As of now I havent self exclude yet. The voice in my head trying to convince not. It is really critical for me to decide because I'm expecting some money soon. I cant gamble that money no matter what happen and I'm so scared that I might lost my control again. I'm so sick of this cycle. I know in my mind that it's a must for me to do the self exclusion right away before it's too late. I hate myself for being weak..

Please try to self-exclude. I know it's hard at first but you need to take that first leap.

Hi Jhaymee ,

I'm sorry you're struggling . I went through the same thing when I forced myself to cut up my credit cards . I never thought it would be so hard . My addiction was screaming in my head the whole time , ordering me to stop . My hands were shaking so bad I'm surprised I didn't cut off a finger .

But I did it . That one last push from my desperate , sane self got me through . Once it was done , I felt three emotions one right after the other : panic , regret and massive relief .

I believe you can do this . Come over to the Gambling Addictions forum for support or advice or just to vent . There is no judgement there . We have all fought the same fight , we have all experienced the relapses and the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness .

You have the strength inside you to beat this addiction , even if it doesn't feel like it right now . Don't underestimate yourself !

I was so weak. I went to gamble twice after finally decided to self exclude. Today I print out the paper works I just need to notarize and send it to DOJ. Just wondering is lifetime exclusion is the best way to go or just one year? I'm just scared that I will be back again to gamble my life away. I realized I needed to catch up with my growing son and I'm not getting younger. As I also battled from smoking cigarettes which got worse when I gamble I slowly trying to quit. Today I was tempted to go in casino but I resist it. I'm gonna struggle everyday it will only stop not until I send it out the self exclusion paper. I hate this feeling.

For something as pernicious, I'd say lifetime, but then I'm not a gambling addict- I do have addictive behaviours, though, and know how hard it is to stay away from doing them... something as life-wrecking as a gambling addiction? I wouldn't trust my own self, with anything less than lifetime exclusion. The things I do do, are bad enough, I'm very thankful, gambling isn't one of my bad habits. I would have to go with lifetime, if it were me.

Well done on your decision to stay away from the casino . You are doing the right thing regarding self-exclusion . Yes , the lifetime option is best but whichever one you choose, it is still a powerful step towards taking back your life .

Overcoming gambling addiction is a long , hard and uncomfortable fight . But the prize is your freedom from a compulsion that will ultimately destroy you and ruin not only your finances but your relationships and your self-worth .

You can PM me if you're struggling and you want someone to talk to . I know how hard it is to stop this madness but I also know that it CAN be done . I'll help you any way I can .