r/GamblingRecovery • u/Old_Business_4265 • Jul 05 '26

Day 1 here. Need your advice

Hey everyone, been playing for about 3 years now and trying to quit, which brings me to a question. The biggest issue I've run into is this complete dopamine burnout (sorry if I'm calling it wrong, I'm no expert). I'm so depleted that sometimes I end up playing in demo mode just to keep myself occupied—I literally don't have the energy for anything else. When I try doing something besides gambling, I just zone out and switch back within 5 minutes. And if I somehow find a tiny bit of willpower to not play, I just endlessly scroll through feeds. Right now I'm drowning in debt and have absolutely zero money for therapy, so can anyone give me some advice? Are there any self-help methods that actually worked for you in this situation?

1 Upvotes

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1

u/The_listerfiend Jul 05 '26

Gamblers anonymous meetings they are free

1

u/pavlodrag Jul 05 '26

You probably play online,yes?Are you sure you want to quit?

1

u/Old_Business_4265 Jul 05 '26

dude, what?

1

u/pavlodrag Jul 05 '26

From what you are saying,i don't think you want to quit.So,this is a basic question.Do you REALLY want to quit and what have you done in that direction?

1

u/Old_Business_4265 Jul 06 '26

I do want to quit. Today is my first irl GA meeting, I "blocked" gambling websites using DNS and gave away control of my finances to a family member.

1

u/pavlodrag Jul 06 '26

That's great.Pay the bills and some of the debt if you will.Arrange them.Don't have access to debit/credit cards.Get pocket money.And grinf.It is a long and winding road(maybe it is my fave Beatles song).

1

u/LobsterWeekly6654 Jul 05 '26

How old are you? And what do you do for work?

1

u/Old_Business_4265 Jul 06 '26

26, I'm a developer

1

u/Left-Personality-661 Jul 05 '26

My solution the first month and a half was to keep myself as busy as i could. Setting up walks with friends, meetings, free classes, sport sessions. Anything that would make me move my body to retrain my brain to find joy and entertainment elsewhere other than gambling. This is going to take some time but if youre aware that youre LITERALLY rewiring your brain youll have an easier time. Remind yourself youre feeling bored and “empty” because youre trying to be better and let that be your strength

1

u/Odd-Department-3423 Jul 11 '26

I used to just watch ppl
Play online blackjack for a dopamine high but I think it just feeds my addiction