The Road to Recovery with DanShot89

[Danshot]

So where to start well it's fair to say that this last week did not start off optimal , first I started of playing spin games that are out of my usual buy in range and end up losing a few hundred pounds which won't really as effected me too bad and I could just chalk it up as a gamble that didn't work out and all still within my separate gambling bankroll. 

This gambling bankroll is my cut-off point and means i'm only gambling with previous winnings and therefore it doesn't impact my day to day living and on the whole ensures it stays fun. 

Unfortunately it didn't stay fun and instead of sleeping in between night shifts on Sunday and Monday night I went on a crazy session where I ended up making many deposits out of my personal bank account totalling about £2700 I think all said and done , now for some people that would be okay and within the world and poker sometimes we become immune to realising the different value that each given amount has to individuals. I fair to say I'm not an individual who can afford to take that kind of hit to my finances and just not even think about it.

In fact it has swiped a highly significant portion of my disposable income that I clearly could of put to much more effective use , but it's fair to say it very much opened my eyes wider to how dangerous and addictive gambling can be and how it's possible that some people end up losing everything through it , given that I thought I was a relatively sensible gambler I didn't think that I would end up going through this kind of experience. 

The one saving grace for me in this is the fact that finally at 7pm I dragged myself away from chasing the losses still with money in my account to cover my bills without any issues , but I was obviously a bit devastated out how the day had panned out given that I should of been asleep for most of the day in between shifts and now I had t start work after already being awake 33 hours , this is again not advisable. 

I'm not posting this for any kind of sympathy but as an outlet to channel my recovery to sticking to winning at the micro's and maybe bringing awareness to just how close is the line between gambling for fun and chasing can be ,,,,, remember when the fun stops just stop.

So where do I start given that I'm unlikely to be winning that money back in the very near future at my usual stakes , well I'm trying my best to mentally write it off as a learning experience and after each sleep since I feel a little better about it so hopefully i'll be able to focus on playing my usual stake on Pokerstars which I'm backed for grind it back up that way , I;d also like to go back to digging out some of the value tourneys I used to play on other sites possibly via some staking if anyone is interested I would be happy to discuss terms. 

I'll continue to post up in this thread my journey tracking my progress and seeing if we can have a positive end to 2018.

[Bart(UK)]

Good luck with the next chapter mate, but go slowly, don't go rushing into anything. The fish will still be floating around next week, month etc.  

Schedule frequent 'cooling off' breaks, both in between sessions and during. Sticking rigidly to a stop loss of x-buyins triggering an automatic sit out or walk around the garden can be a very effective counter against any temporary rush of blood or angst. But I'd seriously consider taking a couple of weeks complete break to plan everything through carefully in your head and on paper before restarting from a cold, relaxed but highly motivated stand point. 

I know you're a seasoned player but if I can help at all just shout. I can lay my hands on some quality mental-focus material, or help in finding a coach or refresher material etc. 

Similarly don't ever let poker or anything else come to that, drag you down dangerously low, my mobile is always available 24/7 to any poker friend who is in urgent need of a chat or friendly ear, and as you know, I have big ears ( )

 

Bart