Good evening everyone

I am writing this with a lot of regret and with the hope that others will learn from this and not fall into the same predicament. I had initially thought of another name for the the topic that will not sound so dramatic but decided to use this one because it is the true state of things as it concerns my life right now.

Gambling has totally ruined me and by gambling i mean live tennis to be precise. From 2013 when i opened my first account on till date, i have lost about 3 million naira which is the difference between how much i have won in all the years compared to how much i have played with.

At several points in time, i close my accounts with the website but I end up opening another after a few weeks and still continue to lose money despite the emotional and financial burden it costs.

I used to think my excuse was that i didn't have enough and i believed this for quite some time but this year changed all that as despite coming into the new year with over 500,000 in debt, I had just gotten a job that will pay a six figure salary for the duration of my service and this will have helped offset the debt in 7 to 8 months with some prudent spending but right now there's virtually no loan app I don't owe money and continuous gambling has now ensured i owe more than double that amount including debts owed to friends and family with no hope of being able to repay in the near future.

I need people to please help me me with practical ways to stop gambling as I have tried many things but always end up back there and I fear my bankruptcy as it is might not be the worst case for me if things continue. I am mostly rational and aware of the detriment this brings but for some reason I can't explain the urge and the need to continue gambling.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

It is an acknowledged major psychological illness.

Try the following next time you have the urge to gamble:
Relax and focus on staying calm.
Take some deep breaths to slow yourself down and refocus on what you can do now.
Try to distract yourself with an activity to keep calm, such as a shower or a bath.

What are the causes of gambling addiction?

Certain factors are more often associated with compulsive gambling: Mental health disorders. People who gamble compulsively often have substance abuse problems, personality disorders, depression or anxiety.
A gambling addiction is a progressive addiction that can have many negative psychological, physical, and social repercussions. It is classed as an impulse-control disorder.

Gambling is an addiction.

You... Only you can help your self out of it.

You have to be resolute. You also need all the self discipline you can muster to stick with your resolutions

OV or UNDER??

Very demonic terms...don't Bleep with them o

In fact...

Gambling did not ruin only you, it has also ruined my country Nigeria.

They gambled with their choice of leaders.
Now insecurity has tripled, hunger has risen, poverty has doubled.

Now no sensible country will give Nigerians visas.
I keep telling them gambling is bad and anyone who gambles is worse than an infidel.
I am happy you have come to testify to it.

CanadaOrBust:
It is an acknowledged major psychological illness.

Try the following next time you have the urge to gamble:
Relax and focus on staying calm.
Take some deep breaths to slow yourself down and refocus on what you can do now.
Try to distract yourself with an activity to keep calm, such as a shower or a bath.

What are the causes of gambling addiction?

Certain factors are more often associated with compulsive gambling: Mental health disorders. People who gamble compulsively often have substance abuse problems, personality disorders, depression or anxiety.
A gambling addiction is a progressive addiction that can have many negative psychological, physical, and social repercussions. It is classed as an impulse-control disorder.

I tried the activity option. I bury myself with work and even when I actually have nothing to do, i get work from others and help them do it but it only ever lasts for some days. Other times, i download a lot of TV series do as to stay offline and be busy as much possible but it ends up with the same result.
My worst fear is that maybe some part of me actually enjoys losing the money, I say this because i fund my betting aaccount in tranches of 2000 naira and on occasions where the first bet is lost, I keep on funding to recover the lost best and can end up losing over 70k in the space of the 3 days.

coolcharm:
Gambling is an addiction.

You... Only you can help your self out of it.

You have to be resolute. You also need all the self discipline you can muster to stick with your resolutions

This self discipline you mentioned is something everyone has always said i don't have. I, myself must admit that it's something i need to work on.

Senegal Cut ya ticket??

u da bet under Duress.

1.Stop using smart phones.
2.Make sure you can't do online banking.
3.Make sure your ATM card is very far from you and difficult to reach.
4. Always have friends around especially on weekends when girlfriends and have fun playing games like Scrabble or ludo.
5. Always stay late at work before closing for the day because you get home late and too tired to think much other than to eat,shower and sleep.
Etc
Thank me later
There are so many ways to avoid gambling especially the one the call RITUAL aka VIRTUAL.
Chat me up if you want to truely stop all manner of gambling.
Been there and done them all.
You can't use the money from gambling to buy a car tyre talk much of the full car.

Maybe you should even open a betshop, sit back and watch how much people waste everyday in the name of gambling.
You really need to start a serious tangible business and forget the mirage called gambling, break your atm card, stop visiting betshops, stop funding your account, stop checking livescores and fixtures. Channel your energy somewhere else. Once upon a time you were not a gambler, I bet you spent your money in more prudent ways then. Go back to that time.

Addiction

Baba this gambling don give me enough money o, i don't see myself quitting anytime soon

TissuePaper:
Baba this gambling don give me enough money o, i don't see myself quitting anytime soon

Nice .. show your boy way Na. I wan dey chop like half of wetin you dey chop

You should always remember whatever u Make in gambling, there is always that temptation to pour it back so u can make more. U will realise that rather than use the money for something fruitful, u will prefer to have it doubled. And of cause since no game is sure, u end up losing. The bigger ur wins, the higher ur stakes become.

What I think u should do is bet for fun. Don't stake more than a 100 naira, accumulate long list of games And only bet on weekends. This will minimise ur losses, and gradually the habit will fade.

And u might be lucky someday!

your solution is very very simple. HERE is what you need to do. send me a PM. I can teach you LEGIT business that will END your appetite for gambling

Ishola73:
Good evening everyone

I am writing this with a lot of regret and with the hope that others will learn from this and not fall into the same predicament. I had initially thought of another name for the the topic that will not sound so dramatic but decided to use this one because it is the true state of things as it concerns my life right now.

Gambling has totally ruined me and by gambling i mean live tennis to be precise. From 2013 when i opened my first account on till date, i have lost about 3 million naira which is the difference between how much i have won in all the years compared to how much i have played with.

At several points in time, i close my accounts with the website but I end up opening another after a few weeks and still continue to lose money despite the emotional and financial burden it costs.

I used to think my excuse was that i didn't have enough and i believed this for quite some time but this year changed all that as despite coming into the new year with over 500,000 in debt, I had just gotten a job that will pay a six figure salary for the duration of my service and this will have helped offset the debt in 7 to 8 months with some prudent spending but right now there's virtually no loan app I don't owe money and continuous gambling has now ensured i owe more than double that amount including debts owed to friends and family with no hope of being able to repay in the near future.

I need people to please help me me with practical ways to stop gambling as I have tried many things but always end up back there and I fear my bankruptcy as it is might not be the worst case for me if things continue. I am mostly rational and aware of the detriment this brings but for some reason I can't explain the urge and the need to continue gambling.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

Ishola73:
Good evening everyone

I am writing this with a lot of regret and with the hope that others will learn from this and not fall into the same predicament. I had initially thought of another name for the the topic that will not sound so dramatic but decided to use this one because it is the true state of things as it concerns my life right now.

Deciding to stop doing something you enjoy can be challenging, there may be times when it feels impossible but remember lots of people no better than u have quit gambling, so can u.

Do your best to stay away from gambling, the ideal outcome is that you stay away. However if you do revert to gambling don’t get down on yourself. You can always get back on track and use the experience to learn how to stop next time.
It is helpful to know lapses are normal and can happen at any time when you are trying to quit.

Answer the below 20 questions in your own honesty

Q1: Do you lose time from work or school due to gambling?
Q2: Is gambling making your home life unhappy?
Q3: Is gambling affecting your reputation?
Q4: Have you ever felt remorse after gambling??
Q5: Do you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
Q6: Does gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
Q7: After losing do you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
Q8: After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
Q9: Do you often gamble until your last pound has gone?
Q10: Do you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
Q11: Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
Q12: Are you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
Q13: Does gambling make you careless of the welfare of your family?
Q14: Do you gamble longer than you had planned?
Q15: Do you ever gamble to escape worry or trouble?
Q16: Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
Q17: Does gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
Q18: Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create an urge within you to gamble?
Q19: Do you have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
Q20: Have you ever considered self-destruction as a result of your gambling?


Questions culled from the following Gamblers Anonymous link :- https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/20-questions

Spend your spare time watching youtube videos of how different people have overcome their problem gambling