A farewell from a compulsive gambler to his friends here.

[takethemoney]

Guys and gals. I have a gambling problem and I have chosen to get well. I have had a lot of fun here over the years and want to let you all know I appreciated the friends I have made here, the many laughs and great conversations we have had and the many great moments. What can I say? When it's gone too far, spinning out of control and life has become a wreck, it's time to take a brake! Literally...hit the brakes and go, what in the hell am I doing and what have I become? My family deserves better and I'm stopping at the edge of the cliff, just in time, and not going over. It's gone too far, but it's a money problem...not a real problem. If I can escape with my family intact, not become homeless and find a way to proceed with life, I have been successful.

I'm not going to point fingers at anyone but myself for letting it go this far. I clicked the mouse and I opened the account. I'm sick and tired, beat down and regret wasting so many hours of sleepless nights chasing rainbows that were never mine. I neglected every person important to me because, in my mind, I had so many important things to do. (gamble).

Anyway, I hope Bryan allows my thread to stand for a day or two. I will miss you all! This is not a bad thing here, as someone is about to get much better. For those of you who understand....I appreciate you. For those who will be critical, I wish you future knowledge and understanding.

Thanks for all those years. I wish you all well!

Farewell,

Steve

 

[threescatters]

Good luck takethemoney, your taking the right step mate.

 

[chuchu59]

Or maybe ask Bryan to let you have access to the Attic only. Cheers mate.

 

[takethemoney]

Or maybe ask Bryan to let you have access to the Attic only. Cheers mate.

Thank you, my friend. I sent him a rather long PM. All gonna be good, I hope!

 

[mattsgame]

Hey mate,

Glad to see you have taken the problem head on, its not an easy thing to admit to yourself let alone others.

Wish you all the best in the future Steve

Cheers
Matt

 

[Realitybitez]

Good luck takethemoney. Its hard admitting you have a problem and even harder trying to deal with it.

I've done some incredibly stupid things in my quest of 'chasing rainbows' and the feeling of depression, self contempt and utter desperation has hit me a few times in my life as a gambler but if you have the support to lift you out of that cycle, you will be fine. One step at a time.

I was dealing with my addiction quite well, always took my baby with me whenever I went anywhere so I wouldn't have the temptation to stop by that pub or by that casino and have a little flutter and then I discovered online casinos

Gone pretty much backwards since then...

So I know where you'll coming from and I think you'll incredibly strong to admit 'Yes' I have a problem and 'Yes' its time to step back. As I, myself also have that problem and also need to step back.

I wish you well in your endeavours

 

[P.V.]

Guys and gals. I have a gambling problem and I have chosen to get well.

Steve I have a global self exclusion list you should join, PM me, it's an additional step, free.

CM News - https://www.casinomeister.com/stati..._casino_news1/NEW-GAMBLING-EXCLUSION-TOOL.php

Good luck my friend, identifying the problem takes a lot of courage, you'll be fine, be strong, contact me if you want.

 

[jetset]

Stay strong, Steve - you've just taken a very important first step to reclaiming your life.

 

[chayton]

I don't think there's a single person here who would criticize your choice, I think we all know devastating an addiction can be. Good luck to you, and maybe we'll see you around the attic!

 

[mclee321]

Steve, I hope your epiphany takes you out of your rut. It takes courage to do what you are doing, hope it works out.

 

[slotjunkie]

Steve, bless your heart!!

It is hard to admit this in your head, harder to admit it out loud to your self and your family and extremely HARD to admit it to the public :notworthy

You have done a very courageous thing here today:notworthy:notworthy and the only thing that you can get from this is good, positive...

Though it won't be easy, I hope you continue to get stronger in your recovery. If your family hung in there with you while falling to the bottom, then surely they will hang in there while climbing your way out of the pit. Take advantage of any and all the love and support they have to offer you.

While on your new, exciting journey towards normalcy, I hope you regain self respect and the full respect, trust and love of your family.

God Bless!

 

[Nifty29]

Best of luck in your recovery TTM.

Remember.....you only have to avoid ONE bet.....the FIRST one.

One thing you don't lack is character and persistence, and I feel this will see you through.

I know we didn't always see eye-to-eye, but I have some experience in what you're going through so you are more than welcome to PM me any time.

 

[Simmo!]

Yup I echo the above. Good luck Steve...don't forget PV's tool or Gamblock are out there too

 

[BingoT]

Best of luck to ya Takethemoney.
It takes courage to do what you are doing & be proud of yourself.
You took the best step first admitting you have a problem & it gets better in life for you as time goes by.
God Bless
~T~

 

[Mousey]

We all wish you best, hon. Life is never easy and dealing with an addiction only makes it more.... ummm... 'exciting' let's say.
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! There's a wondrous world out there beyond the Spin button.

 

[conker]

Hi takethemoney, I wish you all the best in getting the help you need to stop gambling. Having been hooked before I know that it is incredibly daunting and sometimes it seems impossible to overcome. But, like all things that can be bad addictive, you can find a way to get over it. Lots of willpower and faith now my friend, I am rooting for you

 

[Jennifer]

Even though we have never spoke, I wish you well. Its really good of you to have the strength and common sense to know when enough is enough. Dont beat yourself up too bad just tell yourself you're going on the right track and its something a lot of people dont have the strength to do

 

[harrys99]

A wise person knows when to say "when". I applaude you in your decision and wish you every success. There is so much more to life than this. Lean on your family and friends.

 

[Cleveland]

I wish you plenty of luck in your life's endeavors. Glad you recognized you had a problem and chose to fight against it. Makes you a winner in my book :yahoo:

 

[shahran84]

Indication

Hey Takethemoney, right choice! I myself has JUST starting to stop online gambling. I've been online gambling for almost 8 years and it's only been 2 weeks that I've stopped playing on online casinos. It's been quite hard as I've been thinking
about playing every single night. The only way to keep myself away from gambling to watch movies, youtube and etc. It's torturing of the mind but I think we can do it.

This stupid immortal romance slot is like haunting me and calling me to play every night. I'm lucky to have my girlfriend whom I can share my gambling problems and she
is helping me coping with it.

All the best Takethemoney! Take care

 

[rainmaker]

.

Wish you all the best in the future

 

[azzagirt]

You are certainly heading in the right direction now..
Good luck and best wishes ttm. Stay strong . My prayers are with you and your family.x
Jane

 

[ksech]

Steve, I wish you all the best in the future. You do know you don't have to gamble to participate here I've enjoyed some of your posts/input, you WILL be missed. The first step is always the hardest, you're headed in the right direction.

God bless you.
Kim

 

[Vegasbum]

Threads like yours gives us all a reality check. It even scares us a bit. Many people know they have a problem while others wonder if they might be addicted. It makes us all think about our own situations. It is often a problem we deal with in silence. Thanks for the wakeup call.

Best of luck to you my friend

 

[PaaskeDenmark]

Hi Steve

Wish you all the best. When I was younger I used to have a big gambling problem. Despite I would never admit it
I spent days and nights in front of the computer. Only thing I looked forward to was my paycheck from work every month.
Deposit after deposit was spent every month. If I did not win, I would continue spending almost all my hard earned money
I went like that for several years. I even started borrowing money from people, even bad people. Having to payback big %%.
I finally managed to change, I meet my English beautiful woman on holiday in Greece. And you can say somehow she saved me.
l
My life was on a very dangerous path. I was becoming close to having my life being worthless and not worth living for anymore at that time.
Who knows what would had happened, I know i would had continued and also borrowed more money in end, owing to dangerous people. Who knows what could happened? I neglected my parents and best friends because of my problem.

But this is luckily the past now, I live in UK now with my fiancée. Yes I still gamble. But have been open with my sweet and understandable Fiancee. I have managed to control it now. Money is going into her account. And she then transfer money to my bank account.
So I now know when it's spent, its spent.

I hear so many horrible stories about people who have used their spouse credit cards or taken loans in their house and much more. To be able to gamble everything away. Breaking up relationships and families.

I am glad I have after all never gone that far

I also now work as affiliate. And enjoy this work. I still gamble yes, but keep it under control, and I am always open to my fiancee. My work on websites and forum, is great as I have gotten so much knowledge as an old big gambler with a problem.
This is also important for us in the industry to protect players and also help them not getting into a gambling problem.
Sorry some of this might sound a bit like rubbish, As a Dane it can be hard writing all this correct. Hope you all understand most of it hehe.

But to finish off.

It takes a big man to admit a problem and to stand up for it.

I respect your decision to put it behind for good Steve.

Wish you and your family all the best mate

 

[LHofsdal]

Steve,

Your one hell of a man!!! It takes a lot to admit you have an addiction/problem and you are not just admitting it, you are now ready to fight it. Not only did you realize that you have gone to far, but you have also seen that your family needs you more. What a brave man you are.

I truely wish you all the success in the world, but to be 100% honest with you, you have already won, you have come to realize nothing is more important than the ones you love. Your family is blessed to have you and you are going to be just fine. When you have the urge to play again, just look at your family, and you will see that urge just go away.

Good luck to you and from one CM member to another, WTG!!! Your success has just begun!!

All the best,
Lori

 

[Gremmyboy]

Best of luck for the future!

It's never easy admitting you have a problem by breaking through the denial you have built up in your mind!
The step you have taken is a big one and hopefully you will look back on it in the future as a poor choice made by a different man than the one you see in front of you!

I wish you the sincerest best luck! :notworthy


Cheers
Gremmy

 

[samoas]

Dear Steve,

First of all I want to offer you (((HUGS))). Your sadness and despair come through clearly in what you have written. Stay strong my friend. I am wishing you great success and hope you can be in touch via "the attic" forum. Take one day at a time, don't mentally beat yourself, have patience and use every distraction you can think of to avoid the temptation. If you should feel tempted at any time, Simmo suggested Gamblock. It does work!

Much love sent your way, and prayers for your successful recovery.

Christine

 

[missmichelle]

Wishing you nothing but the best.

Take care,

Michelle

 

[Luckylizzy]

I'm very proud of you!

From personal experience with an addiction, I would like to say that after the initial "withdrawal" phase, you'll find much more fulfilling things to do with your time and money and after a while, you'll look back and wonder how something could have ever had so much power over you. And you will smile!

Good luck!

 

[chjr1973]

Steve,

You have made that very important first step. I wish you all the best. I was in a very very similar situation and I'll be two years "clean" come June 1st. It's difficult to say the least, but if I can do it then anyone probably can.

C

 

[Jasminebed]

It's always difficult for me to respond to these threads.

I've had my problems in the past, and I'm aware I'm at risk every time I gamble. Somedays more so that others. I've opted for a harm reduction strategy personally, limiting my ability to spend more gambling than I have to gamble. Only gamblers understand when I say it's worse when you are winning.

I hope you seek some help beyond just quitting. Addiction is a complex beast.

It's not only the money sometimes, but the time.

For me, online gambling offers less of the addictive nature I found in real time gambling. But it's addictive enough, I could be out in the bar hoping for a pick-up on Friday nights instead. Church choir rehearsal is out since I can't sing.

The thing about gambling, it's not about money. If it was about money, we just wouldn't gamble.

Link Removed (invalid URL)

This book gave me more insight into gambling than anything else I've read.

Knowledge is power.

I wish you well, and I'll miss your contributions here.

 

[jod5413]

Good Luck and stay strong!! You will make it through this and be stronger for it!

 

[bb28]

I wish you all the best and my sincere wishes for strength in repairing what is broken.

 

[beachball8]

I have been gambling in landed casino's for a long time. Yes I am an addict. Then recently I had my first child and that put a stop to landed casinos. Horror of horrors, I discovered online casinos.

I now spend almost every waking minute staring at my computer screen. I dont speak to my wife as much as I used to and I don't play with my child as much as I should.

Things have gotten very bad.

I earn quite a bit of money so the money isnt a problem. To be honest my loses to date aren't even significant when compared to my income. And I also know its not about the money because when I have a bad run, I switch to low gear and bet pennies. And that still gives me a high. So gambling is never about the money and as such, it is very hard to beat because even if you win a lot, you'll never get satisfied. It's not about the money.

Damn it.

 

[samoas]

Sorry to T/J Steve

I have been gambling in landed casino's for a long time. Yes I am an addict. Then recently I had my first child and that put a stop to landed casinos. Horror of horrors, I discovered online casinos.

I now spend almost every waking minute staring at my computer screen. I dont speak to my wife as much as I used to and I don't play with my child as much as I should.

Things have gotten very bad.

I earn quite a bit of money so the money isnt a problem. To be honest my loses to date aren't even significant when compared to my income. And I also know its not about the money because when I have a bad run, I switch to low gear and bet pennies. And that still gives me a high. So gambling is never about the money and as such, it is very hard to beat because even if you win a lot, you'll never get satisfied. It's not about the money.

Damn it.

Hi Beachball & Welcome to the forum. I saw on your profile that you are a new member here. Your post touched me and I hope that you are not in a dark place, so to speak.

I gather from what you have written in this thread that you are not happy with the impact your gambling has had in your personal life. Obviously this is a form of escape/distraction for you. You made the statement "it's not about the money". You sir, are a rare breed, for many gambling addicts have to hit rock bottom (financially insolvent) before facing reality. I am concerned for you because eventually you will hit a wall, whether it be financially, ostracising your family & friends, isolating yourself to such a point that you cannot deal with realities.

I suggest that maybe you talk to a professional to determine exactly what IT is about. Communication with your spouse is imperative. Making the statement that things have gotten very bad, you need to take action. The first step will be the hardest, but if you have the determination, the following steps will get easier.

Hope you can come to peace with your dilemna and wishing you well. Hoping Steve, who started this post, has you as a partner in his journey.

Sincerely,
Christine

 

[CurtisCandy]

Good for you, Steve! Way to stand up and take care of business!

We have a family member right now who is in the grips of gambling addiction, but refuses to see it. She plays strictly land-based because she has no Internet or technical savvy whatsoever, but she is in the process of ruining her future.

It's too bad everyone isn't willing to take a hard look at themselves like you did and take the right steps. Even though you allowed yourself to get pulled down, you have every reason to be proud that you are yanking yourself out of the pit!

 

[LaHutti]

I have been gambling in landed casino's for a long time. Yes I am an addict. Then recently I had my first child and that put a stop to landed casinos. Horror of horrors, I discovered online casinos.

I now spend almost every waking minute staring at my computer screen. I dont speak to my wife as much as I used to and I don't play with my child as much as I should.

Things have gotten very bad.

I earn quite a bit of money so the money isnt a problem. To be honest my loses to date aren't even significant when compared to my income. And I also know its not about the money because when I have a bad run, I switch to low gear and bet pennies. And that still gives me a high. So gambling is never about the money and as such, it is very hard to beat because even if you win a lot, you'll never get satisfied. It's not about the money.

Damn it.

This, to me, is truly heartbreaking.
Money is one thing ... your family is a totally different one.
Please, please seek some help mate, as losing your family to gambling is the ultimate loss. It won't get any worse than that, and it seens to me, that you know you're heading in that direction. You need to act on your thoughts, rather today than tomorrow.
I wish both you, and Steve all the best, and sincerely hope you'll get out of this, in the best possible way.

 

[Emmeline]

Like so many have said, you are very courageous. Being so open and upfront about it is admirable.
One thing I have read about addiction comes to mind. When you're trying to quit something and establish a new routine/behavior, they say the toughest time is the first two weeks. It's like a transition period when the brain rewires.
I wish you all the best in your gambling-free life.

Take care
emme

 

[immortality]

I totally understand where you are coming from Steve, I wish you all the best for the future, take care Steve x

 

[immortality]

I have been gambling in landed casino's for a long time. Yes I am an addict. Then recently I had my first child and that put a stop to landed casinos. Horror of horrors, I discovered online casinos.

I now spend almost every waking minute staring at my computer screen. I dont speak to my wife as much as I used to and I don't play with my child as much as I should.

Things have gotten very bad.

I earn quite a bit of money so the money isnt a problem. To be honest my loses to date aren't even significant when compared to my income. And I also know its not about the money because when I have a bad run, I switch to low gear and bet pennies. And that still gives me a high. So gambling is never about the money and as such, it is very hard to beat because even if you win a lot, you'll never get satisfied. It's not about the money.

Damn it.

You have to be reasonable about the time you spend gambling, life with your children is precious time (they do grow up), I have 3 children, I spend lots of time with them, I only play when they are either at school or in bed, if I do play when they are here,I limit the time I play, I only play for 30mins to 1 hour and this is only once a week.

Yes gambling is a curse when it is on the brink of ruining your life and wrecking your head, you have to ask yourself which is more entertaining, which memories do you want to have when your child grows up, staring at a screen playing slots or enjoying all the moments with your child, I know which I would choose, I hope this helps you

 

[takethemoney]

Like so many have said, you are very courageous. Being so open and upfront about it is admirable.
One thing I have read about addiction comes to mind. When you're trying to quit something and establish a new routine/behavior, they say the toughest time is the first two weeks. It's like a transition period when the brain rewires.
I wish you all the best in your gambling-free life.

Take care
emme

I'm feeling better already. I've actually begun reading a book and watched a couple movies. These are some things I haven't done for ages. I know there is a better life and I'm in hot pursuit of it. I'm what is known as a "poly addicted" person, meaning I smoke, drink and have a few vices. No real drugs, thank God, although Alcohol is a drug and so is nicotine. My goal is to beat all of them...in time. I must beat one dragon at a time, as I don't know if I could maintain composure while trying to drop them all at the same time. I owe a lot of thanks to all the people who are being supportive of me. I really thank all of you and there are many!

 

[all4greed]

It's good you realized the bad situation you are in and are taking steps to stop it. Been there, done that - took several years off from online gambling because of addictive and destructive play.

If you need help, get it. Lots of resources out there and plenty of people that can relate. And even though the phrase is said billions of times, take one day at a time. Can you get through today without gambling (or fill in whatever else is a problem)? It's much easier if you look at it more on a 24 hour basis than saying the words never again. Worked for me.

Anyways, I've enjoyed your past posts. Here's to a more positive future.

 

[ilovejesus]

Good luck takethemoney. your taking the right step good luck mate

 

[colly]

Have a great new life!

Wish you every success in beating your addiction= admitting it is one of the hardest things to do and you have done that well acknowledging your responsibility.

Hope you can now get hooked on the pleasures of family and friends. Keep string, use every tool offered to you= (its damn hard)= Can I recommend gamblock= yes there are a few problems in that you will first have to clean your cache and banking so it doesn't block them but it works well and you won't be able to even read about gambling or access any online gambling sites= makes life a bit easier when you get the urge or think just a little play as it will shut down your computer if you try!

Will miss your comments but I really hope never to hear from you again on this board (meant in the nicest possible way)

Cheers and Goodbye
Colly

 

[incrediblestuff]

Good luck mr take the money.
I cant add much to all that has been said, so this will have to suffice
Take good care of yourself!

 

[BustedFlush]

Good luck now you made the decision. While not addicted I can see how easy it would be to become so if my last barrier of self-control was missing. I probably spend too much time rather than spare money. I can only say one thing with certainty - if successful in the future you'll only look back and measure your losses in cash which will merely annoy you and which can be replaced and you must accept that money is lost - right now. Your friends and family can't be. Lose them and those losses won't merely annoy you, they'll destroy you. From your post that is a major reason behind your decision. The longest journey starts with the first step, and you'll walk faster if not looking over your shoulder. Have a safe journey.

A good source (and rather ashamedly I admit reading this to stop me ever getting near that stage) is the gamcare.org.uk forum. There are many others sharing your journey and from far worse starting positions.

The people on here aren't really your friends (no disrespect intended to those posters but I think you'll forgive me in the context of the thread) but those people physically present in your everday life are. They are the ones you refer to when you said you let things go because of gambling. I would surmise that there are many members here addicted, many in your situation or on their way there. Remember it's not occasional players which fund the gaming industry, like the extra punters in the bookies on Grand National day (a mere bonus), but regular players and a big proportion of those can't stop or couldn't if they tried to.

That is one reason why I personally wouldn't recommend you coming back here, even on the excluded/non-players? part of the forum mentioned here in a another post. Before other posters jump on me for saying this, please understand that he must ditch and avoid in future as many things as he can associated with his (now over) old gambling and addiction days. If you were land based addicted I'd say avoid the people you used to gamble with in casinos etc. to give you more chance on your journey. The same goes for us lot here. The wise ones here will understand that and not feel affronted. You owe us nothing.

You aren't going to be that rheumy-eyed unshaved shambles of a man shuffling out of the bookies in his £4 supermarket plimsolls, an inch of dead roll-up stuck to his lip while he slogs back to his bedsit all hope and life sucked from him, to wait for his next DSS cheque. You aren't going to be that numb and gutted person staring into space with glazed eyes having just added thousands to a credit card for a few hours of escapism on his PC and just wanting to curl up for days and not communicate or socialise. That's because you are stronger, and have to be because your children look up to you and you are head of the family and owe them and not anyone else. Worth far more than a few hours on the slots or cards or wheel. Always keep that in mind and you'll be walking on flagstones in shoes and not sharp gravel in socks.

All the best mate - you can do it.

 

[Realitybitez]

The people on here aren't really your friends (no disrespect intended to those posters but I think you'll forgive me in the context of the thread) but those people physically present in your everday life are. They are the ones you refer to when you said you let things go because of gambling. I would surmise that there are many members here addicted, many in your situation or on their way there. Remember it's not occasional players which fund the gaming industry, like the extra punters in the bookies on Grand National day (a mere bonus), but regular players and a big proportion of those can't stop or couldn't if they tried to.


I know where your coming from but cant totally agree with that statement. Just because a friend is an online friend doesn't necessarily mean they are not a real friend. I used to talk to a guy online only for like 2 years, before we met in reality, and he is still my friend to this day. We met like 7 years ago. So yes, friends in the real world are important but some friends in the virtual can also be equally important. Just saying

That is one reason why I personally wouldn't recommend you coming back here, even on the excluded/non-players? part of the forum mentioned here in a another post. Before other posters jump on me for saying this, please understand that he must ditch and avoid in future as many things as he can associated with his (now over) old gambling and addiction days. If you were land based addicted I'd say avoid the people you used to gamble with in casinos etc. to give you more chance on your journey. The same goes for us lot here. The wise ones here will understand that and not feel affronted. You owe us nothing.


I have to agree with that part. I am here because I am a gambler and I am addicted and this forum does ease my itch between pay days. If I wanted to give up gambling, I would also give up this forum because anything associated with gambling would just bring the urges back.

Unfortunately I don't want to give up gambling and I am not strong enough to throw in that addiction yet.

Good for you takethemoney for stepping up to the line!