy and not have time for it. Even if I have time, I do not think I will use it to gamble.

First of all, congratulations on 30 days away from your addiction and here's your chip.



You are doing great and just keep doing it.

Any kind of addiction is harmful for us and you said it right we need self control over anything and people mostly blame the gambling when it happens but you took the responsibility and identified the problem is in your choices and decide to make changes and that's the right way of dealing with it.

That's just the problem with gamblers, they know the rules of staying away from addiction but only few stick to the rules because the others are after making profit, forgetting that addiction is for all who lacks self control over their gambling activities. Getting addicted is not the problem but for you to be able to realize yourself fast and overcome it, is what matters a lot.

I am happy for you OP, that you have finally overcome addiction and have made some activities that will keep you away from gambling, but you still need to be careful so that you don't become addicted again when you start gambling, only if you choose not to gamble again.

Keeping yourself busy is one of the best ways for an addict to distract themselves from gambling. They can find a hobby that they enjoy, or do work, or do other activities that keep their attention away from gambling. Because the problem that gamblers often face is that the urge to gamble arises when they are not doing anything - although this is quite difficult to do because not everyone has the same ability to restrain themselves, but if this is practiced continuously then over time an addict will be able to control their addiction to gambling.

Dear Gambling Community

I have been an active contributor to our gambling community here in Bitcointalk for a long time now. Over the past years I worked as a community manager and live streamer in a few casinos. I have shared much of my knowledge about this field and always strived to be honest. About six months ago I created a topic discussing my decision to take a break from gambling excessively. I had noticed my increased in gambling that time not only in spending more money but also in dedicating more time to it. 

However, a few months later I made a series of bad decisions. I gambled away a significant amount of money that was meant to pay off an important loan. On top of that, I borrowed more money and lost it again. I decided to share my story honestly with this community and with myself. Gambling is dangerous and not just for new players but also for experienced ones like me who are fully aware of its risks. I would say that knowledge alone isn’t enough but selfcontrol is even more important. Looking back to my situation it was greed and the desire to make money easily that tricked me into addiction. 

This topic is dedicated to discussing my healing process and the first steps I have taken to rebuild my life. I decided not to chase my losses and have self-excluded my accounts from many casinos. I won’t lie to you, over the past month I felt the urge to gamble for fun. But what has helped me to not do it is the support and encouragement from this community and some of its members, to restart everything and find more jobs.

Here are a few strategies I found helpful in staying away from gambling all this time: 
- Keeping myself busy and focusing on work. 
- Watching documentaries about people recovering from gambling addiction and how they have turned their lives around to the best. 
- Spending the money I earn on paying bills and expenses beside the friends I took loand from, which brings me relief and a sense of control fighting the chaos gambling created in my life. 

That said, I still remain in touch with the gambling field as part of my work and lifestyle which I genuinely enjoy. My deep knowledge of this field feels valuable to me and I choose not to let it go to waste. While this close connection between my healing process and working in the gambling industry is without actually gambling, doesn’t tempt me anymore. Day by day, the desire to gamble is fading and I feel stronger in my journey.

I would love to hear about your experiences if you faced addiction or any opinions, suggestions, or stories you like to share. Let’s support one another on this journey. 

Warm regards, 
GxSTxV