Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group
Compulsive gambling is an urge or addiction to gamble despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. A preferred term among many professionals is problem gambling, as few people described by the term experience true compulsions in the clinical sense of the word. Problem gambling often is defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others rather...
Good Morning. Its Saint Patricks Day. It will be easy to remember my first day.The first thing that popped into my mind was remorse for having wasted 1700 this month in the casinos that I couldn't afford to waste. I recognized that I have a pattern of thinking that goes like this... I budget out my money for the month and tell myself I can only spend this much on eating out or I can't buy this or that because I can't afford it, but when the urge grips me I don't think twice about wasting $500 in a few hours.! That is insane logic. Does anyone think like that? That is how twisted this gambling addiction mindset in me is and that is what keeps me living on the edge. I don't like living on the edge.
we dont view money as money, until we need it for bills, its a form of transaction for us to get our high
its like a tide that will be calm, and then the urges will come, and if you can get past the breakers, you'll be ok, you're going to have to stay away for 30 days or more just to start thinking correctly, maybe banning yourself, will help
remember - there is NO cure, only stopping, and learning to live differently
I cannot speak for everyone, but my mind was thinking like that when I was actively gambling. I had many day ones. This time I hit such a rude, painful bottom because of my gambling that it was a living hell. Getting myself to treatment and changing some of my false beliefs about gambling was essential. I also quit smoking cigarettes, one week before I quit gambling. (Smoked for 41 years.)
I had false beliefs about cigarettes too. (Like they relief stress.)
I thought that I could get ahead by gambling - had to throw that belief out.
It is a form of insanity. Over and over I would repeat the pattern you described, feel relatively good while gambling, go home defeated, broke and cursing myself.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior over and over expecting a different outcome.
Yes, many of us thought like that, you are not alone. You have conquered the biggest hurdle of deciding you want to quit.
Once you get 90 days or so of abstinence, the dopamine and serotonin levels in your system begin to get back to normal and it gets easier to abstain.
Read what others do, take advantage of every tool available to you. Do everything you can to keep from going back to gambling. You have to want to be abstinent with your whole heart and soul. (Like a dog wants bacon - you have to want it and work for it .)
Sadly, there is not magic wand method, as I was hoping for when I first sought help for this insidious addiction.