Welcome. Everything said during this chat will be treated in the strictest confidence.<div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  Well done 👏 for coming on to GA - we are here to help.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  Are there any measures I can take to take my mind off gambling, I use online slots and it’s a problem now not financially but i can’t get the idea of gambling out my head it’s the first thing I think about when I wake up sometimes<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  So far I’ve managed to manage it by withdrawing after a win and set excluding myself from websites but I always end up going back to it <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  Self* <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  Their are measures you can put in place for phone / laptop etc. If you are a compulsive gambler the best way is to get to GA meetings.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  I’m not comfortable going to an in person meeting at this point <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  Would you consider a chat on the phone with an experienced GA member ? <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  The best way I have found is to reach out and well done 👏 for doing this.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  I feel a bit embarrassed to talk about it over the phone, I’ve tried playing slots online free but just ending up switching to real money <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  Gambling is progressive and it can go from free playing to real money - I have done online gambling in the past and it didn’t feel real money on the screen.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  No pressure on contact with a GA member - just letting you know how it works and it is good to get things off your chest- like you are doing here.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  It started off £10/£20 maybe 30 and recently I had a bit of slip and spent £160 on slots trying to win back some money, I know in my head that it’s not logical and I should just cut my losses but for some reason just keep betting<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  I’ve never met myself in financial strain it’s only ever money I can afford but I can see how compulsive I am when playing and don’t want to get into a situation where I do end up spending more than I can afford <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  That is what gambling can do and how we react to it - it can be hard to cope in your own head - well done for recognising signs.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  Thanks, I’ve now self excluded myself for 6 weeks on all the websites I use. Hopefully I can stay away from it and it’ll be on my mind less <br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  I mentioned progressive earlier this is what gambling can do. We at GA are here to help.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  We are here to chat - anytime - have a good think about if u want a chat on the phone- we are anonymous and can be useful to get more info about stuff etc<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  I would recommend looking at the 20 questions on the website as well - if u answer at least 7 with a yes you are a compulsive gambler.<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  Thank you, I will try this self exclusion and if it’s less accessible for me then I will be more likely to stay away from it, if not then I’ll look into speaking over the phone or if there are any meetings local to me, thanks<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>John</strong> :  I’ll look at the questions also<br></div><div style='font-size:16px';><strong>Peter D.</strong> :  I can get / GA can get a member from any area you like we aim for local / rough location etc.<br></div><div class='msgln'><span class='left-info'>User <b class='user-name-left'>John</b> has left the chat session.</span><br></div><br>== This Chat Has Been Closed ==<br>Press "Exit Chat" to return to homepage.