For what it’s worth there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Years ago I was in a similar position although back then blackjack was my poison. What started with £1 hands as a bit of fun in uni/between lectures became over a month’s wages (per hand) within a short period once I was working, Typically I’d win a decent amount over a few weeks/months then do my brains in a matter of hours. I used to think there was something wrong with me as all my friends were getting on in life, careers etc. and there I was using gambling to supplement my income for the crappy job I had. Fortunately I think I made myself so sick of blackjack I eventually kicked it into touch, it would occasionally rear it’s head and I might lose a few hundred but thankfully it didn’t excite me in the same way anymore.
Years later I was made redundant and shortly after my father died. Because my mother had health conditions I became an unpaid carer as it wouldn’t have been practical for me to work around her various medical appointments. This was very much sink or swim for me as I had significant debts from some shares went tits up. It was at this point that I got into heavily matched betting, specifically focussing on slots and over 2.5yrs later I’ve taken well over £100k from the casinos without a losing month (I play slots everyday). This is by no means a brag, as during this time I’ve learned a lot about myself and my attitude to gambling, therefore my takeaways are as follows:-
1. If you have a history of chasing losses, gambling more than you can afford to lose and feeling hopeless and sick about it YOU HAVE A GAMBLING PROBLEM. It will never go away, it’s the the way your brain is wired so just accept it. I also have one, I just control it.
2. Identify your ’tilts’, this will be different for everyone but personally I always lost the most money when in a relaxed state of mind (playing on my phone/watching TV etc.), so identify the situations where a tilt is likely and avoid that situation. So if you get tilted playing pub fruit machines, leave the debit card at home etc. You’ll save a lot in the long run. Our brains comprise logic and emotion, if you put yourself in a position where the barriers to emotion are reduced, e.g. relaxed, under influence of alcohol etc. you’re more likely to lose money as it’s only when emotion leaves and logic kicks in will you kick yourself for the damage that emotion did.
3. Never gamble with expectation of winning. Having done this nearly 3yrs as a primary source of income ALL my big wins have been unexpected and any losses are always when playing with expectation. If you do gamble, need to scratch that itch, set a budget, have no expectation and you won’t be disappointed.
4. Find something to be passionate about and focus your energy/finances on that. If you add up all the time, stress, and money wasted chasing losses that’s you’ll find it would always be better spent elsewhere. Start a business or side gig for example, focus your energy on earning rather than hoping for a financial boost.
Hope that helps, I’m by no means gamblers anonymous as these are merely my observations on the subject. If you need any help drop me a message.