Addiction To Calling & Financially Crippling Phone Bills

It's always a gamble.

One of your favorite "Babes" is onscreen and you're trying to gauge whether or not she's still on a call, because the moment it appears they've hung up, you're going to dial and hope that you don't end up stuck in a queue.

It feels as though the automated voice is intentionally reading out the T's & C's excruciatingly slowly on purpose and you're looking at the Babe, dreading that she'll greet someone else before the automated voice announces, "You've made it..."

Because of that 4 second broadcast delay, you may even get as far as "Sorry, your chosen babe is on another call..." just as your Babe greets someone and it's quite the gut-punch when you've gotten your hopes up having thought you'd, indeed, made it.

Then you have the dilemma of taking another gamble, either holding on in the vain hope that the caller is only on the line for a minute or so and then you're through to her quite quickly, or potentially waste between £2 and £40, (plus network charges) while eavesdropping.
It's especially disappointing when said caller hangs up & you sigh in relief that you're next, only to then be informed that "Please wait, another caller is coming through..." and you realise you could well be the last in a long line of Fernanda admirers who are simultaneously going through this same, almost agonising, experience.

"What the f**k am I doing?!" is something I'll regularly ask myself and even when I get through first attempt, I will often hang up mid-conversation.
Partly due to the ever present dread of my next, king-sized, phone bill and also the sad feeling of having resorted to calling a beautiful phone-in-show lady, rather than having anything resembling romance in my actual real life.

I can only speak for myself, of course. People call for their own varied reasons. I certainly don't have room to judge anyone else. (and yes, I admit that many a time, I've called with the express intension of a naughty chat - because no love life has meant no sex life either.)

I do believe, having recently attempted to go cold turkey, that I am addicted to the process of calling.
It's literally gambling my hard earned wages away.
There's no one to blame but myself, obviously.

However, my EE monthy phone bill, restarts on the 9th of the month and I am pleased to share that I have only made one phone call on the 11th of December, (ironically to break the news to my favorite Babe that I can no longer afford £2 a minute calls) This phone call, and the initial failed attempt to get through, amounted to £36 of extra call charges.
EE take the cash from my account on the 17th of the month and so, providing I can resist the enticement of flirty/naughty fun with the beautiful, funny and intelligent, Gemma Jane, and/or Hannah Claydon, then paying off this £36 ought to be the book end to 10 years of blowing anywhere between £100 and £200 a month - and that's with having ALWAYS tried to limit the amount of calling I do.

One of the best things I've ever done is download the EE phone bill app and actually seeing how much money I wasted, rather than burying my head in the sand, has been a huge help.

I don't do drugs, rarely ever drink and never play the slot machines, but I do class myself as an addict.
Maybe one day, I'll attend an AA meeting and say, "Hands up who's ever called Fernanda Ferarri?"
Would there be a show of hands?
I'd wager yes, if this weren't such a taboo subject, even in an AA meeting.

I must say, Paul, I am - in equal parts - full of admiration, and full of contempt - at your post.

I give you a hearty pat on the back for admitting you spend these kind of large sums of money on calling - or rather, for admitting you have/had a problem with calling. It would be easy for some people to mock you for what you admit is something based on your loneliness/lack of a love life, but it's encouraging to see you seem to have shaken this monkey off your back. Although, I will say, for that money you may as well have visited a hooker - really get your money's worth!

Now, as I said earlier, I do have a feeling of contempt about this - but it ISN'T aimed at you. Rather it's targeted at the babe channels day shows, and their crass, exploitative narrative of 'we're here if people feel alone and want to chat'. The notion that these channels provide a service to those seeking company - of sorts - and are willing to fill a void in people's lives is tacky, insincere, and so duplicitous it's borderline dangerous.

If these 'goodly, saintly, thoughtful' 'babes' wanted to GENUINELY help lives they'd volunteer at soup kitchens or man hotlines for the depressed - but then, obviously, they wouldn't get their ludicrous, gawdy lifestyles paid for so handsomely. So, please, ladies, stop with the Mother Teresa routine - you don't genuinely care about ANY of your callers. You couldn't give a fuck if someone is truly suffering or alone. You care about the money you pocket, the freebies you can scrounge, and all the money on the sde you can connive from gullible, vulnerable guys that are made to THINK you care.

So, Paul, I wish you continued good luck on your battle with calling, and to any guy/girl that feels lonely and tempted to call for help or some such - DON'T. Call someone else - people that don't expect you to pay for the latest Louis Vuitton bag or newest pair of Manolo's. People whose job is to offer genuine help - NOT some nauseting, unprincipled, fake human being that is willfully deceitful SIMPLY for personal gain - not because they want to 'be there' for someone. You guys deserve better.

i think any 1 thats called the shows has felt the same at some point if they did/do it regularly. so i feel for you and your wallet.
the only way i found to get outta that hole is talk to some 1 in real life.
AA may not be the best place to go though as they are dealing with alcohol and drugs so will likely not be able to offer the support you need for your addiction.
if you feel its getting to the point its beyond your control or will to just not call, then speak to your doctor he may be able to put you in touch with a group for sex addiction and 1 for gambling.
(gambling because every time you call theres a rush of will i or wont i get through... take a chance)
i know that sounds like an extreme step but at least the people running them and the people involved in the groups will have something in common with you.
if you feel thats to much of a step then a relationship with a girl you can and want to talk to, is likely the next best option.

what ever the solution is for you, if you think you have an issue and your admitting it to yourself then its time to go talk to some 1 about it. so good luck mate.

There was a time when i would regularly spend between £200 and £300 a month on calling the babe channels, especially the night shows and although i would not have considered myself to have been addicted it could quite easily have gone that way. However a change of shift pattern meant i ended up working nights so that restricted my chances to call the girls and i soon realised there were far better things to be spending my money on. I did occasionally call the day shows, mainly when Kate Darcy was on but when she left i more or less stopped calling the channels. As Robot Devil has said for the sort of money people are spending on a bunch of women, the majority of whom probably could not give a shit about their callers you could easily pay for a high quality escort. There are some amazing women available on adultwork, easily comparable to some of those on the babe channels and you really would have something to remember at the end of the evening.

I used to work in a casino so i have seen first hand just how devastating an addiction can be, but the first step is recognising you have a problem and getting help. Once you take the first step it will gradually get easier and the difference it makes will be noticeable and rewarding.

I absolutely love the majority of presenters that have worked on the channels since they were created but the way they manipulate us to finance their careers is almost abhorrent.

Paying to interact with them and purchase their content during a one year period can easily spiral into over a thousand pounds.

Most of us don't have that type of disposable income and they love to guilt trip us into not being freeloaders.

I hope all of us can find a balance between paying for the stuff we like from the hosts we love without ruining our finances.

And if the presenters can't deal with that then they should sell their soul to a Sheik in Dubai for a pair of Loubs.

Thanks Ducky for creating this thread and I hope you eventually find all the love and support you need, you're a top bloke.

This is a great thread.

Fair play to the board moderators for allowing open discussion of this aspect of contacting those TV channels.

^Sorry but no one forced me to call or im sure forced Ducky to call. i blame the channels as much i blame Jack Daniels for fucking up my liver

I did have a problem with to many calls but not now maybe have one or 2 a month but sometimes can go up to a month or 3 without calling. I never call night shows now

these are my tips

1 Never have a contract phone or use credit cards !! to easy to go fuck it i want to call and i will figure out how to pay the bill later.

have one bank account with all of your household expenses and bills in and then if your struggling withdraw all the rest of your money in cash or a savings account where you can't have online access. hard to get topups or use debit card if you have no money in the account

Never watched the channels pissed number of times had a few too many and suddenly get horny and then on the phone

If you have a favorite girl who has a clips store then purhase a clip and then when you get the urge to call just watch it and have a wank and the urge to call usally goes

have an aim to spend the money you save on a little treat if you can afford it. i used all the money i save to build a new pc or get PS4 Games. think about what you want next time you wanna call your fave girl a quick 10 mins maybe not getting thru or this new thing you want

these helped me although i did fall of the wagon the other day and had Jess Lloyd and Dani Maye the other day within 2 hours but only human so didnt beat myself up about it

Very open discussions. I haven’t ever called a babe and the main reason for that is the financial side of it. If you phone regularly, daily or weekly it would add up over time and that’s not sustainable. Plus there’s the whole argument of more don’t give a shit and see £ notes than actually care. If I’ve gone this far without doing I’m not now. Not just calling there’s cams and pervcam to pay for as well, which I haven’t done have considered but that’s extortion in some cases. Basically the channels and the babes for on my view are trying to create a situation where we’re basically just sugar daddies who don’t get the sugar!!!!

Open yourself a savings account and stick the money you'd normally spend on calls in every month.... As it mounts up the temptation to go back to your old ways will disappear quickly.
After a year, give yourself a treat. Holiday, new TV or whatever you fancy but spend it on yourself!

Also, if your give EE Customer Services a ring you should be able to get Premium Rate numbers blocked on your account.

Thanks HannahsPet for that post.

Those are great tips.