Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group
Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. A preferred term among many professionals is problem gambling, as few people described by the term experience true compulsions in the clinical sense of the word. Problem gambling often is defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others rather...
Hello everyone, I have been reading the board for a few months now. I finally decided to join and post my story. I wish everyone the best with fighting this addiction. There are some great people on here that give wonderful advice.
I hope my story helps some, including myself. I am in a different situation than most on here.
I have been gambling for around 15 years or so. I have never gambled anything I couldn't afford to pay back and never stolen to gamble. My early gambling days centered on betting on sports and playing poker and blackjack online. I would maybe do a casino once or twice a year. I definitely lost more than I won my first few years of gambling. I started playing small whether $25 on a game, maybe up to $100 the most. The casino maybe $10 a hand on blackjack. I didn't like losing the $ but it didn't put me in a bad spot. I definitely chased some losses, got lucky at times, but definitely lost at times. The betting on sports would be time to time. I would have good weeks, then a bad beat in there and I would say thats enough and take time off, maybe even a few months.
A few years into gambling I began betting bigger on sports and at the casino. I have some big wins. I won a large amount playing blackjack all night long. Also won 2k on a single sports bet and someone told me once you bet big its hard going back to betting small. That person was definitely correct.
I continued gambling over the years in stages having success and of course the bad weeks and give it all back. The roller coaster ride.
However, the last few years with sports betting has been very profitable. Throughout that time though I have made some very big wagers and not its even more difficult to go back betting smaller. I don't get the same rush and saying I should have bet more on it. But by betting large and going on a cold streak it will kill your bankroll.
Last year I wanted to stop betting. I won a nice amount of $ after giving some back but still wasn't happy. For example if I won 4k in a week but at 1 point I was up 6k I wanted to be at 6k or higher by the end of the week. I stopped a little over a year ago and made it clean for about 110 days till winter and football season.
I had a great run, made lots of $. I put 2/3 of my winnings on the Seattle Seahawks in the super bowl and if anyone saw how that game ended, lol. I said okay I will walk away with $ and be happy. I last 5 days. With that $ I tripled it. I ended up having a bad beat in a game and then risked the rest of my winnings on another and lost it all.
I took a few days off made 1 more play big bet and lost. I took 5 weeks off and get the impulse to bet and went on a hot streak. Won 4 weeks in a row, then lost 1 week, won the next. I have won a large amount of $ but its never enough. Always want more. Chasing my highest winning point.
I have a good job and great pension when retire. No financial problems. I'm not gambling to help pay for things, but my winnings have done that for certain things over the years.
I think its more about the rush for me. But I need to bet larges amounts to get it. Its like go big or go home. I won't be happy winning a few hundred dollars. I want the big stack.
I can honestly say without bragging that I have won more than I lost with sports betting, online blackjack and betting at the casinos than I lost.
I should be happy and run for the hills because its not easy to do. But I want more and more. Want to win every night I gamble.
I also think at times I like that losing feeling after having a bad night or week. Part of me is also addicted to that feeling as well as the rush from winning.
At times I hope to lose a big bet because I say if I lost this amount I will still walk away with these winnings but I find myself back at it after a short break.
Gambling causes me to sleep worse, affects my diet in a bad way, don't eat as healthy and at times drink more alcohol.
Many of the posts on here are related to the casino and people gambling away all their money.
I'm someone in the opposite situation and still not happy, wanting more and more.
Just wanted to get this off my chest. I have a sports bet in now at the moment that is probably going to lose. Maybe I can start another streak and get away from this.
Hope this helps someone. Would love to hear back from people. Have a great day.
I hope my story helps some, including myself. I am in a different situation than most on here.
I have been gambling for around 15 years or so. I have never gambled anything I couldn't afford to pay back and never stolen to gamble. My early gambling days centered on betting on sports and playing poker and blackjack online. I would maybe do a casino once or twice a year. I definitely lost more than I won my first few years of gambling. I started playing small whether $25 on a game, maybe up to $100 the most. The casino maybe $10 a hand on blackjack. I didn't like losing the $ but it didn't put me in a bad spot. I definitely chased some losses, got lucky at times, but definitely lost at times. The betting on sports would be time to time. I would have good weeks, then a bad beat in there and I would say thats enough and take time off, maybe even a few months.
A few years into gambling I began betting bigger on sports and at the casino. I have some big wins. I won a large amount playing blackjack all night long. Also won 2k on a single sports bet and someone told me once you bet big its hard going back to betting small. That person was definitely correct.
I continued gambling over the years in stages having success and of course the bad weeks and give it all back. The roller coaster ride.
However, the last few years with sports betting has been very profitable. Throughout that time though I have made some very big wagers and not its even more difficult to go back betting smaller. I don't get the same rush and saying I should have bet more on it. But by betting large and going on a cold streak it will kill your bankroll.
Last year I wanted to stop betting. I won a nice amount of $ after giving some back but still wasn't happy. For example if I won 4k in a week but at 1 point I was up 6k I wanted to be at 6k or higher by the end of the week. I stopped a little over a year ago and made it clean for about 110 days till winter and football season.
I had a great run, made lots of $. I put 2/3 of my winnings on the Seattle Seahawks in the super bowl and if anyone saw how that game ended, lol. I said okay I will walk away with $ and be happy. I last 5 days. With that $ I tripled it. I ended up having a bad beat in a game and then risked the rest of my winnings on another and lost it all.
I took a few days off made 1 more play big bet and lost. I took 5 weeks off and get the impulse to bet and went on a hot streak. Won 4 weeks in a row, then lost 1 week, won the next. I have won a large amount of $ but its never enough. Always want more. Chasing my highest winning point.
I have a good job and great pension when retire. No financial problems. I'm not gambling to help pay for things, but my winnings have done that for certain things over the years.
I think its more about the rush for me. But I need to bet larges amounts to get it. Its like go big or go home. I won't be happy winning a few hundred dollars. I want the big stack.
I can honestly say without bragging that I have won more than I lost with sports betting, online blackjack and betting at the casinos than I lost.
I should be happy and run for the hills because its not easy to do. But I want more and more. Want to win every night I gamble.
I also think at times I like that losing feeling after having a bad night or week. Part of me is also addicted to that feeling as well as the rush from winning.
At times I hope to lose a big bet because I say if I lost this amount I will still walk away with these winnings but I find myself back at it after a short break.
Gambling causes me to sleep worse, affects my diet in a bad way, don't eat as healthy and at times drink more alcohol.
Many of the posts on here are related to the casino and people gambling away all their money.
I'm someone in the opposite situation and still not happy, wanting more and more.
Just wanted to get this off my chest. I have a sports bet in now at the moment that is probably going to lose. Maybe I can start another streak and get away from this.
Hope this helps someone. Would love to hear back from people. Have a great day.
I don't have to gamble everyday. When I do gamble it's on sports and I check scores time to time. I don't sit in front of the tv all day long. I still do other things. I don't spend all day or night in the casino, which I maybe do once or twice a year if visit one. I think I still gamble because of the rush and success. When I was younger, not making as much $ I always stopped when lost a certain amount. I had my limits. With the recent success I still keep at it bc I like the rush and if lose I look at it as house $. I have been skydiving before and that was a rush. My wife knows I gamble I do not hide that from her. She doesn't know my bet size and doesn't ask. I came to this site because I have been wanting to stop. No matter how much I won I always wanted more and was never fully happy. I enjoyed and appreciated life more when gambling wasn't always on my mind and wanting that daily rush. I know the smart thing to do is walk away and hopefully I can do that. I wish everyone the best with your battle with gambling and thank everyone again.
1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, boredom, loneliness, grief or loss?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self-destruction
Here's a thought for you: Can you look back over your gambling career and calculate the rate of increased bets needed to get you high? If you can, do it. Then take that data and see where you are headed. How long until gambling completely busts you wide open?
It's a progressive disease, like cancer. It's not going to stop growing or grow slower if left to its own devices.
Also, it seems to me that maybe what you are looking for is not a way to stop gambling, but a way to fill the hole that gambling is doing a sorry job of filling for you. That way is out there, but it's not going to fall in your lap. You gotta go find it. I hope you do :)
From your story, it sounds like part of you is proud of your winnings. There certainly is a "wow" factor in there. You have won a lot and it sounds like you have done well overall. It sounds like you have a knack for sports betting.
I've been there.
Gambling has a way of taking well-meaning people who want to do their best and strive for better in life, and turning their ambition against them. We all want to be special. We all want to be the best at something, or at least our best at something. I know I did.
Me, I used to shoot craps. I read a lot about The Captain and the Hand. I "practiced" at the casino all of the time. These legends could shoot 60, 70, 80 times without getting a seven consistently.
I read about their methods all of the time. I used their methods, and I've left with as much as $9K. Somehow, I remember that those few dozen winning times more than the hundreds of times i've left without anything. Gambling has a way of doing that.
I think you wrote your post because part of you wants to be applauded for doing well with gambling, and part of you is scared for doing well at gambling, all at the same time. It's a very confusing place. I should know, I was in that place for a long time.
While there are some people who claim to be able to play and consistently win, they are far and few between. And though there are tales of legends, even in reputable publications, their methods must not work as well as they advertise, or else everyone who had a Blackjack Strategy card would be starring in their own version of the "21" movie. Every Craps player who studied the Captain's methods would be a millionaire. That's why casinos generate millions of dollars in revenue each month: it plays on well-meaning people like you and me, who want to just do their best and be their best at something.
I hope you find something else you are great at. In the long run, if you spend your time building skills at something outside of the casino, the odds will become increasingly in your favor. Think about it: Playing an instrument, cooking gourmet food, or building cars really hard in the beginning. But as you go along, it's increasingly easier. On the other hand, if you spend your time at the casino, the odds will become increasingly in their favor. The house always has the advantage, but outside of the casino, you always do.