Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group

There's a slogan that you'll see on the wall at most AA meetings........."Think, Think, Think"

"What does this mean?" I wondered....... it was explained to me this way........ Think about how it was, Think about what happened, Think about how it is now.

I can remember so easily how it was........... when I was still caught up in the madnes......the pain, the anguish, the self-loathing, the regret, the harm to myself and to others....... the hopelessness of it all......I felt like it was never gonna get better, I felt doomed.

I can remember what happened.......... hitting bottom, reaching out for help, being told that there was indeed a solution, hearing how I also could make the changes that others had made and how I too could find recovery. I recall being told to stop stop wishing and hoping and crying and waiting for someone else to fix it for me. I recall being told to get off the pity pot and get to work on my own recovery. Yep, I remember how it took a lot of time, how I sometimes slipped backward, how some of the lessons were kinda painful sometimes........ but I also recall how good it felt when I achieved that first week gamble free, that first month, first year...... I recall how the freedom of getting clear of my addiction enabled me to move forward in other areas of my life, I recall learning about new things......things like gratitude, acceptance, tolerance, courage, personal responsibility, generousity; things I now realize I knew very little about.

And how it is now........WOW!!! Recovery saved my life, let me become more like the person I'd always wished I could be. Recovery broke down my self imposed barriers to change and spiritual growth. Today, I no longer need to feed my addictions in order to deal with the things that occur in my daily life. Today, I've got a home, a job, a few bucks in savings, my bills paid, good friends, a loving family.......today, I can sleep peacefully....... I can, today, face the guy looking back at me from the mirror and be satisfied that, although not perfect, I'm doing the best I can with the tools I've got to work with.

Do I ever think that perhaps gambling might be a good idea? Do I ever find myself living that old fantasy of how it's gonna be when I hit my "Big Jackpot"?......... Of course I do, I'm a compulsive gambler.It's only natural that that I'd think about gambling, that's what gamblers do, we gamble and when we're not gambling compulsively we obsess about gambling........same as I think occasionally about possibilities of drinking or drugging because I'm an alcoholic and an addict. Gambling is always a possibility for me, my disease is arrested, never cured.......... So what can I do about it? .....Simple, Think, Think, Think.............Just for today, I'm finished with gambling.

THINK----THINK----THINK

Hi - I really, really, really have zero desire to gamble, I'm grateful for that. But I sure understand how you feel, too. It seems to me that the longer one stays away from the casinos, the easier it gets, and the better life can be...it's a one day at a time thing. Just for today, I will not gamble.

I sure hope one day I feel the same way. Thanks.

Yes I want to but deep down I want to be able to go. It has become my best friend a friend you have a love hate relationship with.

After almost 21 months gamble-free, I still feel the pull from time to time. The difference is...the pull is weak, and all I have to do is remember how bad a place I was in from gambling, and to honestly realize that if I started gambling, I would be lost again for who knows how long. The next time...I might lose everything I've worked to accomplish since quitting, I might sink so low, the devastation could go so much deeper.

Remembering those things....the "urge" fades and I turn back to the positive things in life.

Life has become so much better. With gambling, there is no hope for the future...it is a long slide into the abyss....

Without gambling, hope is there. Strength is there. Recovery is there. Life can get better. My life has gotten much, much better for me. Even though the "monster" rattles the bars of his cage at times, I will not listen.

Just for today, I will not gamble....and that is all it takes!

My Pastor once referred to gambling as the poor man's luxury tax.

Just knowing that little tidbit.....makes one really think....am I TRULY that stupid?

I think it is like child birth. We Romanticize the event, and forget the pain.

I really wanted to stop gambling for a long, long time, but like you I was wavering all the time. Eventually after eviction, no food, no phone, no friends or family...the casino has lots its charm and charisma.
I only have a short amount of time gamble free but I can tell you that paying my rent, on time...going grocery shopping, paying my bills, and having my family and friends come visit is a dream come true.
They may all sound boring, but if you haven't had boredom for a lifetime, it is welcome...and it is no longer boring, it is freedom and a gift I have given to myself.
Spend some time in a few GA meetings and keep coming here. When you hear about all the other lives that are like train wrecks from gambling that casino loses its appeal.
Blessings

I still have the urges to go, but am SO thankful I have been able to fight those urges for over a year now. Sometimes I feel like "normal" life is somewhat boring without the thrill of the casino, the adrenaline rush etc., but I know that the pain/damage gambling has caused in my life is something I never want to experience again.

I have come to understand that the urges are something I will probably always have to deal with but thankfully I have started to realize what my "triggers" are, such as work-related stress, arguments with my significant other, etc. Now that I have started to recognize what makes me want to gamble, I have tried to find better ways to cope with those things that make me want to run to the casino. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I still want to go just to go, but I know that I can't risk putting myself in a bad position again.

Stay strong and keep fighting those urges. I now realize that a "boring" or "normal" life is so much better than a life filled with anxiety, pain, guilt... not to mention the huge financial and relationship damage gambling can and usually will cause. It's just not worth it. Thank goodness I finally convinced myself!

Hi Rsmutton.
'When I 'was wanting to quit..I could not visualize not ever gambling again.
When I 'was new to stopping ' , again I 'was plagued with the same thinking of 'can I do this and 'Never gamble again?.
'When I fell , got up ,, fell got up .. fell got up.. Then 'and only then did I realize .. I can't ever place a bet 'again without ''feeling or going Crazy in the head.
ON that 'Day "I gave up thinking 'come a day I can 'gamble again.
Today I can honestly say I don't want to gamble 'Again.
The Casinos''. Bingo Halls. ticket Kiosks , Lotteries..Race tracks..the list could go on ..
I can go.. I have that 'choice..But Today I am ''FREE''.. of the bondage of obsession.
The Cycle is over by not 'betting'.
Be well Sandra gams5..