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...
I have an addiction to lottery tickets, have had
for quite a while. I used to do it off and on for what I believed to be financial need. To make a long story short it got out of hand when I
won alot of money back in 2007 and I called the gamblers hotline, wow what a real joke that was, the person I spoke to really knew nothing about gambling but they made me an appt for the one time counseling session, that to was absolutely a waste of time, so I decided to do it myself and just do what I could to just stop and did that for about 9 months, not even one ticket. Then I bought a couple here and there, well started out ok but now it is out of hand again. I keep buying them in hopes of winning "some" of the wasted money back. Here's the biggest problem besides buying the tickets, I don't have a job and haven't been able to work for a few years because I have some inner ear problems and I deal with vertigo and balance problems sometimes it seems like all I can do is go buy tickets, which is sad and depressing, but my Husband of course is a workaholic, he works all the time and he's gone alot, we do not have the money to throw away at all but in all my wisdom, I think I can win enough to replace what I have spent. I pray and pray to get that wasted money back, because my husband seems to want the money back, reality it's not coming back, but God knows I try everyday. My husband
yells at me all the time and honestly it makes it worse. We fight constantly and it is a tough situation. I want to stop and I have tried many times in the past few months about 7 or 8 now and I think I would be alright about it if I could get my Husband to just not make me feel obligated to get the money back. It isn't his fault at all that I buy them, that is my own, sometimes out of boredom, sometimes the wasted money keeps me going back. I love my husband, my Daughters and my 4 Grandchildren, they all mean the world to me and I am alone alot because of how my husband works and my Daughters live a few hours away. I would appreciate any suggestions, or words of wisdom about this, because nobody really understands unless they have been through it. thanks
for quite a while. I used to do it off and on for what I believed to be financial need. To make a long story short it got out of hand when I
won alot of money back in 2007 and I called the gamblers hotline, wow what a real joke that was, the person I spoke to really knew nothing about gambling but they made me an appt for the one time counseling session, that to was absolutely a waste of time, so I decided to do it myself and just do what I could to just stop and did that for about 9 months, not even one ticket. Then I bought a couple here and there, well started out ok but now it is out of hand again. I keep buying them in hopes of winning "some" of the wasted money back. Here's the biggest problem besides buying the tickets, I don't have a job and haven't been able to work for a few years because I have some inner ear problems and I deal with vertigo and balance problems sometimes it seems like all I can do is go buy tickets, which is sad and depressing, but my Husband of course is a workaholic, he works all the time and he's gone alot, we do not have the money to throw away at all but in all my wisdom, I think I can win enough to replace what I have spent. I pray and pray to get that wasted money back, because my husband seems to want the money back, reality it's not coming back, but God knows I try everyday. My husband
yells at me all the time and honestly it makes it worse. We fight constantly and it is a tough situation. I want to stop and I have tried many times in the past few months about 7 or 8 now and I think I would be alright about it if I could get my Husband to just not make me feel obligated to get the money back. It isn't his fault at all that I buy them, that is my own, sometimes out of boredom, sometimes the wasted money keeps me going back. I love my husband, my Daughters and my 4 Grandchildren, they all mean the world to me and I am alone alot because of how my husband works and my Daughters live a few hours away. I would appreciate any suggestions, or words of wisdom about this, because nobody really understands unless they have been through it. thanks
I know that seems like an obvious first step, and it is. It's actually very simple, no more gambling. Around here we talk about taking things one day at a time, just for today, I will not gamble. For some reason adhering to the concept of "one day at a time" makes stopping a whole lot more manageable. Simple advise, but it does take some hard, honest work. I understand how you feel about your husband making you feel obligated to get the money back, perhaps that day will come when you can replace the money in some other way than "winning" it. But that isn't step #1, step #1 is to get tough on yourself and do what it takes to stop the madness that this compulsive behavior has brought into your life. One day at a time, just for today, I will not gamble. Days begin to string together, and life begins to take on a new meaning. Tell yourself you're done, that you cannot win it back. It's not about the money anymore. This is an truly horrible addiction that can lead to insanity, prison, and even death. There is no cure, but by stopping we can all lead much, much better existences. I guess you could say it's the single most important treatment, if you are addicted to gambling, you must stop doing it, before anything better can happen. Maybe your husband will notice when you stop, maybe not right off, but he's bound to see a peek at a different you, paying back the money is important, but step #1is stop. Read on, it can be done, and thanks for sharing, I hope to hear more from you :)
Thanks again !!
Let the losses go. Start thinking, today - I will not gamble. You deserve a better life. It gets better with every gamble free day that passes.
I don't think I will ever be "cured" but that I'll have to fight this battle one day at a time for the rest of my life.
This site and the people here have been a Godsend.
You can beat this thing.