[hitbitritz]

I haven't been posting on this forum for that long, but after thinking about this for a week or two, I've decided to retire from online gambling.

I've been gambling for about 8 years, and I've had ups and downs. I started off small, then my bets increased progresively, like everyone does. A few years ago I had some losing streaks and was bailed out about 5k - sounds like its no big deal- but I was very close to ruining my career. Since then I haven't gotten myself in any trouble, and Ive actually been doing decent. But I can't stand the fact that I waste so much time on this shit. I think about all the lost opportunties over the years. It's not the money thats the biggest problem - I'm up for the past few yrs, it's the impact this shit has on all other areas of my life, and the interest i have lost in everyday activities.

I hate the fact that I spent all my holidays in front of the TV more worried about the outcome of the scores than I was spending quality time with my family.

It sucks that I've ruined a lot of relationships with GF's due to my mood swings.

It sucks when I play hookie from work to gamble and get behind.

It sucks when I sit there, go up 4-5K, feel numb, and attempt to turn it into 10K to change my feelings, and lose it all.

There are very few people out there that feel are genuinely happy...people resort to sex, drugs, alcohol, money, fame, you name it...external solutions to achieve a temporary and fake happy feeling. I'm sick of using gambling as an external solution. My life was so much better before I ever made a sports bet, and I want it back.

I miss the quality time I used to spend with family and friends, the charity events I used to partake in, and I miss watching sporting events for the fun of it. i miss waking up on a weekend and thinking of all the good stuff i'm going to do, not thinking of what games to bet on.

It's sick to think that I see sports fans and think "wow these guys are morons, why do they even care? they have no $ on it"...funny to see that I'm the idiot wagering 1,000 on the outcome of the game, and they are the pefectly sane person watching the game for entertainment purposes only.

I'm not going to get into the gambling disease, I'm sure most people on here have researched it at some point. Quiting isnt easy. But i'm ready. I've done it before, before i started back up because i thought i was "OK". there's no control in this game, it's either you're in or out...i want out.

good luck to everyone, I'm signing off.

one last thing - i'm not doing this because i'm on a losing streak. i actually had a great weekend. it didn't make me happy, it made me numb to everything else.

[EBone]

hitbitriz,

I think it's admirable to reflect and realize what is important. I absolutely love this stuff but it is pretty consuming. I have to check myself continually. I know where you are coming from.


Good luck to you in your life. Sounds to me that this is a solid decision.


E

[kdmfox]

I can relate to some but not all ... Good luck in the world of normal life.

[BigBollocks]

Good luck and God speed hit. We see retirement posts from time to time, but none with the clarity and for the reasons you list.

To be honest if I could go back and have never been involved with gambling I think I would. I think of how I've been pretty successful, but then think of everything I could have done had I never played a card, handicapped, etc. With my background and education I have little doubts that I could have made 20X what I have to this point, not to mention the fact that gambling is a socially unproductive venture. It also sucks to think of the time I've lost with family who are now passed away, and I'm certain the lifestyle affected my relationship with my ex in some form or fashion.

I'm too old and too into this to turn back the clock, but it's funny to think that I've thought others were the sucker for winning what is peanuts compared to what some of my contemporaries make while losing out on social aspects and the satisfaction that they receive. I suppose its all relative, however, as what would be considered good for many on here with little education and socialy acuity could be considered a complete waste of life for others with otherwise superior skillsets.

Good luck with everything hit...

[jjgold]

Hitter you will be back, I quit about 15 times on forums only to get back in the game. I hope it works for you though.

Gambling is a disease and almost impossible to quit.

[Mr Nuts]

see ya soon...

[djeffectz]

hitblitz, I feel you man, I went through the same thing as you, my dad past away, I thought gambling will make it better by winning alot to take care of me and my mom, im down 5k this year, I needed that money too, but I guess I learned my lesson...

[spliff]

yesterday you're looking for deposit options at Matchbook and today you're retiring- I see what you mean by mood swings!

see you in August.

[michael777]

hit,nothing in life is better than gambling,i wish you the best though,good luck

[pico]

summer is the best time to take a break. come back and bet during the winter when it is nasty outside.

[cwsulzba]

Thanks for the help last month man. I love your decision, I have been trying to do the same as you. Everything you said I agree with. Good luck with life man.

[Santo]

Originally Posted by michael777

hit,nothing in life is better than gambling

I couldn't disagree with that more..

[SBR_John]

Good luck hitblitz!

You are so right on your points. Gambling affects everyone differently. For some it can be a very small hobby. For others it can consume them. After a while, we all know what category we fit into. If its the latter its time to make some changes.

[bigboydan]

Good luck with your future endeavors sir. Always remember we will be here if you ever decide to come back.

[WileOut]

For me gambling addiction doesn't hold a candle to drug addiction. As far as being able to control it, gambling is much easier than drugs. Be glad you are not a drug addict, you would not be able to make the decision you are making.

I quit freebase cocaine and oxycontin litterally thousands of times with my heart 100% in it. Only to use a couple days later and want to kill myself again. It is a miracle I am still here. Should be dead from the drugs and I came very close to pulling the trigger on myself a hundred times. Closer than hell.

[austintx05]

blah blah...who cares...have fun working for the man

[rjt721]

Originally Posted by michael777

nothing in life is better than gambling

I'm assuming that you're a virgin.

[BigBollocks]

Originally Posted by austintx05

blah blah...who cares...have fun working for the man

Why not just pass over this thread and move on then? Not hard to spot the covers posters on here. I was active there from about 2001-2004, and that place has turned into such a shithole it's ridiculous. What once had Lou and was a hub of information has now turned into a haven for 16 year olds to "internet fight." Keep that shit there...

[BuddyBear]

I feel you bro. Everything you said resonates with me. Most everyone who bets online is a life-long/long-term loser so the sooner you recognize this the better. Most guys on here will never admit that rather instead they'll continue with this macho facade about "how books are their personal ATM machines" and "how they destroy their bookie day in and day out" and all their other fantasies and hallucinations about sports betting. Don't get me wrong, there are winners and they do exist, but the vast majority are losers despite the image that many on gaming forums project. Most of the "sensible guys" will rationalize that sports betting is like investing. This is basically what is known as a dissonance reduction technique. Rather than admit that gambling is nothing more than anti-social activity that is likely to produce a long-term negative financial result they tell themselves that sports betting is no different than guys who do this on Wall Street. While in some respect true, it is more false than true.

There are a lot of other things to enjoy in your life besides gambling such as music, relationships, reading, writing, volunteering, family & friends, etc.... I wish I could find something to interest me but I can't. Even watching sports w/o money on them is boring to me now. I've tried hard trust me but once you've started gambling it's very difficult to stop. I've basically ruined my life with online gambling.....I am actually pretty decent at it and have done well the past 2 years.....but the time displacement effect it has had on my life can't be measured in dollar terms. I am 27 years old, I have basically no friends anymore, all I do is think about games all day and night, I sit on the computer watching game cast and listening to MLB games and in the fall I'll watch obscure NCAAF/NCAAB games on gamecast. It's just not a lifestyle that anyone should lead. Sure a small bet on the Super Bowl or championship game is fine but once you start betting on teams in the Sun Belt and stuff it's gone way too far.

Best thing is to stop and enjoy your life. You really want to be in your 40s and be doing this everyday and risking the important things in life like your family?

Good luck...

[onlòóker]

Just remember we will be here if you feel like coming back. Good luck with whatever you do in life.

[Dark Horse]

I agree that you will most likely be back. The itch has you.

But nothing better than take regular breaks, short or a few months at a time. You sound more worn out than tired of gambling. Gambling can do that, especially if you get in the process of watching (too many) games. That's the time-consuming part. May as well sleep through games and wake up refreshed. Enjoy the break.

[punchmaster]

Originally Posted by BuddyBear

There are a lot of other things to enjoy in your life besides gambling such as music, relationships, reading, writing, volunteering, family & friends, etc....

Good luck...

You neglected to mention jerking off to great porn to help ease the pain of gambling losses

Originally Posted by BuddyBear

Best thing is to stop and enjoy your life. You really want to be in your 40s and be doing this everyday and risking the important things in life like your family?

..

Who the fukk are you to give out this family advice if you've ruined your life and can't find an interest in anything. Everything is a choice. I see a bunch of pathetic excuses. Pick one fricken sport and master it and if it's seasonal than so be it, you'll have an offseason and an opportunity to balance things out. Try taking an interest in pussy.

[BuddyBear]

Originally Posted by punchmaster

You neglected to mention jerking off to great porn to help ease the pain of gambling losses




Who the fukk are you to give out this family advice if you've ruined your life and can't find an interest in anything. Everything is a choice. I see a bunch of pathetic excuses. Pick one fricken sport and master it and if it's seasonal than so be it, you'll have an offseason and an opportunity to balance things out. Try taking an interest in pussy.

Hey Jerkoffmaster....gambling on sports is a serious addiction that many on here suffer from. Most aren't man enough to amdit it though. Most guys on here are terribly lonely and isolated as evidenced by posting at 1:00 AM. The gaming forum world is filled with guys who "master" a sport and bet on it, win money handsomly and then get laid by a different girl each night. Fortunately most of those guys are on covers and not on here. The guy clearly stated in his initial post that one of the biggest effects it has had is on his family....I don't need to be Dr. Phil to tell to give family advice bro.

[dodif]

Originally Posted by hitbitritz

I haven't been posting on this forum for that long, but after thinking about this for a week or two, I've decided to retire from online gambling.

I've been gambling for about 8 years, and I've had ups and downs. I started off small, then my bets increased progresively, like everyone does. A few years ago I had some losing streaks and was bailed out about 5k - sounds like its no big deal- but I was very close to ruining my career. Since then I haven't gotten myself in any trouble, and Ive actually been doing decent. But I can't stand the fact that I waste so much time on this shit. I think about all the lost opportunties over the years. It's not the money thats the biggest problem - I'm up for the past few yrs, it's the impact this shit has on all other areas of my life, and the interest i have lost in everyday activities.

I hate the fact that I spent all my holidays in front of the TV more worried about the outcome of the scores than I was spending quality time with my family.

It sucks that I've ruined a lot of relationships with GF's due to my mood swings.

It sucks when I play hookie from work to gamble and get behind.

It sucks when I sit there, go up 4-5K, feel numb, and attempt to turn it into 10K to change my feelings, and lose it all.

There are very few people out there that feel are genuinely happy...people resort to sex, drugs, alcohol, money, fame, you name it...external solutions to achieve a temporary and fake happy feeling. I'm sick of using gambling as an external solution. My life was so much better before I ever made a sports bet, and I want it back.

I miss the quality time I used to spend with family and friends, the charity events I used to partake in, and I miss watching sporting events for the fun of it. i miss waking up on a weekend and thinking of all the good stuff i'm going to do, not thinking of what games to bet on.

It's sick to think that I see sports fans and think "wow these guys are morons, why do they even care? they have no $ on it"...funny to see that I'm the idiot wagering 1,000 on the outcome of the game, and they are the pefectly sane person watching the game for entertainment purposes only.

I'm not going to get into the gambling disease, I'm sure most people on here have researched it at some point. Quiting isnt easy. But i'm ready. I've done it before, before i started back up because i thought i was "OK". there's no control in this game, it's either you're in or out...i want out.

good luck to everyone, I'm signing off.

one last thing - i'm not doing this because i'm on a losing streak. i actually had a great weekend. it didn't make me happy, it made me numb to everything else.

you need to talk to Wayne Root before U make any final decisions

[punchmaster]

Originally Posted by BuddyBear

Hey Jerkoffmaster

Good one.


I was a little harsh there, but I still think everything in life is a choice and I don't go for the addictive personality excuse. I had a family member who looked like she was on her way to alcoholism, but woke up one day with bruises, and after a half hour of thought-, boom, done. No more. My mom also quit smoking after 19 years in one day. Every day you wake up is a new day to do somthing different. Mental toughness or whatever you want to call it. Don't have to give up sports wagering all together, but the balance is there for all of us to strike.

[LargeMouthBass]

Personally, the issue is not about your gambling habits but your state of mind. Something seems to be missing in your life and only you can fill that void. Just remember happiness is relative and it's the hardest thing anyone can achieve in our lives. Don't expect to be happy as soon as you stop gambling... This won't happen. One advice I have for you is strive for balance... I truly believe that is the key to happiness. Life is but a looking-glass, you feel how you see. Clear your mind and start fresh. Good luck...

[gridironguy]

There is a very fine line between a healthy, profitable hobby, and an outright addiction. If one is neglecting himself, his family, or his friends, because he's always worried about sports, then the gambling life is completely lacking balance, it's out of whack.

I used to bet CFB, NFL, NBA, and NCAA Hoops. I was profitable every year, but it was very time consuming to work a regular job and stay on top of everything. After 3 yrs of marriage, the side income is not worth it to me any more. I have cut off NBA and NCAA Hoops, and it was the best decision I ever made. Those sports take too many hrs to cap and there are games every day.

So, trimming the sports down is the first thing to do, I think. Football is much more manageable because you can cap a few hrs a night and still be pretty good at it if you know what you're doing. For CFB, just place your wagers on Saturday morning and go enjoy your day. Take your cell phone and check scores once every hour -- it works better than you think. Do it for less money, and it becomes more fun. No halftime bets, just sides or totals for the full game. That way you just bet in the morning and then go about your day.

Repeat the process on NFL Sundays, or just stick to one or the other -- CFB or the NFL. They are structured and much easier to manage with betting as opposed every day sports like MLB and the NBA, NCAA Hoops, etc.

This is my formula and it has put me in a much better frame of mind the past 2 yrs, in terms of a healthy balance in life. I used to avoid traveling between Sept of one year to mid-June of the next yr, just so I would not miss any good betting opp's, and when traveling it's tough to cap.

I'm so glad my wagering calendar only goes from Sept to Dec now. In January I can travel with the wife and the family and still bet on NFL playoff games and do well, even though I'm on the road.

I highly recommend to anyone who is looking to make a change. I fully believe that a healthy balance with normal life and side wagering can be achieved for enjoyment, and can be profitable as well.

[imgv94]

Originally Posted by BuddyBear

but once you start betting on teams in the Sun Belt and stuff it's gone way too far.

Wow this really touched home.. So true.

[jjgold]

Most gamblers go through these stages throughout their lives questioning everything. If your happy gambling you do not stop, pretty simple.

[crackerjack]

Originally Posted by gridironguy

There is a very fine line between a healthy, profitable hobby, and an outright addiction. If one is neglecting himself, his family, or his friends, because he's always worried about sports, then the gambling life is completely lacking balance, it's out of whack.

I used to bet CFB, NFL, NBA, and NCAA Hoops. I was profitable every year, but it was very time consuming to work a regular job and stay on top of everything. After 3 yrs of marriage, the side income is not worth it to me any more. I have cut off NBA and NCAA Hoops, and it was the best decision I ever made. Those sports take too many hrs to cap and there are games every day.

So, trimming the sports down is the first thing to do, I think. Football is much more manageable because you can cap a few hrs a night and still be pretty good at it if you know what you're doing. For CFB, just place your wagers on Saturday morning and go enjoy your day. Take your cell phone and check scores once every hour -- it works better than you think. Do it for less money, and it becomes more fun. No halftime bets, just sides or totals for the full game. That way you just bet in the morning and then go about your day.

Repeat the process on NFL Sundays, or just stick to one or the other -- CFB or the NFL. They are structured and much easier to manage with betting as opposed every day sports like MLB and the NBA, NCAA Hoops, etc.

This is my formula and it has put me in a much better frame of mind the past 2 yrs, in terms of a healthy balance in life. I used to avoid traveling between Sept of one year to mid-June of the next yr, just so I would not miss any good betting opp's, and when traveling it's tough to cap.

I'm so glad my wagering calendar only goes from Sept to Dec now. In January I can travel with the wife and the family and still bet on NFL playoff games and do well, even though I'm on the road.

I highly recommend to anyone who is looking to make a change. I fully believe that a healthy balance with normal life and side wagering can be achieved for enjoyment, and can be profitable as well.

Personally, I think the best way to go for hit is to give it up entirely. But this is some great advice above. I too used to bet everything, including NHL. Now I just bet on golf and football and I am much happier. I have more time to give to my family and am not always sweating games and scores and money and whatnot. I can go golfing in the afternoon and not worry about getting done in time for tip off. Plus, rather than be mediocre at all sports, I'm actually (finally) pretty good at a few sports.

[bigjp5091]

As pico says, this is the easiest time of the year to quit gambling..I have done it this time of year for the past decade and it usually lasts till the first NFL preseason game. Baseball has always been my El Guapo.

I do sometimes worry about the time, would I actually be intently watching the Furman/UNC-Greensboro game on ESPNU if I didn't have action?

[Bill Dozer]

Thanks for sharing hitbitritz. So often the first thing a new gambler wants to know after hitting a couple plays is Could I be a professional gambler? Even the small chance of making a living on betting sports is worth the investment. Many can't be talked out of it once they confirm that people actually have made a living betting sports. Your open letter makes a good point that if you manage to win you may not win. I will surely pass the thread on to those looking for insight.

[BuddyBear]

Most guys who bet on sports are lonely and isolated....i'd say approximately 2/3 people on here have a serious gambling problem.

[WileOut]

Originally Posted by punchmaster

Good one.


I was a little harsh there, but I still think everything in life is a choice and I don't go for the addictive personality excuse. I had a family member who looked like she was on her way to alcoholism, but woke up one day with bruises, and after a half hour of thought-, boom, done. No more. My mom also quit smoking after 19 years in one day. Every day you wake up is a new day to do somthing different. Mental toughness or whatever you want to call it. Don't have to give up sports wagering all together, but the balance is there for all of us to strike.

This could not be more false. I assume you are too stupid to know anything about something called genetics. Can you change your eye color? Can you make yourself a different race? A lot of people have genetic codes that make it almost impossible for them to quit drinking, smoking, gambling, etc. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with mental toughness. Can a schizophrenic will their way to mental stability? No. Its the same thing for people who get the extreme genetic code to drink or gamble. Maybe your family members who could just up and quit had very mild forms of these genes. There are varying levels to the disease of addiction. Some of the most mentally tough people in the world have genetic codes for addiction that no amount of will power can make them stop. Its why a lot of people turn to suicide. You think the alcoholic who kills himself wouldn't have given anything to not be an alcoholic?

Do yourself a favor and read about genetics and things we can control vs. things we can't.

[raiders72002]

hitbitritz - First come to the realization that you aren't a winning gambler. After you admit that to yourself then go to GA. NEVER come back to the forums or read other gambling materials.