The Thoughts of a Sports Bettor

Even though I am 3.5 years gamble free, the thoughts of gambling still go through my head. I have learned that we can't control these thoughts and I shouldn't feel bad about having them. What I can control is my actions and as long as I don't gamble, that's the important thing.

A thought I recently had was about the World Series of baseball. One team was about to be eliminated, but I though that the team would still win it because they have really good pitchers (this was a thought I couldn't control due to years of analyzing baseball). It turns out, they did win and I would have won quite a bit of money.

That there is a very dangerous thought for gamblers. The thought that they can still win and the failure to 'play the tape to the end'. I KNOW that if I did play (and won) and continued to play, I would have eventually risked everything and lost everything in the end (done that so many times..). I don't dwell on the ideas of the 'what ifs' or 'maybe I can' anymore. I know what happens in the end and now my mind is at rest.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hi Aries411: I've said this before about betting on sports too....

The problem when you try to quit is when you still watch sports and think about who you would've bet on....if that team wins, you always have that thought of how you COULD'VE won money.....that is definitely the danger in trying to fight off the addiction....you seem to have a good handle on it though.....we know it's true; even if you win, you will continue to gamble and inevitably lose....the only way I could stop was to realize that all the wins I've had over the years was not worth all the losses I had.....Congrats on your 3-1/2 years; you have done well....stay strong

For me , just thinking the words " win a lot of money " is still triggering to a small degree . The difference now after a number of years in recovery is that I am able to get past the knee-jerk desire to take the bait . I can play the probable scenario through to its inevitable and miserable end .

Acceptance has come slowly but surely . I am an addict . I can't gamble " just once " or gamble " only a little bit " . I will lose complete control of myself , without fail . I proved this to be true for years . The next time will not be different , no matter how desperately my addiction tries to convince me otherwise .

Winning is pointless if you're unable to stop when you're losing .

Right on the dot Aries. Going through the same process after 2+ years of GF.
I just wish it didn't take so much emotional pain and financial loss to learn the lesson and be able to tell myself with absolute certainty: "I don't want this money. Even if I win this one eventually I will lose it all and than some."
Learning this simple truth and honoring what I have learned took a lot in every sense of the word.

I dont know about Aries but I am 215 days off betting and I do watch english
premier league football. Not even once I think about betting! but yeah when I was in the first month I used to think about betting all the time.

Now I am scared! after 3.5 years one can still think of making money through betting.

As soon as I forgot about my loss (which is a hard pill to swallow) I didnt look back at betting.