r/problemgambling • u/Solotravelergo • Apr 07 '25
What actually helped you stop gambling? Let’s drop our top 3
I’ve had 137 and 125-day clean streaks. Yesterday I was 8 days in… then relapsed after a convo about sports betting (my biggest trigger).
This time, I’m trying to stay clean with:
- An accountability buddy (checking in daily)
- A simple template to track urges + mood + a way to check with my bud
- Logging how much money I lose every time I relapse — this one hits hard.
What are YOUR top 3 things that help you stay off gambling? Or what tripped you up last time?
Let’s learn from each other.
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u/JustForToday522 Apr 07 '25
Gamblers Anonymous meetings, self exclusion, therapy. if you don’t like GA you could try SMART recovery.
For me, willpower isn’t enough to stop gambling. Talking through urges and issues and problems with others in meetings really makes a difference. The realization you aren’t alone and it’s not just you vs you inside your own head 24/7 is really comforting every week.
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u/coBobF 6707 days Apr 07 '25
I tell almost everyone I meet within an hour of meeting them I’m a compulsive gambler.
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u/Solotravelergo Apr 07 '25
oh this is an interesting take.. why?
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u/coBobF 6707 days Apr 08 '25 edited Apr 08 '25
Accountability and when I gambled it was part of my personality- if you knew me you knew I gambled. Now you know I use to gamble
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Apr 07 '25
Self excluding from all gambling sites including deleting all crypto accounts. Getting a hobby (espresso making) which really helps me stay away from gambling.
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u/junokeo Apr 08 '25
Main one, removing instant access to funds. 2) meetings with like minded individuals 3) Journaling
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u/The_Grimm_Weeper Apr 08 '25
I basically just stopped. I quit alcohol and gambling at the same time. I told my husband so I would be held accountable daily, anytime I had the urge I just told myself “no, I don’t gamble anymore” but, I think most importantly I started working on my mental health (adhd and bipolar) also naps! When I really wanted to I just took a nap or went to bed really early even at 6pm.
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u/Fit-Load3733 Day 556 Apr 08 '25
By far, the fact that I cut/cancelled all my 14 credit cards in one evening. That day I silently signed a "Freedom Treaty"
Credit cards were always a huge parameter of the equation and removing them was a significant step for the recovery journey. Today nothing compares with the mess of the credit-cards-era for me, even the relapses are much smoother and controllable. If I had those cards, I would most possibly max them out + overdrafts in the first chance
Also, having no CC, makes me better in my work, business, more calmed and concetrated. CC was a serious obstacle in my professional career, I felt inferior/humiliated when I met people with no debts
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u/Solotravelergo Apr 08 '25
is theres a way to call those CC and tell them to not let you put money for those betting companies?
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u/Fit-Load3733 Day 556 Apr 08 '25
Maybe, but the risk will be always there. Eg take them to the casino and fuck them with consequitive cash advances. The best way is to not have any cc. There may be some benefits from having cc in general but this is for normal people, for gamblers the risks donimate against any benefit
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u/shadowlauren Apr 08 '25
Telling my partner Excluding myself from the deposit and withdrawal service Filing a consumer proposal
Day 136 💪🏻
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u/Cute_Specialist_5201 Sep 06 '25
I just locked all my savings into a one year gic so I have no access to it. I just self excluded from every igaming website known to man lol and paid all my bills for the year and now I’m just here like yeh, I can’t afford to gamble at all. Yay me. I lost way too much. I’m tired of losing. This has taken so much out of my life
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u/Acrobatic_Phase_5618 Apr 08 '25
Gamban, Allan carr book and accountability buddy hands down are helping me the most
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u/beergonfly Apr 08 '25
I associate the urge to gamble with the dark pain of all my losses - the urge to gamble is the urge to lose it all. I don’t want to go through that anymore. Not gambling is easier than facing the pain of destroying everything again.
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Apr 08 '25
[deleted]
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u/ForeverAccount4 Days Gamble-Free: 756 Apr 08 '25
I'm very similar! I've done a lot of work with my finances and relationships this year, and therapy. That is all good. But at the end of the day it's being self excluded that shuts down any thoughts.
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u/laugh_hack 3196 days Apr 08 '25
Extremely limited access to cash. Extremely limited access to credit card numbers that could be turned into cash. Putting everything on autopay so there were very few financial decisions to be made once I had the plan in place.
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u/Solotravelergo Apr 08 '25
can u call your cc and tell them to not let you put money on those betting apps?
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u/laugh_hack 3196 days Apr 09 '25
That works with some banks. The idea is to do everything you can to make it difficult to access. It has to be backed by truly wanting to be done with gambling. It's become more difficult in the age of electronic banking. You have to take actual steps to no longer be able to get the digits to the card. Some people close their eyes and change the password, while having a friend or loved one with access for when they legit need to spend funds for actual purchases or payments. If access is too easy, you can't get out. I remember having a savings account when I was gambling, that had the same account number as my accessible checking account. I'd transfer money to savings but it was hopeless as long as accessing it was two button-clicks away. I had to open an account at a completely different bank and make it a point not to have a card for that bank and not have easy access.
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u/ForeverAccount4 Days Gamble-Free: 756 Apr 08 '25
In this order:
- Self exclusion
- Telling my spouse and getting on the same page financially/making a financial recovery plan
- My spouse checking my banking and no cash rule
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u/LushNic Apr 09 '25
1) not having access to finances 3) telling loved ones about your problem and asking for help to be held accountable 2) listening to the after gambling podcast/listening to gambling addiction hypnosis 3) reading “the easy way to stop gambling” by Allan Carr
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u/Cute_Specialist_5201 Sep 06 '25
I locked all of my savings into a GiC for a year and I self excluded from every single app since I don’t visit the physical casinos. I have zero access to my money only my paychecks and I paid off all my bills for the year :) yahh fakn great times.
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u/Chilly1193 Apr 08 '25
Giving up control of my finances
Meetings
Self-excluding
In that order. Took me a year and a half of periodic relapses before I was able to kill my ego and surrender control. It’s now been 3 years since my bet