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...
It has been 20 days! I am looking into attending a gamblers anonymous meeting in my area. I am also going to start attending CODA meetings (co-dependents anonymous). I am going through a difficult period right now (due to other personal problems) and have been dealing with it by withdrawing and watching youtube videos all day. Usually, that is when I start up the slot machine online gambling, but I haven't done so in 20 days. For me, this is a big step. I notice that when I engaged in my job, I don't have an urge to gamble. I had a job for 2 months and gambling didn't cross my mind. It wasn't until 2 months later when I was let go that I went back to gambling. I am not saying working will fix the gambling problem completely, but it does help. Hopefully, I will get a stable job soon. In the meantime, my goal is to attend support groups and social activities to keep me engaged. It is difficult since I have a child with autism and have to be home a good portion of the day, but that's another support group...
I made it 1 year, 5 months, and then I stumbled backwards with an out-of-state gambling trip. I'm now 1.5 months clean of gambling.
It's hard sometimes, but I'm turning back to what worked for me before: Trying a lot of different things that seem like they might be fun or enjoyable, and staying curious and open-minded.