can a compulsive gambler ever come a controlled one?

The only way I can stop compulsively gambling is to stop going to casinos. I do gamble once a month, but I only take cash a small amount of cash with me. I don't take debit/credit cards because I know I will cash out and gamble even more.

Gambling once a month with a small amount of cash is enough to keep me financially secure while having some gambling fun.

Probably not the best advice I’m going to give.

But longest I managed controlled gambling was 2 years. I spent £20 every weekend on a football accumulator- then one day, as what always happens - I had the urge to bet big on a football match , it won and then the spiral began , couldn’t stop gambling - took over my life and I lose thousands.

I’m currently back to spending £50 per weekend and I have managed to control it for a few months, I remind myself any other bet outside this I will spiral again. It’s working but I know there is always a relapse around the corner.

I view it as feeding a caged beast a few bites a day . I think inevitably it's going to break out and gorge itself . Are you OK with that pattern ? I can't think of any other activity where I'd be fine with knowing that I was going to spin out of control at some point and spend thousands of dollars because I couldn't stop myself .

I don't miss gambling at all but I still get the urge to do it once in a while . All this tells me is that for me , gambling is a compulsive behavior , not one I willingly choose for enjoyment . I kept gambling solely because the voice in my head would not shut up until I gave in and did it . Saying No to the urge only increased its volume and urgency . It wasn't fun in any sense of the word and any control I thought I had was only temporary at best .

I am infinitely better off without it .

Leroy wrote:Know years ago I had consoueeling from gamcare in the U.K. and they used to tell me I just need to control it as it’s mind over matter.

Oh my, this is like the pharmaceutical industry trying to sell drugs and chemo to help cancer patients, whilst it has been proven very clear that cannabis can help cancer patients so much more!

Yes, I do believe in some conspiracies - and if you ask for my opinion - don't listen to anything that Gamcare is telling you.

Gamcare is FUNDED by the gambling industry, it IS NOT an unbiased organization that is there to help you ... I remember I tried them once, I just felt like they were completely irrelevant, pointless, not talking to the point ....

By all means do not take Gamcare for granted, it's a bad organization that is not there to help you, but it's there to get more and more funding from the gambling industry, no wonder why all companies send people there or have the Gamcare contact details in the bottom of their emails or websites ....

Gamcare is not a solution, if they say you can control your gambling - they are lying!

The biggest lie in gambling is the lie that you can control it ...
You cannot control random results in horses, can you?!

You cannot control the outcome of a football or a basketball match, whether the score would be under or over a certain line, right?

You can only guess, but the result is somehow random, otherwise if it wasn't random the industry wouldn't exist - isn't it?

So no, gambling cannot be controlled.

Some people might spend $5 a week on a lottery, does it mean it's under control? Wait for a huge jackpot and see if they decide to spend the same amount or not ... and even then - gambling cannot be controlled.

Gamcare provided you with absolutely absurd information, no, it cannot be controlled ... don't ever call them again please, they are the last ones to help you.

-- Sun Nov 11, 2018 2:54 am --

MTlondon wrote:Probably not the best advice I’m going to give.

But longest I managed controlled gambling was 2 years. I spent £20 every weekend on a football accumulator- then one day, as what always happens - I had the urge to bet big on a football match , it won and then the spiral began , couldn’t stop gambling - took over my life and I lose thousands.

I’m currently back to spending £50 per weekend and I have managed to control it for a few months, I remind myself any other bet outside this I will spiral again. It’s working but I know there is always a relapse around the corner.

I think it's a huge mistake to spend £50 per weekend ... be honest, how much time (not money) do you dedicate to this activity? What benefit do you get out of it? Why do you keep yourself being tied to the gambling industry with £50 per weekend? Do you honestly enjoy it or deep inside you feel it's a waste of time, energy and money?

Folks,
The only gambling game in the last 20 years for me has been craps. It is addictive and adrenalin saturated with lots of quick highs and lows. I now accept I can NOT do it in a controlled fashion. I have had seven consecutive winning trips and then on the eighth lost it all plus much more. It is probably one of the most addictive games going. Any real player will acknowledge this and I hear it all the time at the tables. I am now going to self exclude today. Like I said I always thought I could be a controlled player and have considerable will power, but not enough to do that. For me, it is all or nothing. I started early in life in the USN and casinos have almost been a second home. I love action.
I love the game, but it does not love me. So guys, my take is control is not an option. Just my take. Not whining. Folks will always lose what they win and are always trying to win what they have lost. This is no BS. I have lived it.

1wiserman wrote:Folks,
The only gambling game in the last 20 years for me has been craps. It is addictive and adrenalin saturated with lots of quick highs and lows. I now accept I can NOT do it in a controlled fashion. I have had seven consecutive winning trips and then on the eighth lost it all plus much more. It is probably one of the most addictive games going. Any real player will acknowledge this and I hear it all the time at the tables. I am now going to self exclude today. Like I said I always thought I could be a controlled player and have considerable will power, but not enough to do that. For me, it is all or nothing. I started early in life in the USN and casinos have almost been a second home. I love action.
I love the game, but it does not love me. So guys, my take is control is not an option. Just my take. Not whining. Folks will always lose what they win and are always trying to win what they have lost. This is no BS. I have lived it.

Sports bettors will say the same about sports betting.
NSR will say the same about slots.

All forms of gambling are addictive, I might not be addicted to Craps but I have/had the same feeling you had towards sports betting.

In the end of the day it's mind games the brain is playing with us, we're all affected by it.

Slots never interested me and I have only bet on sports a few time and the last sports bet was 40 years ago. All I know is craps is a game that will keep you at the table for 12 hours without a bathroom break and some players have stayed for days. What I was trying to say was that all real crap players know and will admit how addictive craps is. However, like all the games the addiction is progressive and truly some do not realize they are addicted. Personally i used to drink a lot from age 19 to 45 starting in military, but now only drink a beer once in a while. I was never an alcoholic, but a heavy drinker. The bad hangovers slowed me up eventually. As you know even if you only play once every two weeks it can be financially devastating. Bottom line: A controlled gambler is a rare bird.

After about 2.5 years of GF time, I feel more disconnected to the gambling and begin to believe more and more that it is possible to gamble in a controlled way. That's when I slap myself in the face realize that is the addiction wanting me to believe it is possible so it can enter my life again. If I play the tape to the end, I already know the ending.

Tried the control thing after several months GF many times and try to go once a week or every two weeks, but wind up going back in two days, etc. Had many good days that way, but inevitably hit the wall and get crushed. We all know the story. That is why I excluded myself today. Stop loss is not something I can do.

Well done , 1wiserman . It is a decision that will ultimately save more than your finances - it will save your peace of mind and perhaps even your life .

As with Ares411 , I am several years into recovery and I go through the same delusional periods where it feels like I could gamble in control if I really wanted to . But those thoughts are just bait . My addiction would love to be driving the bus again , burning up every cent in my bank account and gorging itself on the adrenaline/dopamine rush , no matter what the cost .

I can't go back to that nightmare existence. I wasn't living - I was a host for a parasitic disease that convinced me I was "enjoying" myself when I fed it my paycheck .