Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Hey, well I'll keep my bio brief, basically I started playing online poker about 3 years ago, doing the whole play money freeroll thing. Over that time I'd taken that small initial deposit up to over 2k, and was very content just to quit the game, and move on with my life.
Problem is I may be done with poker, but poker isn't done with me. Now whenever I sit at the computer I just have this [censored] compunction to click on the PokerStars icon and deposit money and play. Basically i've lost 1000 dollars over the past 2 weeks, while trying to quit. I REALLY REALLY want to quit, but am just finding it so hard to fight this addiction to playing. I know it will just exacerbate, and I'll start losing more and more, so I'm pleading does anyone know a good way to fight this addiction. All the other parts of my life are fine, just this problem is giving me serious worries.
Gracias,
BeL0w

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Turn on the heater?

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

why would we want to help you quit?

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

chnage our PC system from Microsoft to Linux. The most software dont work than:)

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

I have the same problem as you buddy.

While I don't play for a lot of money (My bankroll is 150$), I spend way too much time on online poker. I am a student, and I often end up playing tourneys while I should be doing my homework. It ruins my life, and I'm sure it makes me a less social person. My family are pretty worried about me, and at the moment I am lieing to my mom, saying I am taking a break from online poker. In reality I am playing several tourneys a day.

I really recognize your description of the problem, because sometimes when I am bored, should be doing work, or be at the gym, I end up clicking that damn PokerStars icon instead. I've tried to take a break for a weak, but I always end up in square one.

This stuff is pretty serious, and I don't have a solution for us, unfortuneatly. Sorry about hijacking your post, but I think we are kinda in the same situation.

Good luck to you, and I hope you manage yourself. Because some very few people really should not play poker.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
Good luck to you, and I hope you manage yourself. Because some very few people really should not play poker.

[/ QUOTE ]I presume you meant to write "most" people but the computer crashed or something, right?

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Good luck to you, and I hope you manage yourself. Because some very few people really should not play poker.

[/ QUOTE ]I presume you meant to write "most" people but the computer crashed or something, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Lol.. that's not something you go around saying in a poker forum! For diciplined people poker is probably just a real fun hobby. I don't know how diciplined the average person is, i can only speak for myself.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

A couple of things

You can self-ban yourself (I think) from most sites, or at least set really low deposit limits.

Here is another thought. You can quit playing poker and still keep in contact with the game.. Why don't you commit a whole 2 months to reading and studing the game (during whatever spare time you have). I know one guy who did that, and in doing so he realized how far behind the winning players he really was in his overall understanding of the game, so he then he just quit.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

well i'd start by deleting the icon from your desktop.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
well i'd start by deleting the icon from your desktop.

[/ QUOTE ]

That and deleting the program from your computer. You need to keep yourself busy with other things or you will think about playing online when you get to your computer...

Gambling is very addictive.... almost like drugs.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

cashout all the money, delete all softwares, remove 2p2 off your bookmark, and find your self a new hobby/ go out more/ make friends etc

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

ya get urself banned, start playing video games and become addicted to one. this way u won't lose money

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Just send an email to the sites you play at and say you have a gambling problem. you will never be allowed to open an account again.

The game is addictive as hell, that's why it has been forbidden in so many countries even if the courts had proof that it was not a game of hasard.

It's good that you recognize you have a problem, now have the courage to write those emails.

Best of luck.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Just post all the names you play under and all the sites you play. Once this info is on the 2+2 boards you can relax. Your problem will soon be solved.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Yeah, delete the program.

Cash out everywhere. Close your neteller account. Uninstall all your online playing software. Uninstall poker tracker. Delete all your databases. Remove 2+2 from your bookmarks. Throw away all your poker books. Take up some other online game that doesn't cost.

If you think you have any good reason for not doing any of those things (except for the last one - replacing poker with WOW), you don't really want to quit. Not doing those things is identically equal to planning on playing in the near future.

If you can't do those things, you don't really want to quit yet.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

I've seen some similar quirks in myself. Once I switched to live play I said I'd stop on-line, you know, to focus more on other aspects of my life, but have found the tempation to great at times. Something I did for a friend of mine was change his account passwords and he shut down his neteller account. That pretty much did it.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Just play tournaments.


But seriously, are you belowmeaboveme on Stars? If so, I thought you were near the top of TLB. Always imagined a top tournament player would have a bigger BR, but I guess Mike Matusow disproves that notion. Anyways, good luck.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Dude just send Stars an email that says not to accept ur deposits. Stop now be4 u get [censored] like me i took 1k from a friend and had no way to pay him back. Then i got lucky on Full Tilt and won it all back. Just email Stars and tell em to stop ur deposits

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Sign up Go to Iraq you will not have time to play online poker and in the meantime you can make a ton of dough tax free to rebuild your bankroll.

When you come home you can play again with no fear because of all your hard earned dough.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

I just decided to do it.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...age=0&vc=1

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Dude, call G.A.

Go to a few meetings. No shame in that. You will find lots of supportive people.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
Dude, call G.A.

Go to a few meetings. No shame in that. You will find lots of supportive people.

[/ QUOTE ]

THIS is the ONLY legitimate piece of advice possible. It's been proven time and time again that the ONLY person who could understand a problem gambler is another problem gambler.
You MUST unite with other people, trying to solve this common problem. This forum is one of the WORST places to go for advice of this nature. (As you can probably tell by some of the sarcastic replies.)
Problem gambling is a serious problem, it's DETRIMENTAL to
the world of poker. It is NOT a character flaw,it has NOTHING to do with discipline, NOTHING to do with intelligence, if ANYTHING; people with high IQ's are MORE
prone to develop the problem.
Problem gambling is an ILLNESS, this is something that NO ONE on Earth other than another problem gambler has the capability of understanding.
I wish you well- you recognize the problem; you're halfway
home now.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

"just finding it so hard to fight this addiction"

That you can say those words means you have sufficient wisdom and drive to beat this.

Realize that online poker is a triple-pronged addiction. Your proportions may vary.

1) You are addicted to online poker because it is poker. It's only the greatest game ever. So no surprise there.

2) You are addicted to online poker because, independent of being poker, it is gambling, a common and ancient addiction.

3) You are addicted to online poker because it is a video game. That was the one that got me. Before they invented online poker, I had done all the gamblings thing and gradually over time just stopped. And I had played so much poker that I could walk away from a game. But I got totally hooked on online poker. It just didn't make any sense. But then I realized, I'd never been addicted to a video game before until online poker showed up, and that's what this was, my first videa game addiction. I picked a doozie! When I realized this, I was able to quit online poker immediately. Perhaps through awareness your challenge too will be easier met. Good luck.

Tommy

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
"just finding it so hard to fight this addiction"

That you can say those words means you have sufficient wisdom and drive to beat this.

Realize that online poker is a triple-pronged addiction. Your proportions may vary.

1) You are addicted to online poker because it is poker. It's only the greatest game ever. So no surprise there.

2) You are addicted to online poker because, independent of being poker, it is gambling, a common and ancient addiction.

3) You are addicted to online poker because it is a video game. That was the one that got me. Before they invented online poker, I had done all the gamblings thing and gradually over time just stopped. And I had played so much poker that I could walk away from a game. But I got totally hooked on online poker. It just didn't make any sense. But then I realized, I'd never been addicted to a video game before until online poker showed up, and that's what this was, my first videa game addiction. I picked a doozie! When I realized this, I was able to quit online poker immediately. Perhaps through awareness your challenge too will be easier met. Good luck.

Tommy

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't know you played online tommy? How do you go, what did you play?

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

It is sad that when someone reaches out for help, some feel it is acceptable to make fun. Please take the good advice that has been offered in this thread. Call GA and get all gambling sites and software off of your computer. A few thousand isn't that bad but if you are an addict it is just the beginning.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

I would say, get the rest of your life in order before you try to walk away.

eg if you chuck out all the books, ps icon, etc, r u really going to quit?

Probably not, because their is probably a void in your life that is filled by gambling/online poker.

Sooooo, fill that void with friends, community service, a second job, etc.

Once you fill that void, you will not feel the need for the poker. THen, see if you need to toss the books, etc. Otherwise, you are just putting a band aid on the weeping sore.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
Dude, call G.A.

Go to a few meetings. No shame in that. You will find lots of supportive people.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

Bad habits are tough to break. They say it takes roughly 3 weeks to develop a new habit. e.g. if you want to start working out, you need to maintain it for 21 days, before it becomes a new habit. So basically, my suggestion is to start developing constuctive habits that will take up your time, so you have less and less time for poker. The worst thing about poker is that it screws up your mind. Can't even sleep at a decent hour after you're done playing because you're so wired. Get a sticky note and post it to your computer: "DON'T BE WEAK", and start spending your time more constructively. It's really a matter of programming yourself that you want to quit. Those that say they "can't" simply haven't decided hard enough that they want to quit. And if you want some emotional support join GA.

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

www.gamblock.com

seriously

Re: Help me quit Online Poker cold turkey
 

[ QUOTE ]
Just play tournaments.


But seriously, are you belowmeaboveme on Stars? If so, I thought you were near the top of TLB. Always imagined a top tournament player would have a bigger BR, but I guess Mike Matusow disproves that notion. Anyways, good luck.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats Bel0wAb0ve your thinking off. This isn't him.