My past gambling problem

So I have just returned to Sythe as a DNT member. I'm extremely happy to be back and to become a part of the community again. After returning, I had a look through my old inboxes from around mid 2014, and came across a PM from another Sythe member @Sephiroth . This PM referred to my gambling on the donator lounge.



For anyone who doesn't remember me, or wasn't around at the time.. I was a huge gambler for a long period of time, and did some big Paypal and RSGP stakes of up to $500. This may not be a lot to some, but at the time I was studying A levels and didn't have a job, so the money was a lot to me, and I was consistent for a long period of time with the gambling. This gambling problem got to the point where I would put my Runescape account of many, many years on the line, as well as pretty much anything I had left (life savings and more). I am not proud of this, nor do I have any regrets. The reason for no regrets, is that you live and learn; and this is why i'm writing this thread now in hopes to help people with gambling addictions or problems.

Despite not having any intentions of scamming, I was banned from Sythe for not paying a gambling debt. This wasn't because I wanted to scam, or couldn't afford to pay the debt, but simply due to me not liking the other person because he was rude to me for no reason. Ultimately, I was rightfully banned, and am extremely apologetic to this day and have fully paid back my debt, but if I didn't gamble then I wouldn't have been in that position. I gambled with somebody I knew would do all they could to get me banned, because of the 'hate' for each other, and this was because there was nobody else to gamble with at the time.

Gambling isn't only a complete and utter waste of money. It is a true addiction which slowly eats away at your life. It can affect your relationship with friends, family and people who mean the most to you. As well as this, it can lead to things such as suicide, self-harming, depression and more. Gambling also brings out the worst in people as it can lead to aggression and thieving to feed the addiction.

I think as somebody who gambled, staying in control is the main thing. There are hundreds and thousands of websites which will tell you this. Staying in control is key, as well as only betting what you can afford to lose, and not seeing gambling as a way of making money, but to only gamble for a small time; for fun. Set yourself a limit, if you have lost $5 and $5 is your limit, then the fun is over. Don't try and get the $5 back, because it will then esculate to 10, 20, 30 etc. I also think avoiding thinks like bookmakers, forums or even sub-forums where gambling is available, and online gambling sites is key. The closer you get to gambling, the more the temptation will occur. Only you can help yourself.. Gambling isn't a hard addiction to over-come, it's just having common sense and starting a fresh. If you dwell on what you have lost, you will lose more. Start from today, and give it up as a bad job. This is how I gave up; not because I knew I had lost a lot of money, but because I didn't like where I was heading. I didn't want this problem to turn into an addiction, and turn into something I cannot stop. I didn't want to lead myself in the direction of thieving to fund a gambling problem, or lose people who mean the most to me. Think logically, and understand the long-term affects instead of the short-term affects. Don't have 'just one more' before you quit, stop now.

If anybody would ever like somebody to speak to, or to talk about my experience or talk about your experience with gambling, whether it be past or present. Feel free to PM me and i'll be happy to hit you up on Skype etc. If you're reading but would prefer to remain anonymous, feel free to have a browse here: GambleAware®: Gambling Help & Gambling Addiction as it is very informative and explains in more dept & for anyone who is interested, I haven't gambled in over 6 months. This may not seem a lot, but it's a step in the right direction.

 

I hope that my words showed you that I truly do care about you. I hope that you can be a conduit for other people who are struggling.

Love you man. PM me anytime

 

It's genuinely good to see people care. Any addiction is a lonely addiction, and it's good to have people to talk to about stuff like this. I'm sure we could both help lots of people.

 

I completely agree with you Boosting. I stay away from the casinos here as much as I can.

 

I'm honestly glad to see that someone with a past has brought this up.

Recently viewing the forums, you can tell that some people do have a problem with this as well. Now, that being said, as the caring person that i am, I'm always afraid that the dicing forums are introducing possible gambling problems to minors. I know whether you are -/+ 18 isnt going to solve anything, but having people read about what could happen if it becomes a serious issue, would be a good start. Encouragement to learn about the issue and talking to someone who had a first hand problem could make a difference in a lifetime, and potentially eradicate a future personal problem.

 

I think the main problem is admitting you have a problem. Gambling is a serious addiction and can cause just as many problems as consistent drug usage, alcohol addictions and more.

 

bump.

 

bump.