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...

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frank12 12/27/2015

I went 2 months gamble free. Life was so much better in all aspects. Then a football Sunday 3 weeks ago I placed a few bets ended up losing and didn't chase my losses. Go 3 weeks clean enjoying life but place a bet today and lose. I'm not chasing my loss. The last 2 times I gambled I didn't even enjoy it. I think being away for 2 months made me realize that it's not fun and it's stressful. I used to really enjoy the rush and challenge of making sports bets. Spending the time researching the games. Not anymore. The last 2 days I bet I just bet more for the heck of it. I wasn't really craving the rush. I didn't even really love the bets I placed, which was silly to even do. A new year is starting and hopefully today is my last sports bet that I ever place. Will take it 1 day at a time. I just know that I will never be satisfied. If I won the bet it would've went on another game. I am admitting that I can't beat the book in the long run. That gambling is unhealthy in many ways to me. I am a better person when gamble free. I want to get back to enjoying the games for entertainment and not thinking about the spreads and over and unders of the game. I am no longer going to look at the spreads so I don't have thoughts running thru my head while watching the game thinking oh I would've bet this team and could've won lots of $. I have had many day 1's but this time feels different. Just needed to get this off my chest. Hope everyone is doing well and has a safe and happy new year.

skip88 12/27/2015

Frank,told you a while back looking at lines is detrimental for us sport gamblers. The next step is mind betting and if you lose you feel like you won cause you never placed the bet, and if you win you tell yourself what a genius you are cause you would have won the bet. After that it is usually just days before you cave in and actually place the play. You helped me once when I was weak and getting close to get back into action. I have not forgotten that and hopes this resonates with you and makes some sense. Forget about the past and move forward and in the process that will give you a chance at a real life and pay it forward by helping others once you get yourself grounded. I do not even care about watching the games most of the time and I was a season ticket holder for over 30 years. Something just clicked and the urge left me after struggling with this since I was a teenager. Now if someone fumbles at the one yard line and I blow a big parlay does not effect me. The up side is I do not have to meet the book Tuesday morning . I hated meeting him even when he payed me,lol Just a big inconvenience. Hang in there and things wil fall into place. Best wishes for a happy new year and realigned priorities.

frank12 12/27/2015

Thanks for the words skip. You are right and did say that about looking at the lines. I stopped looking for a while and it definitely helped. I'm going to delete my ESPN app bc when I want to look at scores of a game they have the betting lines up before the games start. That's a trigger. Yeah meeting up wasn't that fun. Weeks I won I'd normally say just hold it in case I lose it this week so wouldn't have to meet the following week. I found when being 2 months clean I lost interest watching sports even the teams I follow. No more risking my heard earned money on the outcome of a sports event. Thanks again for the kind words. Have a safe and happy new year skip.

Qwit4Good 12/28/2015

I got rid of the ESPN sports app too. For college I only look at the NCAA site now, and NFL.com for the NFL. These official sites have scores and all the stats but generally do not include the line. While I dabbled in sports betting when I was in action it was not my primary method of losing my money. (It was slots.) But dropping my football pool took the last bit of the "gambling lifestyle" away that I was living. On football gambling I always did well in my pool, so it was not the financial loss that was getting to me. It was the atmosphere of gambling, the rush, the excitement and the roller coaster ride that a back and forth game could send me on. My biggest losses were my social life, my honesty, my self worth, my self control, my self trust and missing out on LIFE!
Good that a bump in the road is only making you look closer at your behavior and subsequent feelings/stress and helping you to think about doing it differently. Hang in there, football season is almost over.

frank12 12/28/2015

The ESPN app is deleted. Today was a very productive gamble free day.

Qwit4good thanks as always for your well said words.

I look forward to finding happiness again. I feel like with gambling the last 3-4 years on sports almost gambling 9 months out of the year maybe more has taken away my excitement to laugh and smile. I feel like it's so much more difficult these days to laugh, smile, appreciate and enjoy other activities.

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