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...

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Rainietoo 04/02/2014

I have been dealing with a great many stressful things in my life lately. I will not lie to you, I have thought about gambling. I have thought about it a lot. Rather than beat myself up for thinking about gambling though, I choose to celebrate my success in NOT gambling. It would have been so easy to take a trip up to the casino. I have been alone a lot lately so nobody would have known. But, I would have known. Today that is important to me. I don't want to let myself down. I find it is in the trials in life that we grown and mature. We are can overcome and celebrate our choices today. I hope you are able to celebrate today as well.

thenewway 04/02/2014

so great Rainietoo,
you can recognize an urge as what it is,
just an old fashioned love song ,
trying to get you back there.
You know it wasn't good and feel the satisfaction of making
the right choice.
I too must remember that isolation, boredom and loneliness
are BIG promoters to gambling.

Keep coming here
Maybe take the time to journal and write what you've
learned right now.

I am celebrating being GFand happy you
are with us.

stopat56 04/02/2014

it's amazing how much better we feel when we stop denying the truth of our addiction. it's real, and you are showing great strength in your post. the honesty is great to witness. I like what you said: you don't want to let yourself down. and that is who we were hurting the most with gambling: ourselves. yes, some family members, but we really were not living the best life.........................celebrate your choices today...

Cherbear2012 04/02/2014

Good job Rainie! I have the stress thing going on in my life too. It's so hard to cope without the old "zone out place" but we both know in the long run it will not help. I also find it harder when I am alone. I let myself down so often it became a secret I lived with. It wasn't until I really let go that I started to make progress towards recovery. Gambling to relieve stress was a really bad way to find relief. It was a little relief with so much pain to follow. It's so not worth it. We all know that now. At Al-Anon they talk about letting go. Like they say in the serenity prayer. I have been trying to do that more lately with the things I cannot change and it actually does work. I feel much better accepting that I can't change some things and people. I hope you make it a great GF day! Hugs! Cher

strangeseraphim 04/02/2014

Good for you Rainie.
I am so glad you have not succumbed to the temptation.
I hope you can find some nice ways to spoil yourself and do some self care- maybe a massage or a visit to the spa.
I am trying to do more things like that for myself and find I am delighting in having the money to do so which makes not gambling much more pleasurable.
Thank you for sharing your process with us. For me it's when I am lonely/bored.

legolady 04/02/2014

So proud of you for not giving into the disease! **Virtual hug**

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