Begbie: [In Renton's head, under his bedsheets] Well, this is a good ****ing laugh, ain't it? You sweat that ****e out of your system. 'Cause if I come back and it's still here... I'll ****ing kick it out. Okay?

Yeah so, for the past 4 years (im 26), I've been playing poker and losing, and the past few months blackjack. Although I've won 3 times within those few months as opposed to years in poker. Now that I've been playing blackjack, I finally have no desire or will to play poker. That **** is slow and boring, and I'm going to be 30 soon. I have better chances at making money in mcdonalds.

Regarding blackjack, I'm dreaming about it at night but my bank account is empty from losing, my account is always overdrawn, and I haven't had a conversation with a girl in 7 years.

No, I'm not gonna kill myself, scared of dying. How do I sweat this addiction out of my body so i can live a normal life?

There's a good book on the subject called "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg.
I'd read that thing cover to cover if I were you.

Everything we do is based on habits. And in those habits, there's a cue, a reponse, and a reward.

Once you figure out what cues cause you to play blackjack (what things do you think about just before you feel like playing, as one example), you can start to change those. And you can also change the rewards. Ideally, you want to substitute blackjack for something else. And try to give yourself the reward for that instead.

One thought would be maybe to find a wingman and go approach girls. Another would be go back to university. Lots of girls there. But start with that habits book. It's really good.

How did rents beat heroin? he ripped off his mates and stole all their cash. only MONEY can help you beat addiction. Unless you and your mates have come by some cheap coke which you can punt to lily allen's dad your best bet is to just keep on keeping on....but play games with better returns than blackjack unless you are playing with jackpots/side bets...

If you really want to quit gambling, and you should - you need to find help from someone besides people on an internet forum. There are professionals who specialize in gambling addiction, and groups like GA that can help.

I remember hearing a radio interview with a reformed sports bettor who had basically destroyed his life by gambling. He now was trying to help other people. He said that he worked with a lot of cocaine addicts and gambling addicts, and that the gambling addiction is by far the more difficult to break.

So if you have a problem (and it seems like you do) you aren't going to solve it by reading a book or anything that simple. Start by at least researching GA and see what you can find online. Maybe you don't have a deep seated problem. But if you think you really have a chance to win playing blackjack, you are just going to keep losing money (unless you are very good at counting, and based on prior posts, that seems unlikely).

VBA, you do realize that there are legit people on here right? It's insulting to some of the people on here like Gangstamann, Elrazor, and others who are either psychologists, or on their way becoming one.

You aren't wrong about him benefiting from seeing a professional, but don't just trash this forum as if nobody here has anything useful to offer.

I have no doubt that there are legit people on here, and I did not in any way mean to trash or insult anybody. What I meant was that help was not going to come from anyone on an internet forum, because gambling addiction is a very serious problem, and help would need to come in person.

I am not going to say that OP is an addict, because I'm not qualified, and even if I were qualified I would need to actually meet with him to make that diagnosis. But if he is an addict, he is not going to get his addiction under control simply by reading someone's advice. If one could, life would be a lot easier for a whole lot of people. So my post was not meant to be disparaging to anyone, it was meant to point out the potential gravity of the situation.

Even stating that help couldn't come from an internet forum is kinda ridiculous to say. Nearly all of the mental work I've put in has come from talking with people online, reading books or watching videos etc.

What magical elements do you think occur in person that change things so drastically? If a psychologist can earn a degree online, learning from books, videos, and chatting online, why couldn't a patient learn from them online too?

Help can pop up anywhere for those who are truly seeking it.

Hey what's good chiefs, still alive unfortunately.

Yeah actually I was diagnosed with something called borderline personality disorder when I was 18. After my first girlfriend/person I had secks with left me (probably because I'm crazy in the end), I went a little crazy. I'd try and get into contact with her every day for months, until I finally stopped and left her alone. Part of the reason was because I thought that was the last person id be with, partly right, I hookedup with 3 other people during college. So I guess its better than none but im definitely not trying to meet or get to know girls now because i'm a loser

I hate my job. I make 28,6 a year, 400 a week after taxes. I barely make enough to make rent electricity and food, and have nothing leftover for myself. I hate the work, and it doesn't pay well, so naturally I hate my life. if I made enough money which is only like 50k a year, I wouldn't gamble because theres no point. When I won 500 in two nights on the online blackjack starting with just $20 last weekend, I didn't even cash it out. I grinded their software to 150 then took it to the live dealer and played lowstakes till i won. These days even if I win, I can't even save the winnings. I just keep playing until I Lose. So these days I can win, but it doesn't matter because I don't stop playing. IT makes me feel good, like im good at something, in comparison to when im at work I feel like a nobody because this work is for dumb old people

lol this is true actually

The fact that you recognise your problem and that you're willing to fight is really important, trust me. It's the first step towards solving it. Now you just have to take the next step. Even though I don't know you in person, from what you describe I think it's pretty straightforward that the next step for you is visiting a psychologist or a psychiatrist. It's not a shame and many people do it every day, many more than you can imagine. Whenever you have a toothache you go to the dentist, simple as that. Now the only difference is that you don't have a toothache, but an addiction (which is maybe just the tip of the iceberg, but that's another story), so you visit the person who will help you with your addiction. Simple as that, again!

Ask yourself: "Do I want to improve the quality of my life?" Well, I think that you already know the answer. Now you just have to make it happen. And you will do anything in your power to make it happen!

You say, you hate your job and it doesn't pay well, no naturally you hate your life.

Those aren't reasons, they're just excuses to hate your life. That $400 a week you complain about is more than millions of people have access to. The majority of people in some countries live off around $200 a month, to feed 4 or more people. You make 8 times what they do. Instead of focusing on the areas of your life that are bad, maybe start realizing the things you have to be grateful for:

-clean drinking water (HUGE advantage over millions or possibly billions of people)
-a roof over your head
-access to the internet (I'm convinced that nearly every possible problem can be solved with help online, including your case)

These are areas that you've taken for granted, while people out there would kill to have them just for a day. Start being more grateful. It will help you stay more positive when you start to feel down, because you'll be able to realize that it's not so bad man.

That's a good point dude. Basically that instead of focusing on how it could be better, focus instead on how it could be worse. Yeah I mean when I go out for lunch I see homeless people every where (nyc) and it makes me think twice.

It's just hard to maintain this train of thought when I have friends I went to school with that are making big bucks. One is making 75k a year working from HOME, in IT. another is on the road to becoming a movie star, casated for the lead in the new marvel Flash. He has half a million dollars right now and he's 3 years younger than me.

If almost anyone focused on who was doing better, they could be sad. There are kids under 18 that have been coding since they were 5 years old, and are millionaires already from making apps. There are trust fund babies who got handed down hundreds of millions of dollars virtually at birth.

So the thing is, you can always find a reason to be sad about where you are in life. But you aren't starving, begging for money. You aren't wondering where your next meal is coming from, or having to travel miles and miles just to grab a bucket full of barely drinkable water. So in comparison, life is already good.

That's the key. "My life is perfectly fine right now. But there's room for improvement"

I've been into computers since I was a kid, during 56k and AOL> do you think if I learned how to code I could get a real job making 40-50k a year?

I'm not sure where you live, or the salaries in that field, but I would assume you could. Especially if it's an area you really enjoy. Finding something you enjoy doing and barely pays the bills is better imo than a decent paying job you hate.

The first year or so that I played poker, I made less than my previous job. But, I was my own boss, I set my own hours, and that alone more than made up for the pay gap.

and you get to work from home. my problem these days is i can win but i don't know when to stop and keep playing without sleeping for 24+ hours until i lose the whole bank roll

like i said this past saturday i couldve had 540 in my account right now instead of nothing, working 40 hours at this ****ing office i hate....but i was just playing for hours and hours straight without stopping until finally monday morning 9am i had to goto work....then the cash sat in the account all day while i struggled to stay awake, then finallyw hen i sat down at 10pm having played since 10pm the previous day, i placed 3 bets of 100, 150, etc until it was gone

i really enjoy playing games, that's all i really enjoy doing unfortunately

Gamblers have a very restricted brain room devoted to logic.

And logic doesn't fit with having fun.

as.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Your past actions and choices can be changed next time. You stop gambling by not gambling next time. Easier said than done but that is how.

You need to substitute one addiction for another, preferably a healthy one. I was like yourself, i wouldn't stop gambling until my cashier hit $0 even if i had won a decent amount earlier that day/week. I decided to try and learn a new language and found it quite rewarding, i rarely gamble now, it is hardly on my mind

It's a ****ing disease, man.

Give away your bank cards to somebody you trust for safekeeping, and leave the country for at least three months.

Detox.

Move away to some place new

Cut the tie with all habit that leading to gambling

Or you can find somewhat new thing to do as substitution of your gambling problem

Sent from my Mi 4i using 2+2 Forums

I have done a plenty of dumb gambling things in poker. I stopped it by realizing one day, after gambling away my rent, that that won't work like this. I don't want to live like this. I am to smart for that. And somehow this moment it made click.

I stopped depositing. I still play poker and still have urges to do dumb things, but somehow don't do that any more. I don't even know why. But it was exactly this thought: "That ain't working. I don't wanna live like this", that changed things. And one thing that changed dramatically, is that I don't sacrifice my sleep to poker. It can be 1 million $ freeroll, but if it takes place, when I normally sleep, then sleep wins. I actually don't sacrifice any of the normal things of life to poker any more.

You need to educate yourself about YOURSELF. Every addict is different so do your due diligence and write down your triggers and the emotions that follow. You can get to the core of your triggers. It's like pulling the weeds out of a garden without pulling out the roots, and wondering why they keep growing back. Get to the root of your triggers and enablers. Ask for help and talk about it openly to those close to you. If you acknowledge the addiction to yourself and think that's good enough, you won't get the support you need to become healthy and healed

List of triggers is a very good idea. I have one. With alternatives, what I do instead of gambling, if I am triggered.

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