I am proud of myself

[vegetagirl2008]

I can pat myself on the back for this simple reason. Last night I lost 300.00 to several online casinos and got frustrated. Then today I decided I want to go to a land-based casino. I had some stress at work and I needed an outlet. So I withdrew some money out of my account and put it away in my wallet. My right hand was itching and I knew I was going to win some money. Then I left after work to go to the subway and while I was going down the escalator I was debating with myself do I really want to do this. It was that devil/angel thing going on and I kept saying to myself I might win and my other side said "Girl you already lost 300.00 why lose another" and I kept making excuses to why I should go and should not go.

So I get to my station at Chambers St the A Train and I sat down on the bench. I still was debating with myself whether I should go or not. I missed 2 trains debating on what I should do. So I made up my mind and decided to go home. I am so happy I made that decision, not because I lost money playing online. I made the decision knowing I can control my gambling. I wanted to cry not because I lost money or I did not make the decision to go. I wanted to cry because I was so proud of myself that I can control the urge to gamble and that felt so good.

I just wanted to share that with you.

 

[chuchu59]

Good start. I have been there myself but as the proverb says "one swallow does not make a summer'. If you can consistently resist the urges to bet or if you can scale down the frequency of betting/size of your bets you are probably halfway there.

A decade ago, I was splashing money in the casinos practically every other day. When I lost heavily, I felt bad about and swore never to bet again. After a few days, I felt a need to gamble again and the cycle just repeated itself. My cure, if you call it that, was not to stop gambling entirely but to place bet in much smaller amounts eg a tenner on horses at long odds. You get a big thrill when you win but nothing if you lose as it's a longshot anyway.

Hope you succeed in your endeavours.

 

[love2winalot]

Hiya: Great story, thanks for sharing it. It is Great because it is true. imhop, the Key to Gambling is not so much if you win or lose, but how you handle winning an losing.

Winning = Good, now spend part of it, and you can sit in your house and point to what you bought, and say, "See that, Casino xxx paid for it".

Losing = Darn, Drats, an double drats. Oh well, that $300 is gone. When I/You to to gamble again, the money you lost before has nothing to do with the present. You at at +/- $0, and NOT at -$300.........

and since you are at 0, and the casino is not going anywhere, there is no hurry to have to go there, or log in. and since you are at 0, there is no added stress that comes with chasing losses.

 

[Alice Buzz]

Way to go vegetagirl2008. You truly deserve a pat in the back, becuase not only did you show you are in control but you also shared such a story that might help others when faced with a decision to make

 

[RandomEvent]

Hi and well done. You know what when I lost 600 at the start of the month it made me realise how it can be so easy to throw away money. Right now, having started using a different casino I've still blown another 600, but I recouped this, just marginally made a plus.

If I had a spare gold star, I'd send you one in the post for what you just did. You could have easily blown more and been in a terrible state afterwards. In one sense you kind of won the money you decided not to spend.

Personally in such a situation, having decided that I would keep the money, I would have gone to a coffee shop and blown a few $ on a big cup of tea or a fancy variety of coffee like Mocha (I'm not familiar with different types of coffees). Buying a nice slice of cake or small muffin as well, I'd go and enjoy a nice chomp and slurp by the window, without making too many noises during consumption though

I think one small key to success of gambling is knowing just when to get out. In my head I tell myself before a session that once I'm 10 above what I started, if everything goes wrong, that will be my base level at which to quit the session and not gamble below that balance. Many times I keep going though and I end up losing. I've had 2 occassions last week where if I had got out at my highest I would have made 150-175 on top of an intial deposit of 128.

I'm still a relative newbie to this and I only ever play Blackjack. Until my next session in mid-November kicks off, I'm trying to understand the best ways of approaching gambling. Setting targets, timeframes etc etc. I never thought of these before but thanks to sites like this and KK's site, newbies can better prepare themselves early on. Having started my 50p idea, I've become more fascinated by how 50p can suddenly become 50 in the space of a day or two. Of course luck plays a big part in this.

 

[LaurieJim]

Im proud of you Veg It takes alot of will power to keep the gambling beast at bay, some can do it and some cant, you proved that you can.................laurie

 

[Mavin1]

Okay, some may not like me saying this but not physically going to a land based casino is not because of restraint and self control, but more because of guilt from already having deposited and lost so much. I can freely say this because I have the same feelings many times after playing friggin online casinos and only being left with a low checking account and a feeling of WTFrig! We are all drawn to the gambling beast I think more than ever since it is in our homes, every casino from every part of the world at the push of a button. We are seduced by the ease and convenience of conducting our fun and business in the confines of our homes, where there is no longer an effort to have to go out and pay the bills, shop or to actually get in the car or whatever and physically go somewhere to have our distractions. So when we are home most of us have the tv or the internet and since the internet has what draws us in we always are pushing that button to open a casino, push the button to make a deposit and push the button to spin the wheels, all the while the hypnotic snake keeps dancing before our eyes, with the promise of someday it will be you, maybe today honey, come on, put in another $25 or more, it's getting hot now, sssssssssssss :icon_twis and the suckers :baby: we are, we keep falling for it. So after again, losing money we could use elsewhere, we are left feeling empty, stupid, doubtful, frustrated more often than we care to admit.
So I am not saying I'm not proud of you, I am, but land based, or home based (online), it's all the same. Maybe some of you have good restraint when it comes to that computer that provides instant travel to casinos all over the world, but the fact is most of us don't and that is why casinos have been made available to us in our homes, it is a big money making industry which hasn't been built on winners.
I for one am totally breaking the habit, taking one step and breath at a time, which is extremely hard because it is an addiction even if it's just spending $25 a month, if it's something we keep doing then we are addicted and addictions are the true beast we are faced with whether it's land based or home based.

Last thought;
Casinos suck!
Television sucks even more!!!!!

 

[vegetagirl2008]

Okay, some may not like me saying this but not physically going to a land based casino is not because of restraint and self control, but more because of guilt from already having deposited and lost so much. I can freely say this because I have the same feelings many times after playing friggin online casinos and only being left with a low checking account and a feeling of WTFrig! We are all drawn to the gambling beast I think more than ever since it is in our homes, every casino from every part of the world at the push of a button. We are seduced by the ease and convenience of conducting our fun and business in the confines of our homes, where there is no longer an effort to have to go out and pay the bills, shop or to actually get in the car or whatever and physically go somewhere to have our distractions. So when we are home most of us have the tv or the internet and since the internet has what draws us in we always are pushing that button to open a casino, push the button to make a deposit and push the button to spin the wheels, all the while the hypnotic snake keeps dancing before our eyes, with the promise of someday it will be you, maybe today honey, come on, put in another $25 or more, it's getting hot now, sssssssssssss :icon_twis and the suckers :baby: we are, we keep falling for it. So after again, losing money we could use elsewhere, we are left feeling empty, stupid, doubtful, frustrated more often than we care to admit.
So I am not saying I'm not proud of you, I am, but land based, or home based (online), it's all the same. Maybe some of you have good restraint when it comes to that computer that provides instant travel to casinos all over the world, but the fact is most of us don't and that is why casinos have been made available to us in our homes, it is a big money making industry which hasn't been built on winners.
I for one am totally breaking the habit, taking one step and breath at a time, which is extremely hard because it is an addiction even if it's just spending $25 a month, if it's something we keep doing then we are addicted and addictions are the true beast we are faced with whether it's land based or home based.

I beg to differ even though I lost 300.00 already I wasn't broke by a long shot. I play online as well as land based many times more than I can count. Simply 300 dollars is nothing to me. I've lost thousands playing online and land based. I don't want to get caught up who is right or who is wrong I just admitted something I would never in a million years admitted to. And besides I got start doing my Christmas shopping

 

[Mavin1]

Simply 300 dollars is nothing to me. I've lost thousands playing online and land based.

I rest my case for my comment, however what I said mostly was for everybody, not you exclusively.
But I didn't realize this forum is just for the Elite.
My appologies for posting my opinion.

 

[vegetagirl2008]

Simply 300 dollars is nothing to me. I've lost thousands playing online and land based.

I rest my case for my comment, however what I said mostly was for everybody, not you exclusively.
But I didn't realize this forum is just for the Elite.
My appologies for posting my opinion.

Nah don't worry about it. Sorry I came out a little rough. Another thing I got to work one. No worries we can get through this together..

 

[silcnlayc]

Okay, some may not like me saying this but not physically going to a land based casino is not because of restraint and self control, but more because of guilt from already having deposited and lost so much.

Hate to burst your bubble on how others feel, which you know nothing about....but I applaud vegetagirl2008 and also give her a good pat on her back for thinking, stopping and changing her thoughts on carrying through with not going to a landbased casino. I also agree with her that it is not due to guilt, but a realization that she doesn't NEED to. A big WTG!

I have made reservations the last 3 months for my monthly visit to a landbased casino and I, too, have canceled these visits at the last minute due to a growing boredom with them and pure laziness of not wanting to drive all that way just to lose money...not guilt. But this third cancelation was so much easier than the first, and I have always loved a good sale!...so vegetagirl...keep it up..and you too will see how easy it continues to get to just go shopping or whatever makes you happier instead of the casino...

.

 

[Mavin1]

I must have missed the guidelines that say only kudos allowed, any contrary opinions and expect to get your butt kicked.

 

[gloria460]

Hate to burst your bubble on how others feel, which you know nothing about....but I applaud vegetagirl2008 and also give her a good pat on her back for thinking, stopping and changing her thoughts on carrying through with not going to a landbased casino. I also agree with her that it is not due to guilt, but a realization that she doesn't NEED to. A big WTG!

I have made reservations the last 3 months for my monthly visit to a landbased casino and I, too, have canceled these visits at the last minute due to a growing boredom with them and pure laziness of not wanting to drive all that way just to lose money...not guilt. But this third cancelation was so much easier than the first, and I have always loved a good sale!...so vegetagirl...keep it up..and you too will see how easy it continues to get to just go shopping or whatever makes you happier instead of the casino...

.

You know I used to go to the land based casino quite frequently as the games were a lot easier and I had fun. This has all changed in the last 3 or 4 months. It seems everytime I go they've removed the good slots and replaced them with money suckers. I used to hear bells and whistles going off all the time from different winners..now you hardly hear anything. it's truly ashame because it's a beautiful casino. Every month they send me no deposit bonuses and other comps and I can't muster enough energy to go.

 

[silcnlayc]

Mavin1:I must have missed the guidelines that say only kudos allowed, any contrary opinions and expect to get your butt kicked.

No butt kicking at all Mavin1, just clearing up you general idea that everyone feels "guilty" when wanting to play and doesn't. As you said, it is a DISCUSSION board and no where have I seen any one being "beat up". Just corrected in their generality.

gloria460:I used to hear bells and whistles going off all the time from different winners..now you hardly hear anything. it's truly ashame because it's a beautiful casino. Every month they send me no deposit bonuses and other comps and I can't muster enough energy to go.

gloria460, I think that might be why the "pull" to play at these casinos has faded so much and it is much easier NOT to go than go. The bells used to go off ALL the time at the casino I used to go to but now, it is very quiet except for a ding or two in hours of sitting there...and I guess I just got too tired also to go see nothing happening...

.

 

[Balky]

I read this post the other day and it made me think. After having had a lucky streak playing slots I had received a considerable amount of cash into my moneybookers e-wallet that day. Vegetagirls post made me think and decide to send that money to my bank account (from which I never make any gambling deposits - no exceptions there), leaving 100 bucks for playing over the weekend. Its pleasant to have kept control. Otherwise those dollars would most probably have been busted on sunday evening in another uncontrolled boredomplay session.

Thanks Vegetagirl!

Balky

 

[RandomEvent]

I have only really just started out on casino play. I cannot say I'm addicted to this, however I kind of took an addiction to something completely unrelated. I won't say what the addiction was, so skip my post if the rest begins to appear like waffle. All I will say is that it was not sex or drugs related. I am 30 now and through most of my 20s until recently, I suffered with what I considered to be a very unusual addiction.

The great thing about my addiction was that it enabled me to visit other places in Europe and also Brazil. At the same time it pushed my bounderies a little and some people thought I was going to come back from Europe dead.

The downside was the financial aspects. Besides the travelling I was paying a monthy expenditure of 450 (probably a fair average) for what at it's peak I did not consider was an addiction until recently.

I think it was because of my mindset that this addiction played out for about 8 years. It persuaded me that what I was doing was correct and the financial costs were worth it. Along the way I met some great people of whom I still keep in touch with on MSN.

Like I say above, I only came out of the addiction only recently. In the past years my brother, friends etc would joke about it, because they knew I was very serious. Such things never made me stop to think about what I was doing, it was only when I realised gradually that my mind had deluded me, that I should now begin to exit my addiction.

In some ways it was harder than I thought it would be, but in the space of 4 weeks, I sent a message to everyone related to my addiction and told them that I was quitting. The first 2 weeks, I did want to go back. After that it became easier through time.

Since then I have had some big realisations, of which I knew in the past could be true, but chose always to dismiss them. These help me to understand why I can be sure that I would never entertain my former addiction again.

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OP saved herself that day. She overcame her urges and really does deserve a pat on the back IMO.