Addiction

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Good to see you’re serious about beating it marra. I don’t know what they’re telling you to do but is cold turkey not medically recommended for you?

It's a step by step guide marra

I've asked all the off licences round here to bar me least till after midday

After midday I usually don't have any urge to booze certainly not the rocket fuel

But I don't mind 4 cans on a night time

As long as I can stop my morning boozing I'll be orgasmic
 


I meant across the board rather than for the individual. Generally limiting how much can be gambled in one hour or day etc. Restricting advertising on sport and TV.

For the individual, I suppose if it was linked to bank accounts where banks could only have one online gambling account linked to it could be a way of reducing it. Wouldnt be easy to do but it could probably be done.
My bank account categories all my outgoings so I'm sure it could be done.
For anybody with an online gambling addiction I recommend signing upto Gamstop. It's the UK national online self exclusion site. Register your details and it will self-exclude you from the majority of companies and won't let you open new accounts.



If you bet in shops visit MOSES to self exclude from all shops in your area

That's brilliant. Iirc there was a court case where the bloke had lost all his money through gambling. He'd ring up/go in and say he wanted to be banned but he'd come back the next week and they'd unban him. Hopefully there's some kind of long term exclusion they can do.
 
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I think I would be more comfortable with gambling being limited to highly regulated bookies where a person has to physically hand over cash. Online where its just a number on the screen there isnt the same connection. Its partly why casinos use chips. A person doesnt feel as bad about handing over a few coloured discs. Handing over physical notes is different.

At least if a person has to physically enter a premises there is a chance that family and friends might notice a problem. Online and on your phone there is very little chance that anyone would know. But the bookies need to take responsibility too. If a pub continues to serve a drunk they can lose their license. So why should a bookie not have the same duty of care?

But of course the likes of Ladbrokes want everyone gambling online and doing away with the shops. Rent, insurance, staffing costs of loads of shops all eat into profit!
 
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I don't like drinking but find myself doing it a lot more than I'd like through social factors - I wish I'd stop but I'm not sure if it's addiction. I've definitely been addicted to drink if I'm not now...I used it to escape a lot of problems I felt I couldn't speak to people about, and it also helped me get to sleep without facing the questions that needed answering.

You're talking 6-8 drinks every night for about 3 years with the above.

I've definitely got an obsessive personality when it comes to exercise and I noticed someone mentioned that earlier in the thread. I have pushed my body to extremes with the brutal consistency of everyday training for 5-6 years now, I get anxiety when I don't, and I'm currently managing blood blisters and swelling on my foot through running when I shouldn't.

I'd credit exercising and pursuing physical improvement as a large reason why I was able to stop drinking so much, it gives self confidence and a purpose. If I went deep then I could say my exercise routine now is indicative that I still have an alcohol addiction, and that I'm fighting it preventitvley.

There's an excellent book called "lost connections" that mainly deals with depression, but talks about addiction. It's been transformative in how I view the whole issue.
 
Back to tabs - both my parents were smokers.
Both tried to stop several times but went back on.
Both managed to stop permanently upon being diagnosed with cancer.
Both subsequently died of lung cancer.

It’s amazing how much willpower you can summon up when faced with your own mortality. Hence my on again off again belief that for some people addictions are just a sign of weakness.

My parents were born in the 1920s so the extent of the ill effects of smoking wasn’t fully known and everyone seemed to smoke everywhere. They both smoked in the car endlessly on long family road trips with four of us kids packed into a Ford Cortina. They’d go to jail for that now.

But the link with cancer was proven in the sixties so I abide by my judgement that anyone who took it up since then is weak and stupid. And smelly too!
Sometimes it takes a shock to pack the fans in. I was told I would lose my leg and packed them in after smoking for 50years. Just about to open a packet of baccy one night and said "fuck it" and have not had a fag for over 10 yrs.
 
Think we all know alcoholics who actually don't realise they are. I know my Ex drank at least a bottle of wine every night without fail but she never seen that as a problem, So I suppose it depends on the person and if they think that's acceptable
 
Sometimes it takes a shock to pack the fans in. I was told I would lose my leg and packed them in after smoking for 50years. Just about to open a packet of baccy one night and said "fuck it" and have not had a fag for over 10 yrs.
My mam had a non cancerous brain tumour removed about 3 years ago. We hoped that would give her the motivation to pack in smoking but when we suggested it she just said "No, I like smoking". So that went well.
Think we all know alcoholics who actually don't realise they are. I know my Ex drank at least a bottle of wine every night without fail but she never seen that as a problem, So I suppose it depends on the person and if they think that's acceptable

Yeah. There are levels to alcoholism. People who drink alot but go to work everyday often don't realise they are dependant on it.
 
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My mam had a non cancerous brain tumour removed about 3 years ago. We hoped that would give her the motivation to pack in smoking but when we suggested it she just said "No, I like smoking". So that went well.


Yeah. There are levels to alcoholism. People who drink alot but go to work everyday often don't realise they are dependant on it.
I can understand that, some will say " it's one of the little pleasures I have left".
My biggest bugbear now is eating.
 
Does anybody on here willing to admit they suffer from or have suffered from addiction.

My addiction is gambling ,it has destroyed every little part of my life. I gamble to chase the substantial amount of money I have lost.... In reality I know this can never occur but yet I cling onto that hope.

I've lost friends relationships self respect..ive even been sleeping rough in the past because of gambling.

I used to be really discriminatory towards others that suffer from addiction...but that was so wrong of me.

Gambling is all I've ever known...my safety net ...do I want to break away from it... Nope is the honest answer but the future is a very scary place indeed for me...I wish I could just walk away.....but I'm already planning my next pay day...

If anyone on here suffers from addiction or has suffered I salute you for your openness...and good look battling it....admitting it is a huge step

You can get help and you have started the battle against addiction by acknowledging your problem. It takes guts to put this on a public forum but don't be too hard on yourself we all have made choices that we regret.
Its a form of self harm and you need to see a professional as soon as possible before depression takes deep route in your mind. Good luck pal if you can kick gambling you can do a hell of a lot more with your life.
 
It’s a key part of any “12” step programme and has been since the 1920’s. It’s also true.
This explains addiction as a Disease very well. It is a disease and one that I also suffer from, if the OP wants to stop, drop me a PM and I can point you in the right direction...


Addiction as a Disease
There have been some foul, ignorant and conceited comments in this thread by the way.
 
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Some people are more prone to addiction than others. Has nothing to do with weakness. Addicts are not weak, but under control of the influence of something that their brain has made them believe that it is bigger than them. No different from those who suffer from OCD. It is not simply a manner of "being strong". Addiction is a truly debilitating disease. But it is that, a disease.

I wish only the best for those who have to deal with addiction. It takes professional help to get better.

If “being strong” has nothing to do with it, why do some manage to overcome addiction and others don’t?

Surely the only variable is strength of character and willpower?
 
I grew up in a generation where almost everyone smoked, and I mean 90%+. Time after time family, friends, girlfriends, would try to encourage me to 'just have a couple off' but I never saw the attraction. I don't know where this fits into this discussion but I thought I'd share. I don't do drugs either, but my good Christ show me an open bar door and I'm through it.
It fits into the discussion as far as the understanding that everyone is different and are affected differently by environment, culture, nature, and nurture.

A friend of my mom is a heavy drinker, I mean to the point where she used to get extremely obnoxious at get-togethers. I grew up with her daughter and son and they both used to tell me that they were never going to drink because they didn't want to end up like their mom. Now that we are older, the daughter has never touched alcohol, but the son is, in my opinion, an alcoholic. Same environment and experience, but different choices.
If “being strong” has nothing to do with it, why do some manage to overcome addiction and others don’t?

Surely the only variable is strength of character and willpower?
Sure, of course, it plays a part, but there are other sociological and psychological influences that affect why some can overcome addictions and other cannot. The brain is a powerful tool that can be an ally as much as an enemy depending on said influence. We can know an addiction is wrong, but will talk ourselves into believing that we do not actually have a problem (it's just one.... so it's not a problem, I'll be okay). Socially, if the people around us perform in similar activities but do not outwardly demonstrates the same symptoms, then that helps cultivate the opinion that we are and can be okay with just one transgression in our addiction.

The only way to recover from addiction is by changing our own attitudes towards the addiction. In my experience, the vast majority of people cannot do that on their own and require professional assistance to reach that level of understanding an outlook. But I have known people who simply stopped the addiction on their own by changing their own outlook on it.

A good friend of mine has a drug addiction that he has been battling for years, he has and needs professional help in coping with the addiction. He has been sober now for a few years, but he continues to treat the addiction even now to prevent falling back into it. While on the other hand, one of my wife's friends used to be a heavy smoker, I mean, hardcore heavy. But once her and her husband decided that they wanted to have a baby, she just stopped. Cold turkey. Without any professional help. And she hasn't smoked nor craved to smoke since. Her daughter is turning 21 this year.
 
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It fits into the discussion as far as the understanding that everyone is different and are affected differently by environment, culture, nature, and nurture.

A friend of my mom is a heavy drinker, I mean to the point where she used to get extremely obnoxious at get-togethers. I grew up with her daughter and son and they both used to tell me that they were never going to drink because they didn't want to end up like their mom. Now that we are older, the daughter has never touched alcohol, but the son is, in my opinion, an alcoholic. Same environment and experience, but different choices.

Sure, of course, it plays a part, but there are other sociological and psychological influences that affect why some can overcome addictions and other cannot. The brain is a powerful tool that can be an ally as much as an enemy depending on said influence. We can know an addiction is wrong, but will talk ourselves into believing that we do not actually have a problem (it's just one.... so it's not a problem, I'll be okay). Socially, if the people around us perform in similar activities but do not outwardly demonstrates the same symptoms, then that helps cultivate the opinion that we are and can be okay with just one transgression in our addiction.

The only way to recover from addiction is by changing our own attitudes towards the addiction. In my experience, the vast majority of people cannot do that on their own and require professional assistance to reach that level of understanding an outlook. But I have known people who simply stopped the addiction on their own by changing their own outlook on it.

A good friend of mine has a drug addiction that he has been battling for years, he has and needs professional help in coping with the addiction. He has been sober now for a few years, but he continues to treat the addiction even now to prevent falling back into it. While on the other hand, one of my wife's friends used to be a heavy smoker, I mean, hardcore heavy. But once her and her husband decided that they wanted to have a baby, she just stopped. Cold turkey. Without any professional help. And she hasn't smoked nor craved to smoke since. Her daughter is turning 21 this year.
I suffered from an addiction and after doing the rounds doctors, councillors, psychiatrists and the other professional help agencies I finally won through after reaching a rock bottom, admitting I had a problem and attending one of the anonymous groups. It was not easy but I have never looked back, that was 23 years ago. It is still a daily thing for me, believing if I slip up just the once it will lead me straight back into that hell that is addiction.
That is what worked for me it does not work for everyone. Professional help work for others.
 
I suffered from an addiction and after doing the rounds doctors, councillors, psychiatrists and the other professional help agencies I finally won through after reaching a rock bottom, admitting I had a problem and attending one of the anonymous groups. It was not easy but I have never looked back, that was 23 years ago. It is still a daily thing for me, believing if I slip up just the once it will lead me straight back into that hell that is addiction.
That is what worked for me it does not work for everyone. Professional help work for others.
I am glad to hear that you found something that worked for you. My friend had a rough patch a couple of weeks ago after his father passed away. Even after years of fighting and beating the addiction, the incident caused his mind to direct him towards using again just to numb himself to the situation and feeling like it would help him cope. Luckily, we have a tight knit group of friends and we all basically took turns being vigilant of him to make sure he wasn't alone long enough to let his thoughts get the best of him. He's doing much better now, but he says that it did get very scary for a while where he didn't know if he would be able to be successful in fighting the urge. Like you said, it's a daily thing.
 
Smoking. Stopped for 6 month but then my vape broke so started again. Going to attempt to stop again on Monday. Ordered my vape today.

Gambling is another one, not as bad as I used to be, but still have a bet on 90% of days.

Food and drink. I'm a fat bastard. I go through phases of having the same food. For example last 5 month I've had cheese and broccoli pasta on probably around 3 nights a week. Working nights permanently means I have 1 red bull a day guaranteed. Working on this in the coming weeks once I've conquered quiting smoking.
That all seems extremely unhealthy, you want to be careful.
There are some addictions which occur by poor fortune, eg people given opioids for genuine pain - post surgery or whatever - and find themselves in the grip of subsequent addiction.
But anyone taking up certain crap like smoking - tabs or crack - in the full knowledge of what it does to their health and how it affects those around them, has an absence of will, or a weakness of mind, in that they failed to make an adult decision to pass it up. So at this moment I stand by my occasionally vacillating affirmation that certain people become addicts due to misfortune, others due to weakness.
Sometimes a persons susceptibility for weakness can be exacerbated by a lifetime of relative misfortune.
 
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Alcohol, nicotine, gambling and codeine.

I've always had an addictive personality but PTSD / depression nearly 10 years ago tipped me over the edge.

Since I got myself back into work 3 years ago things have been much better, but not a day goes by where I don't crave one of them and I've had a fair few blips in the time I've been doing better.

If I could give any advice it's unfortunately the clichéd bullshit. Keeping busy, exercise and meditation are when I'm at my best.

It's also worth remembering that if you do fuck up and have a blip, don't be too hard on yourself. It's happened, you need to move on and deal with it. Beating yourself up about it only makes you dwell and stay in that dark place.

If anyone is reading this thread and doesn't know what to do, please feel free to send me a message, talking I'd the hardest but best first step.
 

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