Finally realized i had a problem

I keep trying to get money back, now I buy in at 25 and work it up to like 200-300 then lose it all, I will be OK for a week and then I think I can win again, I hate this.

In that one sentence, you address two of the most important thoughts we must understand in our recovery.

Blake1831 wrote:I keep trying to get money back

We are forever chasing when we are in the cycle of gambling and the more you chase, the deeper your hole gets. The only way is to accept the loss (much harder to say than do) and like many have said, treat it like a bad investment.

Blake1831 wrote: I think I can win again

Those few times we won, stick in our head and makes us think that winning is sustainable, when mathematically it is not in the long run, or else casinos would not be making millions of dollars each year. The bigger the win, the more we think that we can be 'lucky' again. Even if we were 'lucky' again, it will still never get us out of the hole, right? Better to just realize that gambling is simply throwing your money away.

Of course, when this addiction progresses further, it really isn't about winning anymore and it is fulfilling a certain need or deficit in our life. Fixing that is another ballgame and mostly deals will self-realization and reflection.

I was always very disciplined and stuck to limits, once I started playing with thousands, I lost all concept of value of money, thank you for all your advice it really helps, my dream was to be a pro poker player but I can't do that if I can't control myself, I realize that now and thatvdream is dead, I have been working on skill and strategic play for about ten years and it made me go crazy, today is my first day clean, I didn't buy in, I closed accounts, I still have money in one account and I don't even care about it, no more I am done I just want to save and enjoy my kids

Hi Blake, I can totally relate to what you are going through , about the chase, about the winnings not ever being enough etc ... I too, loved to play baccarat because of how "easy" it is to play the game: just pick a side . Regardless of how disciplined we think we are, we almost always will reach the point where we can't tolerate a few losses and want to chase back that money. That's when it all goes downhill. It happens every single time for me.

Hope you get the strength to fight this addiction and find another purpose in life. Im trying to do the same .

I went clean for a week then I tried my last hundred, currently down 7500, I didn't realize how at first, the hobby became addiction, and then it turned compulsive. I'm trying to quit I have banned myself from online accounts, I only have 900 in bank when just a month ago there was over 6K in there, I tried telling gf but she doesn't understand, thankfully I still have decent job it's just hard getting over the fact I can't do anything I was planning for next year, buying house, paying for school, any advice you can give is greatly appreciated thank you, I just don't want to spend anymore before this hole gets any bigger

I think if u quit for good and a year from now u will be in position to do those dreams u will be in great shape. In the whole spectrum of things to wait one year is better than the alternative which is to keep throwing your life away at unbeatable games for many more years to come.

If self banning dont work, Id give GA a shot. I was very reluctant to go, but now my life is so much better and its only been 33 days, but the insanity has stopped and a year from now Ill be able to travel, buy a house if I want or do other dreams that I threw away the last 33 years being a total degen.

I agree with Movingalong - GA could very well be the turning point for you . Your GF may not understand , but believe me - these people will .

Overcoming this addiction is a battle , and I personally believe it's a lifelong one . Go and find the people in real life who will fight along side you and give you strength and support when you need it most . It's 1000 times harder doing it alone .

I tried another 75 yesterday hoping to get lucky. But I lost that too. I banned myself from last site starting over again today. At this point its just giving your money away. Currently down 7700, finding it really hard to enjoy life right now. I know I will spend a lot more trying to make it back. It's crazy how the compulsive ness switched overnight, the urge was so strong when I was up and I couldn't control. The more you play, the bigger bets are, it never ends.

Blake1831 wrote:I tried another 75 yesterday hoping to get lucky. But I lost that too.

This is the addiction in a nutshell - it promises hope while it's draining us dry . Every "chance" to win is veritable guarantee that we will lose because we can't stop once we start .

Well done for self excluding . It is a powerful roadblock .

I couldn't stop when I was up 300, or 800, or 1000. Then put of no where I turned 47 into 15K after losing 3600 which I made put of 100, being up so much I couldn't stop, my mind keeps thinking just one more big win and qui t forever, but no win is never big enough, even at 50 or 100K I doubt that I would stop, I'm struggling real hard here since I've been playing baccarat for a really long time I think I am good at it when I'm really not since I can't walk away, I want to quit for good but I keep telling myself it's just a break for 6 months then I can start again with a 300 buy in and see how it goes, I hope I don't want to play again after 6 months