DisclaimerI want to thank everyone for the gilds, replies and suggestions. I just do not have time to reply to everyone, but I am reading everything. I am not sure how much bigger the thread can be, I already typed this but it vanished so I think I'm at the limit. I will try to keep updating, but I don't expect the thread to be up top for much longer and will likely vanish soon, so if you need anything save it. Yes, it's hard, it sucks, it's depressing. It is something we all have to do if you want to see this virus go. Everyone knows the deal, too many think they're the exception but no one is. However, staying home is hard so maybe I can help at least one or two people with some incentives. I'll try to give links to some things that can help cure the boredom, and some support if you need it. Most of this might be obvious to some, some might not even have internet and of course, money is a big issue, so I'll try to give some suggestions: For streaming and on demand things such as Netflix et al, don't forget you can subscribe for free for your first month. This goes for most things in the list. If you are worried about putting in your payment details and forgetting to cancel a month later, don't worry! You can sign up and immediately cancel and you still get your free month! For people who don't have a smart TV, you can buy a cheap Amazon Fire TV stick or a Roku box. The Fire stick can go as low as £20 often for 1080p. It will drop to £30 for 4k. I picked up a 4k Roku device for £18 on Amazon once. It's fast and snappy. currently it's going for £33 for the 4k version. Having both, there is little difference between the devices. NowTV also do their own roku powered device. Subscription based streaming sites that all offer 2-4 weeks free for first timers
Netflix *According to comments the second month is free.
Amazon Prime You can either get Amazon video on its own, or take prime with other benefits. I strongly urge those who use Amazon for buying off their store front to use [https://smile.amazon.co.uk/] as there is literally no difference except everything you buy amazon donates to a charity of your choice.
Amazon channels. I believe you can get all these individually but Amazon offers them as channels bound to your prime account, and they are again either free for a couple weeks (again, take them, cancel instantly) or very cheap. I recently subscribed to Starzplay for £1 for 3 months. It has some good shows on it like Fringe, doom patrol. It also has channels like Curiosity stream and shudder
If you have not subscribed to the any of the above, you can get a few months of free TV by signing up and cancelling instantly. I suggest waiting at least 5 minutes just to let it go through the system. Some tips for Now TV. IF you already have a subscription, I've noticed you can get it cheaper by cancelling. When you cancel they will beg you to stay. Select "I can not afford it this month" and they should beg again, telling you what shows they have. If you say you still want to cancel, they'll beg one last time and offer you the subscription for cheaper. This won't work every month, but I've noticed they'll always offer it the first time, then again after a couple months. If you're subscribed to both films and entertainment do the most expensive one as it may not work both times (but it might!). You can also pick up passes from storefronts a lot cheaper sometimes, before I could pick one up on Amazon for £3 but, they seem to have cracked down on it. If you shop around (or if anyone knows of a legitimate store please let me know) you might be able to pick it up cheaper. Lastly, check their website and under your account they should have an "offers for you" section. Completely free TV
If you do have a smart TV and/or device, there are some good free streaming apps. One I really love is called PlutoTV. I know this is on both Roku and the fire stick, as well as Ps4/Ps5 and xbox. Pluto offers a bunch of live channels and now an on demand section, all for free. It has adverts but they are actually short (shorter than regular TV and fewer of them). Some of the channels are just streaming certain shows like Mythbusters 24/7 or Dog the bounty hunter, but it has a lot of old movie channels as well as 24/7 kickboxing and MMA. It also has a 24/7 poker channel I quite like. Another one I like is Rakuten Viki however, I haven't watched it for a while as my fire stick is only 1080p and I have too many other devices attached. I believe it is on Roku but you have to jump through some hoops and have an account. The last I checked on the fire stick you did not. Viki offers a metric ton of Asian shows, mainly from Japan and South Korea but it does have chinese, Malaysian etc. It has subtitles. Some Japanese shows are hysterical, albeit weird. Roku also do their own channels with free shows if you own a device. For those who don't have a smart TV or a Streaming device, you can set up your own computer as a dedicated streaming device with Plex. It's been a while since I used it but I believe it now also offers free movies and TV. Anime If you are into Anime there is
The first 2 are free to watch, or offer premium without ads which you can have a trial with. Crunchyroll is the better of the two with more original choice for Japanese voice and subs, while Funimation has more Dubs. I don't believe HiDive is free to watch but you do get a 2 week trial. These are more exclusives than the previous two. PC Centric software If you are a gamer or like Audiobooks or anything that uses computers for things like music making, programming or graphic design
Humble Bundle offers, as per the name, bundles. A long running site that got bought out by IGN. It offers both single items and bundles you can buy individually/as a pack while also offering a separate monthly subscription for around £8-9. The subscription gives you 12 games on average per month. That's the simplest explanation but it changes somewhat as sometimes you get to pick 10 out of 14 games, or get all 12. Humble bundle offers more than just games though. Every Tuesday they bring a new bundle of games, while Thursday (I "think) a new bundle of books. They very often have books from the Black Library giving you a ton of Warhammer books. Sometimes it's standard E-books, other times it's audiobooks. A few times a year they do bundles for graphic design, a typical bundle would include programs like Paintshop Pro Corel Painter etc, They usually go for £0.76 for tier 1 up to around £18 for tier 3, which would include 4-6 full titles with 10+ addons. They also often have Music making bundles or video editing software as well as Programming or video game development. The bundles change often, they usually have around 11 bundles at a time that last for 20 days. Sometimes it's trash but they do often have some very good deals. Fanatical offers the same as humble bundle except usually not as high quality, but sometimes they do have some incredible deals, and they are very very cheap. Both humble and fanatical are safe, trusted and been around a long time, and they are NOT grey market key sites. They work with the publishers and developers. You can buy games both old and new for a lot cheaper than you would most other places. Unless it states otherwise, keys are usually for steam. **BOTH HB and Fanatical (HB much more common) offer free games fairly often. The catch is linking your steam account to them (at least HB). It is safe however. IndieGala is another site like above. Except, these are much much lower quality. However, they offer a metric ton of free games. Quality is low but it is legitimate, and a lot of free stuff. Game Store Fronts
Steam This one is so obvious I didn't add it, but apparently many want me to. It is the best out there, and you can find almost everything, with fantastic deals.
Greenmangaming offers games cheaply. Again, not a grey market site (which are legal but unethical) and they sometimes do bundles.
GoG (Good old games) is a DRM free site run by CDPR, the makers of the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk. They offer you games quite cheap and not needing DRM (such as Steam, Uplay etc which is less invasive versions of dodgy DRM from the olden days).
Epic Games Despite the controversy whether you care about their rivalry with valve, they offer free games ever week. Without ever having bought anything I have gained over 170 games. literally. Good games for the most part. They often give you £10 coupons as well.
Twitch Everyone knows twitch, but if you don't, it's a streaming service for watching gamers and girls with low cut tops accidentally bending over in front of the game. However, if you're signed up to prime, you get free games each month (and randomly between the set bunch).
Playstation Store Currently has January sales. Currently the free games for PS+ are for PS4: Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Greedfall. For the Ps5 it is Maneater
Games with GoldBleed 2 and the King of Fighters XIII is available until Janurary 15th whilst little Nightmares is available until January 31st.
Gaming Subscriptions Like the TV versions, you can sign up to these for a free trial (or very cheap). If you do sign up to only one at a time, it should keep you busy for a few months
Xbox Game Pass You can do this on both/either an Xbox or PC. If you sign up to the regular one, you can get a month (maybe three!) for £1. After you have done that, you can sign up to the premium version for 3 months at £1 a month. Most people know game pass, but you can download a large selection of games for free. The premium version gives you games with gold, allowing you to keep the games forever (but can only play with a subscription)
Ubisoft+ I'm not 100% sure if you get a trial or not. This allows a large collection of Ubisoft titles to play for £12.99 a month. Quite expensive but good if you like Ubisoft titles I guess.
EA Play EA's version. Goes by a ton of names I think, EA Access, EA Play, Origin Access etc etc. There's a couple of versions of this, and it is across all platforms (PS4/5, Xbox, PC) but not sure about the switch. I "think" the premium allows you to play on all platforms, while the cheaper one on a single platform, but I may be mistaken.
PS Now a once terrible service that is now actually very good. Allows you to download some Ps4 games to your PS4/5 and lets you stream a massive amount of Ps2/3/4 to your PC or playstation.
There's more like nvidia's service but you need the Shield device which is quite expensive. I'll leave it at that. Audiobooks & Ebooks
Audible Not sure what the current deal is but if you are a prime member you can sign up for a trial and get a free Audiobook each month for 3 months. Some warhammer books are 48 hours long, 3 of those gives you a good 100+ hours of listening!
Comixology Another Amazon company, but lets you download some free comics I believe.
Sign LanguageBSL here No experience myself, suggested by n21brown and asked for a few times. Didn't know SL was so popular! Listed as "Pay what you can"
BBC's Bitesizehere is apparently good for home learning. Again, no personal experience.
If you need some spare change Okay, I don't generally bother with it, but maybe some of this could be useful to you. These are NOT a quick way to make a fortune. These are small things you can do over time for a bit of pocket change
If you have prime you can get a FREE FIVE POUND GIFT CARD by literally just streaming a song from Amazon music (which is included in prime) here is the detailsAccording to the comments it's only for select people, but it's worth trying If the link doesn't work for you just google "Amazon £5 coupon music"
Now, these sorts of sites have been around for years, I haven't used any other than talkInsights which I must have signed up to 10-15 years ago. Basically they send you surveys and you answer them. They are confidential and don't ask for personal details in the survey. You need 2000 points and you get £20. During the pandemic they've slowed down but I probably get around £40 a year. Not much I know, but it's an email followed by a quick survey ticking boxes. Depending on your answer sometimes you get screened out, I'm not telling you to lie but just be consistent with your answers and you should be able to work out how to not get screened. Some emails are only worth 20 points, others 200. It's slow to get to the 2000 but very quick to just answer a few questions.
Apparently beermoneyuk is a good sub to make some pocket change with.
There is also matched betting. I have never done this, I don't have the patience but from what I've read, it's legitimate, it works and you can make a fair amount of cash from it so long as you do it correctly, and there's a ton of guides. I mention this because people stuck at home could get into it and as long as you're careful (I.E not entering in the wrong numbers) it's risk free AND it pisses off the betting shops. It seems people in comments have had success with it. Disclaimer A couple have complained about gambling. This arguably is not gambling. If you are susceptible to addiction do not do it. However, it's argued that there is no fun or buzz in this, and it's a very tedious and time consuming thing. Others argue you can't make the same money anymore (People were making thousands, now only hundreds if that). It's risk free providing you know what you're doing, the risks are user error, such as entering the wrong numbers. Someone pointed out that due to the lockdown, bets could potentially be cancelled due to sport stopping. So use on a side of caution. We're (mainly) adults so I'll leave it up just because this doesn't have the excitement of regular gambling.
Microsoft Rewards This is an easy way to make pocket change doing very little. Most people have a MS account. The rewards program offers you numerous ways to grab points, by playing free to play games, answering small questions (you don't even need to answer most of the time, just open the link and shut it) and by using bing and searching on it. I've gotten 20k points JUST by answering questions over a couple months. There are many rewards but you can grab a £5 gift card for 6k for example, or a month of game pass (and AFAIK you can make points playing the games)
Google rewards Someone mentioned this in the comments. I have not used it, so can not give any input on it. Sounds similar to TalkInsights which I linked. Google states "Complete short surveys while standing in line, or waiting for a subway. Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We’ll notify you when a survey is waiting."
That's it for now. I will try to update as I go along. A long post but I hope that it can help some of you with finding something good to do that's free, cheap or a bargain. I do suggest getting prime, especially since you get free music, free delivery, free TV and music and free video games each month. In fact, there's a ton of perks and I feel I've gotten way over the cost investment. Hope it helps someone at least PartTimeCrazy said if you bought an Apple product you get 3 free months of Apple Arcade and Apple TV free for a year fakehunted is upset I didn't mention wanking. Tesco have 225 sheets of Tissue for £0.75! tale_lost suggested Project Gutenberg for a collection of free E-Books Learning Language Unfortunately, I don't have time to check every link listed so I will link the comments: TogtogtogGives a lot of links for Spanish
Board & Tabletop games Corporal_Anaesthetic has made a list of Board games ilyemco suggested these HEALTH I'm not a doctor! But if you're a smoker, something I strongly suggest is to quit. I struggled for years but in the first lockdown I quit, technically. I haven't had a cigarette since, however, I do that silly thing millennials do. I vape, but, it made quitting extremely easy. I would not have been able to do it if it wasn't for 88Vape They sell extremely cheap liquids at £1 each. You can find these in B&M but you can pick up 25 for £20 or buy your own mix. Vitamin D deficiency has been said to be a big problem for the virus. I'd suggest (again, not a doctor!) that you pick some up. Tesco do a 3 for 2 deal. So you can pick up 270 tablets for £7. If you are vulnerable you MIGHT be able to phone tesco and get put on their delivery saver list (currently it's paused but phoning may help. At the very least they might give you a priority slot. I did this for my mum, we didn't shop at Tesco but I phoned for her, and they put her on with no hassle, so she can always get a delivery. HELP & ADVICE The lockdown Rules. Reasons to leave home include:
Work or volunteering where it is "unreasonable" to work from home. This includes work in someone else's home, such as that carried out by social workers, nannies, cleaners and tradespeople
Education, training, childcare and medical appointments and emergencies
Exercise outdoors (limited to once a day). This includes meeting one other person from another household in an open public space to exercise
Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
Communal religious worship
Meeting your support or childcare bubble. Children can also move between separated parents Activities related to moving house
I want to add, if you are in danger you are also allowed (and must!) to get away from the situation for some reason, BBC seems to have missed this very important thing (or I am blind)
FOR THOSE SHIELDING YOU CAN CONTACT THEROYAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE. These people helped my mother with picking up her medicine from the chemist. They were very helpful and went out their way to keep in touch and do it immediately. (It's the only experience I have with them though) _riotingpacifist wanted these links added, but I simply just don't have the time to vet and check all the suggestions here, so I will link as is:
Krita Arguably the best in my opinion. It has a load of options, brushes and a decent UI. It works fantastic with a tablet.
Gimp This is a decent program but last I used, the UI was a pain, and it isn't so user friendly while misses features, but it works, and it is possible to do some incredible creations on it.
Medibang Paint This is slightly geared towards Comics and Manga. I really enjoy using this with my drawing Tablet. As far as I know, it also for regular tablets for Android/Ipad and is free.
You can pick up a drawing tablet on Amazon quite cheap these days! Small ones that are just a black slate such as the wacom ones are good but takes some practice to get use to, but very worth it if you can't afford a dedicated drawing tablet with a screen. Office suit software A couple of free applications for word processing, spreadsheets etc.
LibreOfficeThis has most the average user would need to write their own books or to work from home. There's not a huge amount of difference between the two I'm linking (since I last used anyway) so it's more for preference.
Open Office You can pick this up here and again, like above it's just preference.
Music Making I'm going to direct to matthewharris806 for some links as all the programs I've used like Reason are expensive, or cheaper stuff in bundles such as Magix software. Games development D_Dad_Default gives some links for that here
Disclaimer I am posting this here because I got a message from the mods asking me to. I'm not from London so links aren't London centric (but hopefully still of help) and the main post is here so any updates will likely be there (I will try here but it's hard to keep up with the amount of suggestions) Thanks. Yes, it's hard, it sucks, it's depressing. It is something we all have to do if you want to see this virus go. Everyone knows the deal, too many think they're the exception but no one is. However, staying home is hard so maybe I can help at least one or two people with some incentives. I'll try to give links to some things that can help cure the boredom, and some support if you need it. Most of this might be obvious to some, some might not even have internet and of course, money is a big issue, so I'll try to give some suggestions: For streaming and on demand things such as Netflix et al, don't forget you can subscribe for free for your first month. This goes for most things in the list. If you are worried about putting in your payment details and forgetting to cancel a month later, don't worry! You can sign up and immediately cancel and you still get your free month! For people who don't have a smart TV, you can buy a cheap Amazon Fire TV stick or a Roku box. The Fire stick can go as low as £20 often for 1080p. It will drop to £30 for 4k. I picked up a 4k Roku device for £18 on Amazon once. It's fast and snappy. currently it's going for £33 for the 4k version. Having both, there is little difference between the devices. NowTV also do their own roku powered device. Subscription based streaming sites that all offer 2-4 weeks free for first timers
Netflix *According to comments the second month is free.
Amazon Prime You can either get Amazon video on its own, or take prime with other benefits. I strongly urge those who use Amazon for buying off their store front to use [https://smile.amazon.co.uk/] as there is literally no difference except everything you buy amazon donates to a charity of your choice.
Amazon channels. I believe you can get all these individually but Amazon offers them as channels bound to your prime account, and they are again either free for a couple weeks (again, take them, cancel instantly) or very cheap. I recently subscribed to Starzplay for £1 for 3 months. It has some good shows on it like Fringe, doom patrol. It also has channels like Curiosity stream and shudder
If you have not subscribed to the any of the above, you can get a few months of free TV by signing up and cancelling instantly. I suggest waiting at least 5 minutes just to let it go through the system. Some tips for Now TV. IF you already have a subscription, I've noticed you can get it cheaper by cancelling. When you cancel they will beg you to stay. Select "I can not afford it this month" and they should beg again, telling you what shows they have. If you say you still want to cancel, they'll beg one last time and offer you the subscription for cheaper. This won't work every month, but I've noticed they'll always offer it the first time, then again after a couple months. If you're subscribed to both films and entertainment do the most expensive one as it may not work both times (but it might!). You can also pick up passes from storefronts a lot cheaper sometimes, before I could pick one up on Amazon for £3 but, they seem to have cracked down on it. If you shop around (or if anyone knows of a legitimate store please let me know) you might be able to pick it up cheaper. Lastly, check their website and under your account they should have an "offers for you" section. Completely free TV
If you do have a smart TV and/or device, there are some good free streaming apps. One I really love is called PlutoTV. I know this is on both Roku and the fire stick, as well as Ps4/Ps5 and xbox. Pluto offers a bunch of live channels and now an on demand section, all for free. It has adverts but they are actually short (shorter than regular TV and fewer of them). Some of the channels are just streaming certain shows like Mythbusters 24/7 or Dog the bounty hunter, but it has a lot of old movie channels as well as 24/7 kickboxing and MMA. It also has a 24/7 poker channel I quite like. Another one I like is Rakuten Viki however, I haven't watched it for a while as my fire stick is only 1080p and I have too many other devices attached. I believe it is on Roku but you have to jump through some hoops and have an account. The last I checked on the fire stick you did not. Viki offers a metric ton of Asian shows, mainly from Japan and South Korea but it does have chinese, Malaysian etc. It has subtitles. Some Japanese shows are hysterical, albeit weird. Roku also do their own channels with free shows if you own a device. For those who don't have a smart TV or a Streaming device, you can set up your own computer as a dedicated streaming device with Plex. It's been a while since I used it but I believe it now also offers free movies and TV. Anime If you are into Anime there is
The first 2 are free to watch, or offer premium without ads which you can have a trial with. Crunchyroll is the better of the two with more original choice for Japanese voice and subs, while Funimation has more Dubs. I don't believe HiDive is free to watch but you do get a 2 week trial. These are more exclusives than the previous two. PC Centric software If you are a gamer or like Audiobooks or anything that uses computers for things like music making, programming or graphic design
Humble Bundle offers, as per the name, bundles. A long running site that got bought out by IGN. It offers both single items and bundles you can buy individually/as a pack while also offering a separate monthly subscription for around £8-9. The subscription gives you 12 games on average per month. That's the simplest explanation but it changes somewhat as sometimes you get to pick 10 out of 14 games, or get all 12. Humble bundle offers more than just games though. Every Tuesday they bring a new bundle of games, while Thursday (I "think) a new bundle of books. They very often have books from the Black Library giving you a ton of Warhammer books. Sometimes it's standard E-books, other times it's audiobooks. A few times a year they do bundles for graphic design, a typical bundle would include programs like Paintshop Pro Corel Painter etc, They usually go for £0.76 for tier 1 up to around £18 for tier 3, which would include 4-6 full titles with 10+ addons. They also often have Music making bundles or video editing software as well as Programming or video game development. The bundles change often, they usually have around 11 bundles at a time that last for 20 days. Sometimes it's trash but they do often have some very good deals. Fanatical offers the same as humble bundle except usually not as high quality, but sometimes they do have some incredible deals, and they are very very cheap. Both humble and fanatical are safe, trusted and been around a long time, and they are NOT grey market key sites. They work with the publishers and developers. You can buy games both old and new for a lot cheaper than you would most other places. Unless it states otherwise, keys are usually for steam. **BOTH HB and Fanatical (HB much more common) offer free games fairly often. The catch is linking your steam account to them (at least HB). It is safe however. IndieGala is another site like above. Except, these are much much lower quality. However, they offer a metric ton of free games. Quality is low but it is legitimate, and a lot of free stuff. Game Store Fronts
Steam This one is so obvious I didn't add it, but apparently many want me to. It is the best out there, and you can find almost everything, with fantastic deals.
Greenmangaming offers games cheaply. Again, not a grey market site (which are legal but unethical) and they sometimes do bundles.
GoG (Good old games) is a DRM free site run by CDPR, the makers of the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk. They offer you games quite cheap and not needing DRM (such as Steam, Uplay etc which is less invasive versions of dodgy DRM from the olden days).
Epic Games Despite the controversy whether you care about their rivalry with valve, they offer free games ever week. Without ever having bought anything I have gained over 170 games. literally. Good games for the most part. They often give you £10 coupons as well.
Twitch Everyone knows twitch, but if you don't, it's a streaming service for watching gamers and girls with low cut tops accidentally bending over in front of the game. However, if you're signed up to prime, you get free games each month (and randomly between the set bunch).
Playstation Store Currently has January sales. Currently the free games for PS+ are for PS4: Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Greedfall. For the Ps5 it is Maneater
Games with GoldBleed 2 and the King of Fighters XIII is available until Janurary 15th whilst little Nightmares is available until January 31st.
Gaming Subscriptions Like the TV versions, you can sign up to these for a free trial (or very cheap). If you do sign up to only one at a time, it should keep you busy for a few months
Xbox Game Pass You can do this on both/either an Xbox or PC. If you sign up to the regular one, you can get a month (maybe three!) for £1. After you have done that, you can sign up to the premium version for 3 months at £1 a month. Most people know game pass, but you can download a large selection of games for free. The premium version gives you games with gold, allowing you to keep the games forever (but can only play with a subscription)
Ubisoft+ I'm not 100% sure if you get a trial or not. This allows a large collection of Ubisoft titles to play for £12.99 a month. Quite expensive but good if you like Ubisoft titles I guess.
EA Play EA's version. Goes by a ton of names I think, EA Access, EA Play, Origin Access etc etc. There's a couple of versions of this, and it is across all platforms (PS4/5, Xbox, PC) but not sure about the switch. I "think" the premium allows you to play on all platforms, while the cheaper one on a single platform, but I may be mistaken.
PS Now a once terrible service that is now actually very good. Allows you to download some Ps4 games to your PS4/5 and lets you stream a massive amount of Ps2/3/4 to your PC or playstation.
There's more like nvidia's service but you need the Shield device which is quite expensive. I'll leave it at that. Audiobooks & Ebooks
Audible Not sure what the current deal is but if you are a prime member you can sign up for a trial and get a free Audiobook each month for 3 months. Some warhammer books are 48 hours long, 3 of those gives you a good 100+ hours of listening!
Comixology Another Amazon company, but lets you download some free comics I believe.
Sign LanguageBSL here No experience myself, suggested by n21brown and asked for a few times. Didn't know SL was so popular! Listed as "Pay what you can"
BBC's Bitesizehere is apparently good for home learning. Again, no personal experience.
If you need some spare change Okay, I don't generally bother with it, but maybe some of this could be useful to you. These are NOT a quick way to make a fortune. These are small things you can do over time for a bit of pocket change
If you have prime you can get a FREE FIVE POUND GIFT CARD by literally just streaming a song from Amazon music (which is included in prime) here is the detailsAccording to the comments it's only for select people, but it's worth trying If the link doesn't work for you just google "Amazon £5 coupon music"
Now, these sorts of sites have been around for years, I haven't used any other than talkInsights which I must have signed up to 10-15 years ago. Basically they send you surveys and you answer them. They are confidential and don't ask for personal details in the survey. You need 2000 points and you get £20. During the pandemic they've slowed down but I probably get around £40 a year. Not much I know, but it's an email followed by a quick survey ticking boxes. Depending on your answer sometimes you get screened out, I'm not telling you to lie but just be consistent with your answers and you should be able to work out how to not get screened. Some emails are only worth 20 points, others 200. It's slow to get to the 2000 but very quick to just answer a few questions.
Apparently beermoneyuk is a good sub to make some pocket change with.
There is also matched betting. I have never done this, I don't have the patience but from what I've read, it's legitimate, it works and you can make a fair amount of cash from it so long as you do it correctly, and there's a ton of guides. I mention this because people stuck at home could get into it and as long as you're careful (I.E not entering in the wrong numbers) it's risk free AND it pisses off the betting shops. It seems people in comments have had success with it. Disclaimer A couple have complained about gambling. This arguably is not gambling. If you are susceptible to addiction do not do it. However, it's argued that there is no fun or buzz in this, and it's a very tedious and time consuming thing. Others argue you can't make the same money anymore (People were making thousands, now only hundreds if that). It's risk free providing you know what you're doing, the risks are user error, such as entering the wrong numbers. Someone pointed out that due to the lockdown, bets could potentially be cancelled due to sport stopping. So use on a side of caution. We're (mainly) adults so I'll leave it up just because this doesn't have the excitement of regular gambling.
Microsoft Rewards This is an easy way to make pocket change doing very little. Most people have a MS account. The rewards program offers you numerous ways to grab points, by playing free to play games, answering small questions (you don't even need to answer most of the time, just open the link and shut it) and by using bing and searching on it. I've gotten 20k points JUST by answering questions over a couple months. There are many rewards but you can grab a £5 gift card for 6k for example, or a month of game pass (and AFAIK you can make points playing the games)
Google rewards Someone mentioned this in the comments. I have not used it, so can not give any input on it. Sounds similar to TalkInsights which I linked. Google states "Complete short surveys while standing in line, or waiting for a subway. Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We’ll notify you when a survey is waiting."
That's it for now. I will try to update as I go along. A long post but I hope that it can help some of you with finding something good to do that's free, cheap or a bargain. I do suggest getting prime, especially since you get free music, free delivery, free TV and music and free video games each month. In fact, there's a ton of perks and I feel I've gotten way over the cost investment. Hope it helps someone at least PartTimeCrazy said if you bought an Apple product you get 3 free months of Apple Arcade and Apple TV free for a year fakehunted is upset I didn't mention wanking. Tesco have 225 sheets of Tissue for £0.75! tale_lost suggested Project Gutenberg for a collection of free E-Books Learning Language Unfortunately, I don't have time to check every link listed so I will link the comments: TogtogtogGives a lot of links for Spanish
Board & Tabletop games Corporal_Anaesthetic has made a list of Board games ilyemco suggested these HEALTH I'm not a doctor! But if you're a smoker, something I strongly suggest is to quit. I struggled for years but in the first lockdown I quit, technically. I haven't had a cigarette since, however, I do that silly thing millennials do. I vape, but, it made quitting extremely easy. I would not have been able to do it if it wasn't for 88Vape They sell extremely cheap liquids at £1 each. You can find these in B&M but you can pick up 25 for £20 or buy your own mix. Vitamin D deficiency has been said to be a big problem for the virus. I'd suggest (again, not a doctor!) that you pick some up. Tesco do a 3 for 2 deal. So you can pick up 270 tablets for £7. If you are vulnerable you MIGHT be able to phone tesco and get put on their delivery saver list (currently it's paused but phoning may help. At the very least they might give you a priority slot. I did this for my mum, we didn't shop at Tesco but I phoned for her, and they put her on with no hassle, so she can always get a delivery. HELP & ADVICE The lockdown Rules. Reasons to leave home include:
Work or volunteering where it is "unreasonable" to work from home. This includes work in someone else's home, such as that carried out by social workers, nannies, cleaners and tradespeople
Education, training, childcare and medical appointments and emergencies
Exercise outdoors (limited to once a day). This includes meeting one other person from another household in an open public space to exercise
Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
Communal religious worship
Meeting your support or childcare bubble. Children can also move between separated parents Activities related to moving house
I want to add, if you are in danger you are also allowed (and must!) to get away from the situation for some reason, BBC seems to have missed this very important thing (or I am blind)
FOR THOSE SHIELDING YOU CAN CONTACT THEROYAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE. These people helped my mother with picking up her medicine from the chemist. They were very helpful and went out their way to keep in touch and do it immediately. (It's the only experience I have with them though) _riotingpacifist wanted this links added, but I simply just don't have the time to vet and check all the suggestions here, so I will link as is:
Krita Arguably the best in my opinion. It has a load of options, brushes and a decent UI. It works fantastic with a tablet.
Gimp This is a decent program but last I used, the UI was a pain, and it isn't so user friendly while misses features, but it works, and it is possible to do some incredible creations on it.
Medibang Paint This is slightly geared towards Comics and Manga. I really enjoy using this with my drawing Tablet. As far as I know, it also for regular tablets for Android/Ipad and is free.
You can pick up a drawing tablet on Amazon quite cheap these days! Small ones that are just a black slate such as the wacom ones are good but takes some practice to get use to, but very worth it if you can't afford a dedicated drawing tablet with a screen. Office suit software A couple of free applications for word processing, spreadsheets etc.
LibreOfficeThis has most the average user would need to write their own books or to work from home. There's not a huge amount of difference between the two I'm linking (since I last used anyway) so it's more for preference.
Open Office You can pick this up here and again, like above it's just preference.
Music Making I'm going to direct to matthewharris806 for some links as all the programs I've used like Reason are expensive, or cheaper stuff in bundles such as Magix software. Games development D_Dad_Default gives some links for that here
"Couples on Surviving Trauma and Loss: Five partners whose love has endured seismic changes, from refugees forced apart by war to a couple left with horrific injuries" The first two stories in the article are legit: a couple in a terrible car accident and a couple separated by the Sudanese civil war. Then things start going to hell and get worse and worse. All of the things that FDS warns against are here: codependency, gaslighting, lying, cheating, excuse-making, blame shifting, martyrdom. Women continue to be conditioned to accept sub-par treatment by these kinds of narratives. The ladies of FDS refuse to help relationships "survive trauma" that is LITERALLY CREATED BY THE MAN IN THE RELATIONSHIP AND HIS SELFISH AND OVERALL TERRIBLE DECISIONS.
‘I was in prison for 2,192 days; she wrote to me almost daily’
Laure, 58, and Jerry, 62, survived his jail sentence for causing death by dangerous driving. They live inAlabama, and now run a support network for the families of prisoners. Laure Jerry and I met in 1995 and married four months later. I tell him all the time I would marry him again, but faster. We’d both been married twice before and dating was the last thing I was looking for. But he ticked all the boxes. I had two daughters and he had one. We moved our family from Tennessee to Alabama, to raise them in the country. We were living the dream. But on 17 March 2003, it was shattered when Jerry caused a head-on car collision which killed a young mother. He had been driving drunk. I felt rage, betrayal. When we met, we were both recovering alcoholics, so I had only known him sober. Now a life had been lost. I didn’t want him dead, but I wanted him to hurt real bad. We lived in a small town, and I grieved for that family. I felt embarrassment. I had to get to the forgiveness part quickly so I could get through each day. Jerry spent 10 days in the ICU. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison and 19 on probation. I was scared – emotionally, practically, financially, spiritually. I wanted to stay married but didn’t know how. I didn’t know what you do when someone you love is in prison.
His first year home, we argued all the time. I’d put my hand on his shoulder and he’d push it away
I wrote to him almost every night. I could afford one dollar-a-minute phone call a week and petrol for the 100-mile drive to visit every two weeks. I felt a lot of anger in those first years. I remember burying the cat, crying, saying, “This is a dad job.” I tried to experience the girls’ graduations for both of us. His first year home, we argued all the time. I’d put my hand on his shoulder and he’d push it away; he was still in survival mode. We’re grandparents now and enjoy our family immensely. We run a support network for prisoner families, called Extended Family. I started it six months into his sentence. Jerry will still say, “You stayed with me all those years,” but I don’t think of it that way. I’m not going to make him do the dishes for the rest of our lives. We spent six years without each other; we don’t want to spend another minute apart. Jerry On our first date, I took Laure and her daughters to see Cinderella at the theatre. When I got home, I wrote “She’s the one” on the back of the programme. We had a good life. I had a small engineering business, work grew busy, and we moved cities. But I was in a mess. I got into narcotics but hid it from my family. The night of the accident, I had stopped at a liquor store. I was in a blackout. Moments later, a young woman was dead and I was airlifted to hospital. I was shocked, remorseful, disheartened. My wife has a big and kind heart. I tried to protect her from the police investigation and the likelihood of prison. I didn’t want our girls walking around with the stigma of a dad who had killed someone. In Alabama, incarceration is uncontested grounds for divorce, but there was never a question of Laure leaving me. On an early prison visit, I told her I wouldn’t blame her if she wanted to leave. She looked at me and said, “I’d be more miserable than I am now.” I’ll never forget it. I was in prison for 2,192 days and she wrote to me almost daily. There were guys that got nothing. I felt blessed and honoured. She would arrive every two weeks and I would put on a smile. But I pitied myself; I felt useless, unable to provide for my family. When I came home, I was harsher than before. Meanwhile, this woman I loved had blossomed. I had to adjust. There’s a not a day that I don’t pay for my disastrous decision in some way, shape or form. We worked through the mess I made together, and we’re closer because of it.
‘It was a form of gaslighting. He led a double life’
Keith, 59, and Claire, 57, survived his gambling addiction. They live inSussex. Keith Claire and I had known each other in the 80s, and reconnected online 20 years later. Claire was living abroad, and I was on my way to broke. She’d make short trips to the UK, and we’d laugh through days out and long lunches. She was intelligent, full of life; a better person than I was. I first entered a casino at 16. By 18, I’d borrowed, conned and stolen from everyone I knew. I was an addict. Through adulthood, I’d made and lost small fortunes and entire businesses. I’d play Monopoly for real money, or sit in a room of the club I owned, drinking brandy, snorting as much cocaine as I could. I wasn’t a constant drug user or gambler. When Claire visited, I’d try to keep it together; but then I’d get desperate and make excuses to go to London for “work”. When she moved to the UK with her three kids in 2009, I’d disappear into a room of the home we shared for days, in a heady state of gambling, drugs and porn, too embarrassed to re-emerge. I had intermittent spells in Gambling Anonymous, but I found it hard to ask for help. Claire paid for the house and put food on the table. I never stole from her, but I’m still surprised she didn’t walk out. By 2014, I’d had a heart attack and was nursing my mother, who had cancer. I would drive her to the hospital every day, off my tits, bring her home, make her food, then shut myself in another room and gamble online. I couldn’t see myself in the mirror any more. I wanted to die. On 28 June 2014, I logged on to a website for people seeking affairs and used it for porn. That decision would almost end us: when Claire discovered the website in her search history, she sent me a Dear John letter. The next day, she drove me to residential rehab. The only rule I broke there was asking her to spend one night. I had to save the relationship. I’ve been clean for six years now; Claire is part of the reason why. People talk about languages of love. For me those are quality time, acts of service. Boy, were there acts of kindness and service from Claire. Without her, I could well be dead. Claire I was 18, and a poor student, when I first met Keith. He seemed glamorous, exciting, funny, intelligent. He was also a known gambler, but when we reconnected years later, that appeared to be in his past. Yet, with hindsight, nothing about the start of our relationship makes sense. When I visited, he’d urgently have work or disappear into a room for days at a time. I’d spend hours on edge, struggling to trust him, but he would rationalise his behaviour, omitting huge details, claiming he’d simply drunk too much. It was a form of gaslighting. He led a double life.
When Keith decided on residential rehab, I knew that if I didn’t support him, there was no future
The first time I confronted him, I’d found an empty drugs packet, but he lied his way out of it. I became scared to ask, although we both knew he needed help. When his mother was unwell, he had the perfect alibi. He was an addict but he was responsible – and he took exquisite care of her. I was fearful but I had to get on with life. Advertisement When Keith decided on residential rehab, I knew that if I didn’t support him, there was no future. I didn’t want significant time apart, but when an addict is serious about making changes, you have to put your own needs aside. The most soul-destroying moment came when I found the affairs website. I had been betrayed by gambling and drugs, but my belief in the purity of our love had kept me going. I wrote to him saying it was over. From rehab, Keith proved to me it was only curiosity (there was no activity on his account), and I was open enough to reconciliation to visit him. Emotionally, we’re more independent now, although we share bank accounts and he supports us financially. I’ve grown, too. I used to tell friends that Keith felt like an addiction to me. I’d waited years for a stable home life together: eventually, he walked the most difficult path in order to truly change.
‘Friends saw us as the perfect couple, but it was a lie’
Maryam, 31, and Amir, 33, survived his affair. They live in California. Maryam When Amir had an affair, I had a thousand reasons to leave but looked for the one to stay. Our relationship had started as an affair, too. We had been couple-friends in our previous marriages and used to hang out as a group of four. Then, in February 2017, Amir and his wife broke up and he came on a trip with my husband and me. One night, we were up late, talking, while my husband slept. Amir opened up about his marriage and I began to sense he had feelings for me. I had relationship problems, too, and we started an affair. I ended my marriage. Over the next 18 months, friends came to see us as the perfect couple. They would comment on how loving our relationship was. But I couldn’t forgive myself for how we’d started, and his divorce was a mess. He spent nights with his ex. I broke up with him several times. Things looked great on the surface but we both carried unresolved pain. By the end of 2019, I became suspicious of his relationship with a co-worker. She was too intimate at the Christmas party and he was jumpy when she called. Then I found a credit card charge to a cafe, clearly for two people.
I loved him deep down but anger overwhelmed me. He asked over and over for a chance to prove he could change
It took me 10 days to get the full details from him. It had been going on for months and they’d slept together six times. I couldn’t breathe; I felt stupid. Everything that had gone before felt like a lie. I left him. Amir telephoned non-stop and showed up at my parents’. I loved him deep down but anger overwhelmed me. He asked over and over for a chance to prove he could change. Eventually, I agreed to give him three months. We started individual and couples’ therapy and talked through every detail of our relationship. I couldn’t bear to sleep in the same room as him, but I could look at his face again. I agreed to more time. I see the consistency and changes Amir has made, his commitment. When I discovered his affair, I was ready to give up on our relationship, but we have both grown. No one knows what the future holds and I have my fears. But, right now, I love the way he loves me. Amir Maryam was the first time in my life I felt real love. But we were both married and I told myself it couldn’t happen. As time passed, my ex-wife had an affair and my marriage died. Maryam had problems, too, and I made my feelings known. I admired her looks, the way she thinks. This wasn’t a game that I’d started; it was coming from the bottom of my heart. I was born in the Middle East, in a war zone. As a child, I experienced sexual and physical abuse at the hands of my teacher, but told no one. The human psyche finds soothing mechanisms to alleviate pain. For me, that was sex. I was in the most loving relationship with Maryam. The sex was amazing. We bought a house, enjoyed travelling. But the foundations were shaky and I unconsciously sought more. When I got close to a co-worker, it turned into an affair, starting in May 2019 and lasting several months. It was pure sexual desire. This wasn’t someone I wanted to change the course of my life. We were opportunistic and, in those moments, I became blind to the consequences. When Maryam found out, I tried to lie. I was naive about how much I was going to hurt her. She wanted nothing to do with me. She blocked my calls and texts, and told our family and friends all the details. Everyone who loved me looked at me as a monster. For the first time in my life, I started to wake up. I made fixing myself and our relationship my only priority. I promised Maryam she would see a change, and started intense therapy, twice a week. I addressed my childhood trauma and sought support for sex addiction. I realised how much I was willing to do for Maryam. At the beginning, it was simply about keeping Maryam; but it transformed into strengthening our bond. She has made sacrifices for me, been my guide and love. Every day, I’m more appreciative. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jan/30/couples-on-surviving-trauma-and-loss
Ten genuine suggestions on how to improve Pokemon go
Hi, As an avid Pokemon Go player since July 2016 I have made this list of ten genuine suggestions on how I think the player experience can be improved within the game.
Style vs Wardrobe
The style UI of Pokemon Go is one of the only areas of the game that has never received an update. I would propose updating the 'Style' to a 'Wardrobe' button and have only contain parts of outfits that have already been unlocked or purchased behind it. To counter-balance this, I would add another tab to the Shop which would contain all of the outfits and cosmetics that can be purchased. Why? Having to scroll through endless purchasing options to find the items you own is annoying and impractical, it also means that we are limited to exactly what items we already own and have the option to browse the store if we feel the need to.
Lucky Trades
Due to the introduction of remote raiding, players such as myself find themselves with multiple lucky friends who future trades with will be near impossible (I'm UK and have 4 lucky friends in Singapore). I would propose that Niantic introduce the rule that Lucky Trades are able to circumvent all distance and allow players to undergo international lucky trades. While this may be extreme, from Good friend to Best is 90 days with a 1/60 chance of going lucky post-best friends, this means that all lucky friends represent a long-term investment and cannot possibly be abused.
Best Friend Organisation
Many people will manipulate the giving/receiving of gifts so that they are in control of when they go ultra/best friends so that they can lucky egg and receive 2x the experience. While this is the norm, it can leave players wondering "Why isn't X opening my gift and going best friends?". While this can be easily organised with people you know, it can be hard with people who you are not in contact with, my suggestion would be to add a notification option that can be sent to other players. If i received a notification going "Player X has suggested going Best friends now, please click Yes if you are ready". While this relies on player kindness, without re-doing the whole friendship/gift system if is the best we are going to get.
Skipping the Raid Countdown
Soloing a one-star raid will now take me a maximum of 20-30 seconds. Standing around and waiting for this two-minute countdown to finish can sometimes be extremely mundane, especially when you plan on soloing it anyway. I would suggest adding a "Player Ready" option, once all players have stated themselves as ready, the countdown can jump to 10 seconds. This would mean faster raids for players and more playtime/raids/money for Niantic.
Daily Remote Raid Passes
It is about time that the daily raid pass we get be turned into a remote pass. Not only would this help with the current global Coronavirus pandemic but isn't it about time? This would help vastly with rural players, players who lack pokemon go playing friends and would encourage people to get involved more with local communities knowing that they do not have to travel twenty miles to join the raid. It would again encourage people to purchase more passes during raid hours, events etc.
Expanding the size of the Pokemon Box for New Players
When starting pokemon go, the original pokemon box size is 300. Consider that there is now 600+ pokemon in the game, if a player simply wanted to catch one of every pokemon they would have to expand their box six times just to reach this level. Whilst this may seem unfair for existing players who are into the 2k+ box sizes, my suggestion would be to globally increase all pokemon box size by 300 for free. If this seems extreme, remember that the maximum pokemon box size is now 3000 and to go from 300-3000 will cost a player $100+ or 10,800 pokemon coins.
Addiction/Gambling
There is no argument to be made against the fact that taking parts in raids should be considered a form of gambling and needs addressing. While many of us are happy to do one raid, get the dex entry and be done with it, many more do not feel this way. Freemium games make more money off the top 1% of players than the other 99% combined. I met an individual who undertook 200+ raids when the raid rotations switched to Darkrai, although he had 3 hundos, he was simply unlucky and was actually after the shiny, he had no other way to accomplish this as Darkrai is mythical and cannot be traded. My suggestion would be to add an in-game limiter that can be self-configured by the player to how much time or money can be spent daily.
Player Nominated Pokestops
This feature within pokemon go was one of the most hyped, the idea that players can suggest pokestops and have them approved or denied was brilliant. The problem is that we as players are not notified if the pokestop is confirmed or denied AND the timeline that it takes is absolutely ridiculous. I have been told by reliable sources that a pokestop nomination can take up to six months to take effect, in the modern and digital world this is just laziness by Niantic. This process needs to become streamlined, during the data entry it states that there are reviewers who will review your entry, but why not place a temporary stop and ask players that spin it if is acceptable stop or not.
Shiny Hunting
I would suggest that an update be made so that shinies with pokemon go follow the rules of Pokemon: Let's Go or Pokemon Sword & Shield. This would require a code change that would roll for the shiny pokemon on appearance of our screen instead of when the pokemon is clicked. This sytem would be better I feel than finding a nest of a particular pokemon and walking around clicking every single one without catching it.
Unachievable Goals
I can't have been the only person that got extremely annoyed with the jump that Niantic made between Gold and platinum medals? Gold Backpacker - 2,000 Pokestops, platinum 50,000. Gold Gym Leader - 1,000 hours (41.6 days), platinum 15,000 hours (625 days). Level 40 - 20 Million Exp, Level 50 - 176 Million. Whilst we all know that Pokemon Go is not simply a game that you can 'finish' these increases all throughout the game show that Niantic is actively leaning into the addiction side of their game and not really caring for the benefit of their players, if you still doubt this, please remember the introduction of Mega Evolutions. My suggestion would be to cap the EXP limits needed for leveling post 40 at 5 Million (39-40) and still leave the level-based tasks that need to be done. In terms of medals, i would suggest looking at the requirements for a gold medal and simply doubling it instead of x15, x10 or x5 respectively. All of this also applies to XL Candy as well, to get enough XL Candy to get Mewtwo to level 50 would require an insane amount of raids, luck & money. I would suggest lowering the exchange rate from Candy to XL candy from 100 to 20. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I know that no one at niantic will actually read any of these suggestions and perhaps that is part of the problem, they genuinely do not seem to take any player feedback onboard unless outrage happens in the hundreds of thousands such as when Mega Evolutions were introduced. If you made it this far, thanks for reading, please let me know what you think of these suggestions, if you hate/support them. I just wanted to say that i still genuinely love Pokemon Go and have encouraged multiple friends to play, i just think that the game definitely has space for improvement.
Huge list of UK mental health resources and helplines.
UK Mental Health Helplines:
ME CONNECT HELPLINE
https://meassociation.org.uk/information-and-support-line/ Got me/cfs fibro? Feel alone? Feel no one understands you? Not even Samaritans helps? Volunteers at ME Association really do UNDERSTAND so call em: We deal with each person individually, in a sensitive and professional manner. Every communication is kept completely confidential. ME Connect is staffed by a fully trained, and supervised, team of volunteers – most of whom have personal experience of M.E.
0344 576 5326
Available every day of the week between these times: 10am - 12noon, 2pm - 4pm and 7pm - 9pm. Calls cost the same as other standard landline numbers (starting 01 or 02). If you have a call package for your landline or mobile phone then calls will normally come out of your inclusive minutes. And on with... ... other valuable resources: Mental health helplines: Shout Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. We can help with urgent issues such as: suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self-harm, bullying and relationship challenges Text Shout to 85258 (https://www.giveusashout.org/) Mental Health Matters Helpline for people with mental health problems, their carers, families and friends. The Team can offer emotional guidance and information and help people who may be feeling low, anxious or stressed or in extreme emotional distress and feel that there is nowhere else to turn. Support is also provided to people caring for another person and finding it difficult to cope. The service is confidential unless it is considered there is a risk to yourself or others. Webchat available 24/7 Phone: click here to find the different numbers for the geographical areas covered Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Supportline We offer confidential emotional support to children, young adults and adults by telephone, email and post. We work with callers to develop healthy, positive coping strategies, an inner feeling of strength and increased self esteem to encourage healing, recovery and moving forward with life. Phone: 01708 765200 (hours variable - ring for details) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) The Silver Line The Silver Line operates the only confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK that's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. We also offer telephone friendship where we match volunteers with older people based on their interests, facilitated group calls, and help to connect people with local services in their area. Phone: 0800 4 70 80 90 Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/) Breathing Space A confidential phoneline for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16, feeling low, anxious or depressed. Phone: 0800 838587 (weekdays mon-thurs 6pm until 2am. Weekend Friday 6pm-Monday 6am) (https://breathingspace.scot/) C.A.L.L. Mental health helpline Offers emotional support and information/literature on Mental Health and related matters to the people of Wales. Anyone concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend can access the service. C.A.L.L. Helpline offers a confidential listening and support service. Phone: 0800 132 737 or text help to 81066 (https://www.callhelpline.org.uk/) Lifeline Helpline Lifeline is the Northern Ireland crisis response helpline service for people who are experiencing distress or despair. No matter what your age or where you live in Northern Ireland, if you are or someone you know is in distress or despair, Lifeline is here to help. Phone: 0808 808 8000 or 18001 0808 808 8000 for Deaf and hard of hearing Textphone users. (24 hours a day, seven days a week) (https://www.lifelinehelpline.info/) One parent families Scotland The Lone Parent Helpline provides advice and support to single parents. Call us about anything from dealing with a break-up, sorting out child maintenance, understanding benefits, money when having a baby, studying or moving into work. We provide a free confidential friendly service that provides advice and supports your wellbeing whatever you are going through. Phone: 0808 801 0323 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (https://opfs.org.uk/) RABI Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution Time is a precious commodity, especially in farming. But it’s something our staff will happily give you. When you call you’ll speak to a member of our dedicated welfare team. We understand that making that very first call – and talking about personal things with someone you don’t know – might sound daunting. However, it’s 100% confidential, so you’ll be free to discuss what’s on your mind without judgement. We won’t disclose any information to third parties without your explicit permission and calls are not recorded. We’ll do our very best to make you feel at ease, listening with courtesy, sympathy and respect. Phone: 0808 281 9490 (9am-5pm weekdays) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (https://rabi.org.uk/) The Drinks Trust: We are the drinks industry community organisation, providing care and support to the people who form the drinks industry workforce, both past and present. The Trust provides individuals with services across vocational, well-being, financial and practical support. These services are intended to assist with and improve the circumstances of those who receive them Phone: 0800 915 4610 Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Contact form - To be eligible, you must have worked for at least two years full-time or four years part-time in the UK drinks industry. (https://www.drinkstrust.org.uk/) Anxiety UK Charity providing support if you've been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. Phone: 03444 775 774 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm) (www.anxietyuk.org.uk) Bipolar UK A charity helping people living with manic depression or bipolar disorder. Peer support line: Arrange a call back from our Peer Support Line. Book in a call with our chatbot- simply type in 'I would like to speak to someone' and select a date and time that works best for you. Email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (www.bipolaruk.org.uk) Carers UK We provide an expert telephone advice and support service. You can talk to us, no matter where you are in the UK or how complex your query is. We do benefits checks, and advise on financial and practical matters related to caring. Phone: 0808 808 7777 (Mon-Fri 9am until 6pm) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Online forum: here (https://www.carersuk.org/) CALM Our helpline is for people in the UK who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (5pm to midnight - 365 days a year) (www.thecalmzone.net) Shelter Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support, and legal services England&Scotland phone number: 08088004444 (8am - 8pm on weekdays and 9am - 5pm weekends). (https://www.shelter.org.uk/) Wales phone number: 08000 495495 (9.30am – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday) (https://sheltercymru.org.uk/) For similar housing support in Ireland and NI: Ireland and Northern Ireland Mind Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm) (www.mind.org.uk) Mind Cymru: 0292-0395-123 (https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru/) No Panic Voluntary charity offering support for sufferers of panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Offers a course to help overcome your phobia/OCD. Includes a helpline. Phone: 0844 967 4848 (daily, 10am to 10pm) (www.nopanic.org.uk) OCD Action Support for people with OCD. Includes information on treatment and online resources. Phone: 0845 390 6232 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5pm) (www.ocdaction.org.uk) OCD UK A charity run by people with OCD, for people with OCD. Includes facts, news and treatments. Phone: 0845 120 3778 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) (www.ocduk.org) PAPYRUS HOPELINEUK is a confidential support and advice service for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. Phone: HOPElineUK 0800 068 4141 (9:00 am to 12:00 am midnight every day including weekends & bank holidays) Text: 07860 039 967 Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (www.papyrus-uk.org) Rethink Mental Illness Support and advice for people living with mental illness. Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) (www.rethink.org) Samaritans Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline) (www.samaritans.org.uk) SANE Emotional support, information and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families and carers. SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (daily, 4.30 to 10.30pm) Textcare: comfort and care via text message, sent when the person needs it most: (http://www.sane.org.uk/textcare) (www.sane.org.uk/supportforum) (www.sane.org.uk/support) YoungMinds Information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals. Phone: Parents' helpline 0808 802 5544 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) (www.youngminds.org.uk) Veterans Gateway The first point of contact for veterans seeking support. We put veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need – from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more. Phone: 0808 802 1212 Text: 81212 Email: submit here Live chat: here (https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk/) First Person Plural First Person Plural (FPP) specialises in working for and on behalf of all those affected by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and similar complex trauma-related dissociative identity conditions. These similar conditions include type 1 Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS), and a type of Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) which is described as DID-like. Phone: 01902810082 (if we do not pick up leave a message and we will contact you as soon as possible but this might not be for a few days as our office is not staffed everyday) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Twitter: u/DissociationFPP LGBT+ helplines: Switchboard LGBT Switchboard provides a one-stop listening service for LGBT+ people on the phone, by email and through Instant Messaging. Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm every day) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (https://switchboard.lgbt/) MindlineTrans+ MindLine Trans+ is a confidential emotional, mental health support helpline for people who identify as Transgender, Agender, Gender Fluid, Non-binary.. Phone: 03003305468 (Mondays and Fridays from 8pm to midnight.) Mermaids UK Mermaids provides a helpline aimed at supporting transgender youth up to and including the age of 19, their families and professionals working with them. Phone: 0808 801 0400 (Open Monday - Friday; 9am - 9pm) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) (https://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk) Abuse helplines (child, sexual, domestic violence): NSPCC Children's charity dedicated to ending child abuse and child cruelty. Phone: 0800 1111 for Childline for children (24-hour helpline) 0808 800 5000 for adults concerned about a child (24-hour helpline) (www.nspcc.org.uk) Refuge Advice on dealing with domestic violence. Phone: 0808 2000 247 (24-hour helpline) (www.refuge.org.uk) Women's Aid Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Live chat: Our hours are Monday to Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-12:00pm. Here Respect Men's advice line The Men’s Advice Line is a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and those supporting them. We offer advice and emotional support to men who experience abuse, and signpost to other vital services that help keep them and their children safe. Call: 0808 8010327 or visit: here Respect phoneline The Respect Phoneline is an anonymous and confidential helpline for men and women who are harming their partners and families. We provide specialist advice and guidance to help people change their behaviours and support for those working with domestic abuse perpetrators. Call: 0808 8024040 or visit: here National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans+ Domestic Abuse Helpline: Galop gives advice and support to people who have experienced biphobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexual violence or domestic abuse. We also support lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people who have had problems with the police or have questions about the criminal justice system Galop is completely independent – we are a community-led group and we are not connected to police. You can talk to us anonymously if you choose Phone: 0800 999 5428 (Monday to Friday 10:00am - 5:00pm. Wednesday to Thursday 10:00am - 8:00pm) (http://www.galop.org.uk/domesticabuse/) Honour based abuse/violence, forced marriage and/or female genital mutilation helplines Freedom Charity We aim to empower young people to feel they have the tools and confidence to support each other and have practical ways in which they can help their best friend around the issues of family relationships which can lead to early and forced marriage and dishonour based violence (https://www.freedomcharity.org.uk/) Phone: 0845 607 0133 ; or text "4freedom"to 88802 (24-hour helpline) Halo Project Halo Project Charity is a national project that will support victims of honour-based violence, forced marriages and FGM by providing appropriate advice and support to victims. We will also work with key partners to provide required interventions and advice necessary for the protection and safety of victims. Phone: 01642 683 045 (9am-5pm) (https://www.haloproject.org.uk/) Karma Nirvana Karma Nirvana is an award-winning National charity supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage. Honour crimes are not determined by age, faith, gender or sexuality, we support and work with all victims Phone: 0800 5999 247 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) (https://karmanirvana.org.uk/) Addiction helplines (drugs, alcohol, gambling): Alcoholics Anonymous Phone: 0845 769 7555 (24-hour helpline) (www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk) Gamblers Anonymous Phone: 0330 094 0322 (www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk) Narcotics Anonymous Phone: 0300 999 1212 (daily 10am to midnight) (www.ukna.org) Drugfam Support for families, friends and partners affected by someone else’s addiction to drugs or alcohol. Phone: 0300 888 3853 (https://www.drugfam.co.uk/) Al-Anon UK&Eire We are here for anyone affected by someone else's drinking. Our Helpline is manned by a team of friendly and helpful volunteers who are also members of Al-Anon. They will listen and be happy to answer your questions Phone: 0800 0086 811 (10am-10pm, 365 days a year) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Alzheimer's helpline: Alzheimer's Society Provides information on dementia, including factsheets and helplines. Phone: 0300 222 1122 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm. Weekends, 10am to 4pm) (www.alzheimers.org.uk) Bereavement helplines: Cruse Bereavement Care Phone: 0808 808 1677 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) CruseChat (https://www.cruse.org.uk) Blue Cross for pets If you have lost, or are facing saying goodbye to, a much loved pet and need somebody to talk to, our Pet Bereavement Support Service is here for you every day from 8.30am – 8.30pm Phone: 0800 096 6606 Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) The Compassionate Friends The Compassionate Friends is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause Phone: 0345 120 3785 (9:30am - 4:30pm Mon to Fri) Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide: If you are 18+ and have been bereaved or affected by suicide and you would like to talk with one of our volunteers about your experience, you can get in touch in the following ways: Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) and/or [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Helpline: open 9am to 9pm Monday to Sunday 0300 111 5065 You can also apply to join their online peer support forum here (https://uksobs.org/) Crime victims helplines: Rape Crisis To find your local services phone: 0808 802 9999 (daily, 12 to 2.30pm, 7 to 9.30pm) (www.rapecrisis.org.uk) Victim Support Phone: 0808 168 9111 (24-hour helpline) (www.victimsupport.org) Eating disorders helpline: Beat Phone: 0808 801 0677 (adults) or 0808 801 0711 (for under-18s) (www.b-eat.co.uk) Learning disabilities helpline: Mencap Charity working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. Phone: 0808 808 1111 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) (www.mencap.org.uk) Parenting helpline: Family Lives Family Lives offers a confidential and free helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). Please call us on 0808 800 2222 for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. Our helpline service is open 9am-9pm Monday to Friday and 10am-3pm Saturday and Sunday Callers in Wales: If you would like to access this service in Welsh, find out how to request a call back here Callers in Scotland: for callers from Scotland, Children 1st run Parentline Scotland and you may wish to contact them on 08000 28 22 33 Monday to Friday from 9am - 9pm. Online chat: available 1:30pm-5:30pm every weekday excluding bank holidays here Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Online forum: here (https://www.familylives.org.uk/) Relationships helpline: Relate The UK's largest provider of relationship support. (www.relate.org.uk)
I'm interested in speaking with problem gamblers in Ireland.
I am currently in talks with a well known politician about having this issue raised in the Dail. I myself have suffered from gambling addiction and take issue with the lack of support available in this country compared to other EU countries. For example: There is no law requiring casinos to have self exclusion programs! (Bookmakers do but they don't have a database) There is no regulation of online casinos, most offer their own self exclusion options or betting limits, but unlike the UK there is no service allowing us to opt in for a voluntary program which automatically blocks your access to all online gambling, this is done by adding your details to an online database which all casinos must have access to and block your sign up or face hefty penalties. There are no counselling or support services for problem gamblers which are government funded, there is gamblers anonymous and problemgambling.ie , the first one is inaccessible due to lockdown, the second has only one person who answers the phone. This is despite Ireland having the third highest gambling losses per adult in the world. If you have a gambling problem and feel the country could be doing more, I would love to hear from you (Private message if you prefer). Also, if you are struggling from gambling and lack of access to GA meetings due to lockdown is affecting you, we do have a group chat set up for problem gamblers. We have about 40 members and it's a great place talk if you need. Let me know if you're interested in this also. Lockdown is an extremely hard time for people with gambling addiction, as many of us are at home with nothing to do and the temptation is much harder to overcome. EDIT: Shinn Féin have agreed to highlight a number of things in the Dail.
Legislation to tackle marketing
Increased supports for problem drinking, problem gambling, and drug use and addiction
Conduct short review of the gambling sector and introducing regulatory reform of the sector
Also they have mentioned the following regarding addiction services during lockdown: "The Minister has eventually confirmed that addiction services have now been added to the exceptions on level 5 regulations. It is my understanding that this gives groups permission to meet in accordance with the public health guidelines in place ."
If you feel like you are spending too much in Legends of the Phoenix this post is for you - Predatory microtransactions in mobile games
I want to preface this post by saying that like most of you in this subreddit I'm a fan of LOP and this is absolutely not intended to be a criticism of anyone who spends money on microtransactions/gachas. If you can afford V11 and you want to spend that much on LOP that is totally your prerogative. No judgement from me. If you are happy with your in game spending and you're not getting into debt this post isn't for you. This post is for you if you are someone who is playing Legends of the Phoenix and you are maybe spending more than you can afford and are trying not to think about it. Maybe you feel anxious to check your bank account because of your in game spending? Maybe you feel ashamed and depressed about it? You might be trying to hide your in game spending from your family or partner. Maybe you need to see this post today. I see a lot of people on my server going up and up in VIP level and lamenting in the chat that they have spent way too much for the month. I work in the games industry and as an industry we know gambling addiction can be triggered by gacha games. In fact some companies would love nothing more than to create more gambling addicts, whom they often refer to as whales. They all want to hook a whale. Mobile games by design now are trying to suck in the small number of players who will spend impulsively or obsessively on events and recharges due to addictive tendencies they may not even know they have. It's a predatory business model that exists within the industry and LOP definitely definitely has a lot of this going on. Short term events that are impossible to complete without recharges creates FOMO. Constant ranked events that spending will boost. Constant new outfits/partners to buy and grindy game play that spending will alleviate. (I swear I like this game I just really want to educate players on these industry practices so that they can make the right choices for themselves.) If you feel like you might be spending too much in LOP and need support there are subreddits available to help. Please don't feel like you are alone or unusual. Particularly in lock down with people feeling depressed and isolated, more people than ever are struggling with this type of gambling/gaming addiction. Subreddits that might be able to help stopgamingproblemgambling If you want to learn more about how microtransactions can affect people Jim Sterling has a fantastic video outlining the way the industry operates and how damaging microtransactions can be for some players. https://youtu.be/7S-DGTBZU14 There also a good IGN article if you prefer to read information as opposed to watch. https://www.ign.com/articles/heres-how-loot-box-addiction-destroys-lives This is not a criticism of anyone who spends on gachas, it's just to make people aware that some people are vulnerable to this particular mechanic and it can trigger deeply problematic spending habits. I am not equipped to help anyone with a gambling addiction personally but if this post affected you please consider visiting the subreddits I mentioned or contacting your local gambling addiction support service. UK: GamCare - https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ USA: National Council of Problem Gambling - https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/ You can also find help at local chapters of GamAnon. If you needed to hear this today I hope you are able to get the right support and get your gaming under control. Don't beat yourself up about falling into this trap. It's easy to do.
[Long post] My parents called me (29F) a disappointment because I am getting married to my incredible fiancé (32M).
This is a fairly long story (apologies in advance) and yet only a tiny part of all the crap I have had to put up with in my life. If you would like to know more, please let me know as I have a lot I'd like to vent about! So, this is a many-layered heap of toxic crap starting from when I was a young child but here's some background relevant to this story. Firstly, I am the first daughter of a fairly religious Catholic family. I personally do not have any religious views, which has caused some upset with my family in the past. I have seven siblings although only two have the same mother and father as I. I am the first of my siblings to be getting married so I can understand some pomp and ceremony might be anticipated. My mother (CM - Crazy mother) and step-father (SF - Step-Father) have never approved of my OH as he is English and they somehow have it in their heads that he is abusive towards me. In actuality, I have been both physically and emotionally abused by CM and SF since I was a child. They turned me against my very supportive biological father (who made some very questionable choices in his youth) and essentially turned me into an unpaid live-in babysitter to the two children they had when I was 12-14. My daily routine was waking up, taking care of babies, getting ready for and going to school, coming home to make dinner and mind babies, clean up after dinner, then do homework and finally sleep. Understandably, I did not have many (or any) friends. They have also banned OH from entering their house as they believe OH is not a fit match and they do not like how he is more interested in me then he is with them. Also, CM is a compulsive liar and master manipulator, and SF is a recovering alcoholic and gambling addict. And everything SF says is a direct result of CM as she constantly gives him ultimatums to do what she says or she will leave with the kids. When my OH (Other Half) found me six years ago, I was an emotional wreck and was on the verge due to the anxiety and depression caused by my family. He supported me in getting mental help through counsellors and talking to me about my past and my fears. He is likely the only reason I am here today. And we have been through so much together. He took care of me when a car took me off my motorbike, and I became his home nurse after a serious operation left a near foot-long gash across his stomach that needed daily cleaning and dressing (the stitches kept coming out). Almost two years into our relationship, OH asked me to marry him and I said yes. We agreed to save to buy a house together before we paid for a fancy wedding so we have left off the actual marrying part until this year. Now, I would like to point out that I am going to be 30 this year, so I think I may have some notion as to what I'm doing at this point! I have been making comments to and talking to my parents about my desire to get married for the past year and finally got around to booking the date. Because OH and I are not religious in the slightest (another point of contention), we will be having a registry office wedding. Also, because of COVID, I can only have up to 6 guests at the wedding, including our witnesses. OH and I have decided that since our family is spread across the UK and Ireland, we would simply have the registry office wedding be more of a form signing ceremony and then visit all our relatives in their own towns to celebrate afterwards. We decided this was the fairest way to marry as we could not have all the family in attendance so no one should feel resentment that one side was invited and the other was not. Well surprise, surprise. I call CM the day we booked the date (yesterday) and let her know what we have decided on, a summer wedding. When she heard the news she went quiet and sounded very upset with only "oh, okay" as an occasional response. She told me to contact some of my siblings to go to the ceremony. I repeated to her that there would be no big ceremony due to COVID and I would celebrate with people after we signed the forms. After this she did not congratulate me, simply saying okay and hung up. This left me feeling very uneasy. I called all my other relatives to let them know the good and bad news, and everyone was so happy for us and very supportive with regards to the circumstances. a few hours later I decided to contact my SF who I could not reach earlier in the day. As it turns out, CM got to him first. When I told SF my news, he simply said: "I know, CM told me". I had a very odd feeling just then and asked him what the matter was. He told me that he was very upset that OH and I did not go to their house to discuss this first. I told him OH was banned from their house so there was no way for us to go over to discuss this. Even though I am currently in couple's therapy with my mother (at her request - I'll make a separate post about that later) and have tried to talk to my family about OH, which they dismiss, I haven't tried hard enough to resolve the problems CM and SF have with OH. I asked SF what more I could have done, which he had no answer for, and asked could he not just be happy for me. He said no. He then proceeded to say to me the same words he said to me the day I became engaged, "I am so disappointed in you". Thankfully, I was at work and a call just came in so I was able to escape the upsetting conversation with a muttered "I'll talk to you soon". Now, I have another appointment with this couple's counsellor next week and I will be taking the weekend to decide whether or not to completely cut this part of my family from my life. OH has said he does not want to influence my choice but will back up whatever decision I come to. This whole situation feels like the straw that broke the camel's back. All I can think of now is that I'm already checked out and trying to convince myself there may be even one redeeming quality that can help me keep a hold of that side of my family. I was conditioned from a young age to never talk back and to do everything I was asked to do, but I can't do it anymore. I honestly think I should focus on the supportive members of my family, but what do you all think? Thank you for making it this far and I would appreciate all the help you can give. I want to hear the good and the bad, even the ugly! Thank you.
Mental health helplines & resources (updated with region-specific links for England and country-specific for the rest of the UK)
Here I will include a master post of UK mental health helplines/resources, feel free to message me directly if there is anything you would like me to add to this post or if you notice any contact or relevant information has changed since creating this. If you would like quick support on this site for legal or DWP related issues please consider checking out DWPhelp or LegalAdviceUK If you live in England, you can refer yourself to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT). If you would like to view some country-specific helplines&resources:
Mental health helplines: Shout Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. We can help with urgent issues such as: suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self-harm, bullying and relationship challenges Text Shout to 85258 (https://www.giveusashout.org/) Mental Health Matters Helpline for people with mental health problems, their carers, families and friends. The Team can offer emotional guidance and information and help people who may be feeling low, anxious or stressed or in extreme emotional distress and feel that there is nowhere else to turn. Support is also provided to people caring for another person and finding it difficult to cope. The service is confidential unless it is considered there is a risk to yourself or others. Webchat available 24/7 Phone: click here to find the different numbers for the geographical areas covered Email: [email protected] Supportline We offer confidential emotional support to children, young adults and adults by telephone, email and post. We work with callers to develop healthy, positive coping strategies, an inner feeling of strength and increased self esteem to encourage healing, recovery and moving forward with life. Phone: 01708 765200 (hours variable - ring for details) Email: [email protected] The Silver Line The Silver Line operates the only confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK that's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. We also offer telephone friendship where we match volunteers with older people based on their interests, facilitated group calls, and help to connect people with local services in their area. Phone: 0800 4 70 80 90 Email: [email protected] (https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/) Breathing Space A confidential phoneline for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16, feeling low, anxious or depressed. Phone: 0800 838587 (weekdays mon-thurs 6pm until 2am. Weekend Friday 6pm-Monday 6am) (https://breathingspace.scot/) C.A.L.L. Mental health helpline Offers emotional support and information/literature on Mental Health and related matters to the people of Wales. Anyone concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend can access the service. C.A.L.L. Helpline offers a confidential listening and support service. Phone: 0800 132 737 or text help to 81066 (https://www.callhelpline.org.uk/) Lifeline Helpline Lifeline is the Northern Ireland crisis response helpline service for people who are experiencing distress or despair. No matter what your age or where you live in Northern Ireland, if you are or someone you know is in distress or despair, Lifeline is here to help. Phone: 0808 808 8000 or 18001 0808 808 8000 for Deaf and hard of hearing Textphone users. (24 hours a day, seven days a week) (https://www.lifelinehelpline.info/) One parent families Scotland The Lone Parent Helpline provides advice and support to single parents. Call us about anything from dealing with a break-up, sorting out child maintenance, understanding benefits, money when having a baby, studying or moving into work. We provide a free confidential friendly service that provides advice and supports your wellbeing whatever you are going through. Phone: 0808 801 0323 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm) Email: [email protected] (https://opfs.org.uk/) RABI Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution Time is a precious commodity, especially in farming. But it’s something our staff will happily give you. When you call you’ll speak to a member of our dedicated welfare team. We understand that making that very first call – and talking about personal things with someone you don’t know – might sound daunting. However, it’s 100% confidential, so you’ll be free to discuss what’s on your mind without judgement. We won’t disclose any information to third parties without your explicit permission and calls are not recorded. We’ll do our very best to make you feel at ease, listening with courtesy, sympathy and respect. Phone: 0808 281 9490 (9am-5pm weekdays) Email: [email protected] (https://rabi.org.uk/) The Drinks Trust: We are the drinks industry community organisation, providing care and support to the people who form the drinks industry workforce, both past and present. The Trust provides individuals with services across vocational, well-being, financial and practical support. These services are intended to assist with and improve the circumstances of those who receive them Phone: 0800 915 4610 Email: [email protected] Contact form - To be eligible, you must have worked for at least two years full-time or four years part-time in the UK drinks industry. (https://www.drinkstrust.org.uk/) Anxiety UK Charity providing support if you've been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. Phone: 03444 775 774 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm) (www.anxietyuk.org.uk) Bipolar UK A charity helping people living with manic depression or bipolar disorder. Peer support line: Arrange a call back from our Peer Support Line. Book in a call with our chatbot- simply type in 'I would like to speak to someone' and select a date and time that works best for you. Email us: [email protected] (www.bipolaruk.org.uk) Carers UK We provide an expert telephone advice and support service. You can talk to us, no matter where you are in the UK or how complex your query is. We do benefits checks, and advise on financial and practical matters related to caring. Phone: 0808 808 7777 (Mon-Fri 9am until 6pm) Email: [email protected] Online forum: here (https://www.carersuk.org/) CALM Our helpline is for people in the UK who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (5pm to midnight - 365 days a year) (www.thecalmzone.net) Shelter Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support, and legal services England&Scotland phone number: 08088004444 (8am - 8pm on weekdays and 9am - 5pm weekends). (https://www.shelter.org.uk/) Wales phone number: 08000 495495 (9.30am – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday) (https://sheltercymru.org.uk/) For similar housing support in Ireland and NI: Ireland and Northern Ireland Mind Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm) (www.mind.org.uk) Mind Cymru: 0292-0395-123 (https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru/) No Panic Voluntary charity offering support for sufferers of panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Offers a course to help overcome your phobia/OCD. Includes a helpline. Phone: 0844 967 4848 (daily, 10am to 10pm) (www.nopanic.org.uk) OCD Action Support for people with OCD. Includes information on treatment and online resources. Phone: 0845 390 6232 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5pm) (www.ocdaction.org.uk) OCD UK A charity run by people with OCD, for people with OCD. Includes facts, news and treatments. Phone: 0845 120 3778 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) (www.ocduk.org) PAPYRUS HOPELINEUK is a confidential support and advice service for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. Phone: HOPElineUK 0800 068 4141 (9:00 am to 12:00 am midnight) Text: 07860 039 967 Email: [email protected] (www.papyrus-uk.org) Rethink Mental Illness Support and advice for people living with mental illness. Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) (www.rethink.org) Samaritans Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline) (www.samaritans.org.uk) SANE Emotional support, information and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families and carers. SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (daily, 4.30 to 10.30pm) Textcare: comfort and care via text message, sent when the person needs it most: (http://www.sane.org.uk/textcare) (www.sane.org.uk/supportforum) (www.sane.org.uk/support) YoungMinds Information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals. Phone: Parents' helpline 0808 802 5544 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) (www.youngminds.org.uk) Veterans Gateway The first point of contact for veterans seeking support. We put veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need – from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more. Phone: 0808 802 1212 Text: 81212 Email: submit here Live chat: here (https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk/) First Person Plural First Person Plural (FPP) specialises in working for and on behalf of all those affected by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and similar complex trauma-related dissociative identity conditions. These similar conditions include type 1 Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS), and a type of Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) which is described as DID-like. Phone: 01902810082 (if we do not pick up leave a message and we will contact you as soon as possible but this might not be for a few days as our office is not staffed everyday) Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DissociationFPP LGBT+ helplines: Switchboard LGBT Switchboard provides a one-stop listening service for LGBT+ people on the phone, by email and through Instant Messaging. Phone: 03003300630 (Open 10:00-22:00 every day) Email: [email protected] MindlineTrans+ MindLine Trans+ is a confidential emotional, mental health support helpline for people who identify as Transgender, Agender, Gender Fluid, Non-binary.. Phone: 03003305468 (Mondays and Fridays from 8pm to midnight.) Mermaids UK Mermaids provides a helpline aimed at supporting transgender youth up to and including the age of 19, their families and professionals working with them. Phone: 0808 801 0400 (Open Monday - Friday; 9am - 9pm) Email: [email protected] (https://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk) Abuse helplines (child, sexual, domestic violence): NSPCC Children's charity dedicated to ending child abuse and child cruelty. Phone: 0800 1111 for Childline for children (24-hour helpline) 0808 800 5000 for adults concerned about a child (24-hour helpline) (www.nspcc.org.uk) Refuge Advice on dealing with domestic violence. Phone: 0808 2000 247 (24-hour helpline) (www.refuge.org.uk) Women's Aid Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. Email: [email protected] Live chat: Our hours are Monday to Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-12:00pm. Here Respect Men's advice line The Men’s Advice Line is a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and those supporting them. We offer advice and emotional support to men who experience abuse, and signpost to other vital services that help keep them and their children safe. Call: 0808 8010327 or visit: here Respect phoneline The Respect Phoneline is an anonymous and confidential helpline for men and women who are harming their partners and families. We provide specialist advice and guidance to help people change their behaviours and support for those working with domestic abuse perpetrators. Call: 0808 8024040 or visit: here Honour based abuse/violence, forced marriage and/or female genital mutilation helplines Freedom Charity We aim to empower young people to feel they have the tools and confidence to support each other and have practical ways in which they can help their best friend around the issues of family relationships which can lead to early and forced marriage and dishonour based violence (https://www.freedomcharity.org.uk/) Phone: 0845 607 0133 ; or text "4freedom"to 88802 (24-hour helpline) Halo Project Halo Project Charity is a national project that will support victims of honour-based violence, forced marriages and FGM by providing appropriate advice and support to victims. We will also work with key partners to provide required interventions and advice necessary for the protection and safety of victims. Phone: 01642 683 045 (9am-5pm) (https://www.haloproject.org.uk/) Karma Nirvana Karma Nirvana is an award-winning National charity supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage. Honour crimes are not determined by age, faith, gender or sexuality, we support and work with all victims Phone: 0800 5999 247 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) (https://karmanirvana.org.uk/) Addiction helplines (drugs, alcohol, gambling): Alcoholics Anonymous Phone: 0845 769 7555 (24-hour helpline) (www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk) Gamblers Anonymous Phone: 0330 094 0322 (www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk) Narcotics Anonymous Phone: 0300 999 1212 (daily 10am to midnight) (www.ukna.org) Drugfam Support for families, friends and partners affected by someone else’s addiction to drugs or alcohol. Phone: 0300 888 3853 (https://www.drugfam.co.uk/) Al-Anon UK&Eire We are here for anyone affected by someone else's drinking. Our Helpline is manned by a team of friendly and helpful volunteers who are also members of Al-Anon. They will listen and be happy to answer your questions Phone: 0800 0086 811 (10am-10pm, 365 days a year) Email: [email protected] Alzheimer's helpline: Alzheimer's Society Provides information on dementia, including factsheets and helplines. Phone: 0300 222 1122 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm. Weekends, 10am to 4pm) (www.alzheimers.org.uk) Bereavement helplines: Cruse Bereavement Care Phone: 0808 808 1677 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) Email: [email protected] CruseChat (https://www.cruse.org.uk) Blue Cross for pets If you have lost, or are facing saying goodbye to, a much loved pet and need somebody to talk to, our Pet Bereavement Support Service is here for you every day from 8.30am – 8.30pm Phone: 0800 096 6606 Email: [email protected] The Compassionate Friends The Compassionate Friends is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause Phone: 0345 120 3785 (9:30am - 4:30pm Mon to Fri) Email: [email protected] Crime victims helplines: Rape Crisis To find your local services phone: 0808 802 9999 (daily, 12 to 2.30pm, 7 to 9.30pm) (www.rapecrisis.org.uk) Victim Support Phone: 0808 168 9111 (24-hour helpline) (www.victimsupport.org) Eating disorders helpline: Beat Phone: 0808 801 0677 (adults) or 0808 801 0711 (for under-18s) (www.b-eat.co.uk) Learning disabilities helpline: Mencap Charity working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. Phone: 0808 808 1111 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) (www.mencap.org.uk) Parenting helpline: Family Lives Family Lives offers a confidential and free helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). Please call us on 0808 800 2222 for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. Our helpline service is open 9am-9pm Monday to Friday and 10am-3pm Saturday and Sunday Callers in Wales: If you would like to access this service in Welsh, find out how to request a call back here Callers in Scotland: for callers from Scotland, Children 1st run Parentline Scotland and you may wish to contact them on 08000 28 22 33 Monday to Friday from 9am - 9pm. Online chat: available 1:30pm-5:30pm every weekday excluding bank holidays here Email: [email protected] Online forum: here (https://www.familylives.org.uk/) Relationships helpline: Relate The UK's largest provider of relationship support. (www.relate.org.uk) Mental health resources:
I told my parents I had booked a date for my wedding (after telling them for months I would be planning this soon) and they told me I was a disappointment.
This is a fairly long story (apologies in advance) and yet only a tiny part of all the crap I have had to put up with in my life. If you would like to know more, please let me know as I have a lot I'd like to vent about! So, this is a many-layered heap of toxic crap starting from when I was a young child but here's some background relevant to this story. Firstly, I am the first daughter of a fairly religious Catholic family. I personally do not have any religious views, which has caused some upset with my family in the past. I have seven siblings although only two have the same mother and father as I. I am the first of my siblings to be getting married so I can understand some pomp and ceremony might be anticipated. My mother (CM - Crazy mother) and step-father (SF - Step-Father) have never approved of my OH as he is English and they somehow have it in their heads that he is abusive towards me. In actuality, I have been both physically and emotionally abused by CM and SF since I was a child. They turned me against my very supportive biological father (who made some very questionable choices in his youth) and essentially turned me into an unpaid live-in babysitter to the two children they had when I was 12-14. My daily routine was waking up, taking care of babies, getting ready for and going to school, coming home to make dinner and mind babies, clean up after dinner, then do homework and finally sleep. Understandably, I did not have many (or any) friends. They have also banned OH from entering their house as they believe OH is not a fit match and they do not like how he is more interested in me then he is with them. Also, CM is a compulsive liar and master manipulator, and SF is a recovering alcoholic and gambling addict. And everything SF says is a direct result of CM as she constantly gives him ultimatums to do what she says or she will leave with the kids. When my OH (Other Half) found me six years ago, I was an emotional wreck and was on the verge due to the anxiety and depression caused by my family. He supported me in getting mental help through counsellors and talking to me about my past and my fears. He is likely the only reason I am here today. And we have been through so much together. He took care of me when a car took me off my motorbike, and I became his home nurse after a serious operation left a near foot-long gash across his stomach that needed daily cleaning and dressing (the stitches kept coming out). Almost two years into our relationship, OH asked me to marry him and I said yes. We agreed to save to buy a house together before we paid for a fancy wedding so we have left off the actual marrying part until this year. Now, I would like to point out that I am going to be 30 this year, so I think I may have some notion as to what I'm doing at this point! I have been making comments to and talking to my parents about my desire to get married for the past year and finally got around to booking the date. Because OH and I are not religious in the slightest (another point of contention), we will be having a registry office wedding. Also, because of COVID, I can only have up to 6 guests at the wedding, including our witnesses. OH and I have decided that since our family is spread across the UK and Ireland, we would simply have the registry office wedding be more of a form signing ceremony and then visit all our relatives in their own towns to celebrate afterwards. We decided this was the fairest way to marry as we could not have all the family in attendance so no one should feel resentment that one side was invited and the other was not. Well surprise, surprise. I call CM the day we booked the date (yesterday) and let her know what we have decided on, a summer wedding. When she heard the news she went quiet and sounded very upset with only "oh, okay" as an occasional response. She told me to contact some of my siblings to go to the ceremony. I repeated to her that there would be no big ceremony due to COVID and I would celebrate with people after we signed the forms. After this she did not congratulate me, simply saying okay and hung up. This left me feeling very uneasy. I called all my other relatives to let them know the good and bad news, and everyone was so happy for us and very supportive with regards to the circumstances. a few hours later I decided to contact my SF who I could not reach earlier in the day. As it turns out, CM got to him first. When I told SF my news, he simply said: "I know, CM told me". I had a very odd feeling just then and asked him what the matter was. He told me that he was very upset that OH and I did not go to their house to discuss this first. I told him OH was banned from their house so there was no way for us to go over to discuss this. Even though I am currently in couple's therapy with my mother (at her request - I'll make a separate post about that later) and have tried to talk to my family about OH, which they dismiss, I haven't tried hard enough to resolve the problems CM and SF have with OH. I asked SF what more I could have done, which he had no answer for, and asked could he not just be happy for me. He said no. He then proceeded to say to me the same words he said to me the day I became engaged, "I am so disappointed in you". Thankfully, I was at work and a call just came in so I was able to escape the upsetting conversation with a muttered "I'll talk to you soon". Now, I have another appointment with this couple's counsellor next week and I will be taking the weekend to decide whether or not to completely cut this part of my family from my life. OH has said he does not want to influence my choice but will back up whatever decision I come to. This whole situation feels like the straw that broke the camel's back. All I can think of now is that I'm already checked out and trying to convince myself there may be even one redeeming quality that can help me keep a hold of that side of my family. I was conditioned from a young age to never talk back and to do everything I was asked to do, but I can't do it anymore. I honestly think I should focus on the supportive members of my family, but what do you all think? Thank you for making it this far and I would appreciate all the help you can give. I want to hear the good and the bad, even the ugly! Thank you.
Here I will include a master post of UK mental health helplines/resources, feel free to message me directly if there is anything you would like me to add to this post. Mental health helplines: Shout Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. We can help with urgent issues such as: suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self-harm, bullying and relationship challenges Text Shout to 85258 (https://www.giveusashout.org/) Mental Health Matters Helpline for people with mental health problems, their carers, families and friends. The Team can offer emotional guidance and information and help people who may be feeling low, anxious or stressed or in extreme emotional distress and feel that there is nowhere else to turn. Support is also provided to people caring for another person and finding it difficult to cope. The service is confidential unless it is considered there is a risk to yourself or others. Webchat available 24/7 Phone: click here to find the different numbers for the geographical areas covered Email: [email protected] Supportline We offer confidential emotional support to children, young adults and adults by telephone, email and post. We work with callers to develop healthy, positive coping strategies, an inner feeling of strength and increased self esteem to encourage healing, recovery and moving forward with life. Phone: 01708 765200 (hours variable - ring for details) Email: [email protected] The Silver Line The Silver Line operates the only confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK that's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. We also offer telephone friendship where we match volunteers with older people based on their interests, facilitated group calls, and help to connect people with local services in their area. Phone: 0800 4 70 80 90 Email: [email protected] Breathing Space A confidential phoneline for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16, feeling low, anxious or depressed. Phone: 0800 838587 (weekdays mon-thurs 6pm until 2am. Weekend Friday 6pm-Monday 6am) (https://breathingspace.scot/) C.A.L.L. Mental health helpline Offers emotional support and information/literature on Mental Health and related matters to the people of Wales. Anyone concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend can access the service. C.A.L.L. Helpline offers a confidential listening and support service. Phone: 0800 132 737 or text help to 81066 (https://www.callhelpline.org.uk/) Anxiety UK Charity providing support if you've been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. Phone: 03444 775 774 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm) (www.anxietyuk.org.uk) Bipolar UK A charity helping people living with manic depression or bipolar disorder. Peer support line: Arrange a call back from our Peer Support Line. Book in a call with our chatbot- simply type in 'I would like to speak to someone' and select a date and time that works best for you. Email us: [email protected] (www.bipolaruk.org.uk) Carers UK We provide an expert telephone advice and support service. You can talk to us, no matter where you are in the UK or how complex your query is. We do benefits checks, and advise on financial and practical matters related to caring. Phone: 0808 808 7777 (Mon-Fri 9am until 6pm) Email: [email protected] Online forum: here (https://www.carersuk.org/) Shelter Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support, and legal services England&Scotland phone number: 08088004444 (8am - 8pm on weekdays and 9am - 5pm weekends). (https://www.shelter.org.uk/) Wales phone number: 08000 495495 (9.30am – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday) (https://sheltercymru.org.uk/) For similar housing support in Ireland and NI: Ireland and Northern Ireland CALM CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men aged 15 to 35. Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight) (www.thecalmzone.net) Mind Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm) (www.mind.org.uk) No Panic Voluntary charity offering support for sufferers of panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Offers a course to help overcome your phobia/OCD. Includes a helpline. Phone: 0844 967 4848 (daily, 10am to 10pm) (www.nopanic.org.uk) OCD Action Support for people with OCD. Includes information on treatment and online resources. Phone: 0845 390 6232 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5pm) (www.ocdaction.org.uk) OCD UK A charity run by people with OCD, for people with OCD. Includes facts, news and treatments. Phone: 0845 120 3778 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) (www.ocduk.org) PAPYRUS Young suicide prevention society. Phone: HOPElineUK 0800 068 4141 (Mon to Fri,10am to 5pm & 7 to 10pm. Weekends 2 to 5pm) (www.papyrus-uk.org) Rethink Mental Illness Support and advice for people living with mental illness. Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) (www.rethink.org) Samaritans Confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline) (www.samaritans.org.uk) SANE Emotional support, information and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families and carers. SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (daily, 4.30 to 10.30pm) Textcare: comfort and care via text message, sent when the person needs it most: (http://www.sane.org.uk/textcare) (www.sane.org.uk/supportforum) (www.sane.org.uk/support) YoungMinds Information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals. Phone: Parents' helpline 0808 802 5544 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 4pm) (www.youngminds.org.uk) Veterans Gateway The first point of contact for veterans seeking support. We put veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need – from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more. Phone: 0808 802 1212 Text: 81212 Email: submit here Live chat: here (https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk/) First Person Plural First Person Plural (FPP) specialises in working for and on behalf of all those affected by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and similar complex trauma-related dissociative identity conditions. These similar conditions include type 1 Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS), and a type of Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) which is described as DID-like. Phone: 01902810082 (if we do not pick up leave a message and we will contact you as soon as possible but this might not be for a few days as our office is not staffed everyday) Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DissociationFPP LGBT+ helplines: Switchboard LGBT Switchboard provides a one-stop listening service for LGBT+ people on the phone, by email and through Instant Messaging. Phone: 03003300630 (Open 10:00-22:00 every day) Email: [email protected] MindlineTrans+ MindLine Trans+ is a confidential emotional, mental health support helpline for people who identify as Transgender, Agender, Gender Fluid, Non-binary.. Phone: 03003305468 (Mondays and Fridays from 8pm to midnight.) Mermaids UK Mermaids provides a helpline aimed at supporting transgender youth up to and including the age of 19, their families and professionals working with them. Phone: 0808 801 0400 (Open Monday - Friday; 9am - 9pm) Email: [email protected] (https://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk) Abuse helplines (child, sexual, domestic violence): NSPCC Children's charity dedicated to ending child abuse and child cruelty. Phone: 0800 1111 for Childline for children (24-hour helpline) 0808 800 5000 for adults concerned about a child (24-hour helpline) (www.nspcc.org.uk) Refuge Advice on dealing with domestic violence. Phone: 0808 2000 247 (24-hour helpline) (www.refuge.org.uk) Women's Aid Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. Email: [email protected] Live chat: Our hours are Monday to Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-12:00pm. Here Respect Men's advice line The Men’s Advice Line is a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and those supporting them. We offer advice and emotional support to men who experience abuse, and signpost to other vital services that help keep them and their children safe. Call: 0808 8010327 or visit: here Respect phoneline The Respect Phoneline is an anonymous and confidential helpline for men and women who are harming their partners and families. We provide specialist advice and guidance to help people change their behaviours and support for those working with domestic abuse perpetrators. Call: 0808 8024040 or visit: here Honour based abuse/violence, forced marriage and/or female genital mutilation helplines Freedom Charity We aim to empower young people to feel they have the tools and confidence to support each other and have practical ways in which they can help their best friend around the issues of family relationships which can lead to early and forced marriage and dishonour based violence (https://www.freedomcharity.org.uk/) Phone: 0845 607 0133 ; or text "4freedom"to 88802 (24-hour helpline) Halo Project Halo Project Charity is a national project that will support victims of honour-based violence, forced marriages and FGM by providing appropriate advice and support to victims. We will also work with key partners to provide required interventions and advice necessary for the protection and safety of victims. Phone: 01642 683 045 (9am-5pm) (https://www.haloproject.org.uk/) Karma Nirvana Karma Nirvana is an award-winning National charity supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage. Honour crimes are not determined by age, faith, gender or sexuality, we support and work with all victims Phone: 0800 5999 247 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) (https://karmanirvana.org.uk/) Addiction helplines (drugs, alcohol, gambling): Alcoholics Anonymous Phone: 0845 769 7555 (24-hour helpline) (www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk) Gamblers Anonymous Phone: 0330 094 0322 (www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk) Narcotics Anonymous Phone: 0300 999 1212 (daily 10am to midnight) (www.ukna.org) Drugfam Support for families, friends and partners affected by someone else’s addiction to drugs or alcohol. Phone: 0300 888 3853 (https://www.drugfam.co.uk/) Alzheimer's helpline: Alzheimer's Society Provides information on dementia, including factsheets and helplines. Phone: 0300 222 1122 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm. Weekends, 10am to 4pm) (www.alzheimers.org.uk) Bereavement helplines: Cruse Bereavement Care Phone: 0808 808 1677 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) Email: [email protected] CruseChat (https://www.cruse.org.uk) Blue Cross for pets If you have lost, or are facing saying goodbye to, a much loved pet and need somebody to talk to, our Pet Bereavement Support Service is here for you every day from 8.30am – 8.30pm Phone: 0800 096 6606 Email: [email protected] The Compassionate Friends The Compassionate Friends is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause Phone: 0345 120 3785 (9:30am - 4:30pm Mon to Fri) Email: [email protected] Crime victims helplines: Rape Crisis To find your local services phone: 0808 802 9999 (daily, 12 to 2.30pm, 7 to 9.30pm) (www.rapecrisis.org.uk) Victim Support Phone: 0808 168 9111 (24-hour helpline) (www.victimsupport.org) Eating disorders helpline: Beat Phone: 0808 801 0677 (adults) or 0808 801 0711 (for under-18s) (www.b-eat.co.uk) Learning disabilities helpline: Mencap Charity working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. Phone: 0808 808 1111 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm) (www.mencap.org.uk) Parenting helpline: Family Lives Advice on all aspects of parenting including dealing with bullying. Phone: 0808 800 2222 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 9pm. Sat to Sun, 10am to 3pm) (www.familylives.org.uk) Relationships helpline: Relate The UK's largest provider of relationship support. (www.relate.org.uk) Mental health resources:
We are a gambling support service, with a mission to provide support and education services to address problematic issues caused by gambling. The Founder of Betknowmore UK, Frankie Graham, lived with a gambling addiction for nearly 20 years prior to successful recovery in 2006. Driven by that personal experience and a belief that much, much, more needs to be done in terms of service provision for gambling dependency, Betknowmore UK was launched in 2014. download the free Gambling Therapy app - it’s a collection of strategies to help with gambling addiction If you haven’t been paying your rent or mortgage You should contact your landlord or mortgage lender as soon as possible - it can be tough, but if you ignore their warnings you could lose your home. If you or someone you know has been affected by gambling you can contact the National Gambling Helpline 24 hours a day on 0808 8020133 or visit the GamCare website. Listed below are some of the... Support for anyone affected by gambling problems across Great Britain. GamCare is the leading UK provider of free information, advice and support for anyone affected by gambling harms. Leading gambling addiction services unite to offer more help for those In 2019-2020, the industry raked in more than £14.3billion, according to UK regulator the Gambling Commission. But the regulator believes more than 330,000 adults are 'problem gamblers'. GamCare GamCare offers free information, support and counselling for problem gamblers in the UK. It runs the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) and also offers face-to-face counselling. The National Centre for Behavioural Addictions includes the National Problem Gambling Clinic, (including the Young Persons' Problem Gambling Clinic) and the National Centre for Gaming Disorders. UK gambling addiction much worse than thought, says survey This article is more than 8 months old Research also warns that half of those with a problem are not getting the help they need Although gambling addiction is a serious, destructive order that results from changes in the brain, it doesn’t require a detox program like alcohol or drug addiction treatment. Instead, it can be successfully treated with a combination of different types of therapy, group support and recovery resources. Kelly Field, who lost £70,000 by online gambling, says she hopes ITV's Cleaning Up raises awareness. We support people 16 years and over affected by gambling, either their own or the gambling of a loved one, through 1:1 or group support sessions. As GamCare partner in the Midlands, we provide support, information and advice to anyone suffering with a gambling problem, as well as to family members and friends affected by someone else’s gambling.
The shocking depth of EU fish theft of UK waters - Duration: 8 ... Does Jordan Peterson support Brexit? ... 1 year ago; 5:28. Jordan Peterson on gambling and addiction - Duration: 5 minutes, 28 ... Whatever you do, make sure you stay safe and GAMBLE-FREE during (and after!) isolation. All the best to each and every one of you. Thanks for watching, my name's Phil and I'm a former gambling addict. Close. This video is unavailable. What happens inside the brain of a gambling addict when they make a bet - and can the secret to their addiction be found within the brain itself? BBC Panoram... http://www.younggamblers.org.uk The Young Gamblers Education Trust is the UKs first pioneering youth charity to specifically promote safe gambling among youn... Close. This video is unavailable. Raising awareness of the work of Betknowmore UK. Betknowmore UK is a new social enterprise offering outreach services, support and mentoring to people coping with issues around problematic ... Going to your first Gamblers Anonymous meeting is like the first day at school or a new job. You aren't sure what to expect, so there is a natural and normal sense of anxiety. In this episode, I ... A Victorian Government initiative targeting problem gamblers. In just three months campaign recall was 96% and calls to Gambler's Help had increased by 160%. Need help, Drugs alcohol gambling, contact the rehab or us, betel.uk or caap.org.uk we will support you all the way.
![[UK] - Gambling addict who lost £70,000 calls for more support for women](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/Ro5PAxFnRvggV6fIwMCH1iUrqiiBS6CpSoZif-sY0sI.jpg "[UK] - Gambling addict who lost £70,000 calls for more support for women")
![[UK] - 'Lack of support' for gambling addicts in Wales | BBC](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/EEtBeBlVhNwjrtl5Hux_Partm1wu8Kug5kuwIsEA3iE.jpg "[UK] - 'Lack of support' for gambling addicts in Wales | BBC")
