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 had dinner with a friend recently. She had no idea that I am in gambling addiction recovery, or that I ever had an addiction, but the subject of a mutual friend who is an alcoholic came up.
"He got that way because he was socially isolated," she said. "People get addictions when they feel cut-off from the environments."
This resonated with me, for some reason. But I don't know if I am necessarily wired to be a social person. Parties and large gatherings wear me out after a few hours. I prefer the company of just one other person to groups or cliques. I also enjoy being alone.
Where I really come alive is work. I own a business and it's like I'm this brazen, confident, boom-boom-boom get it done kind-of powerhouse in this element. I love it. It's my calling and my reason for being alive, I believe, running successful businesses and teaching others eventually how to do the same.
But if I don't have enough socialization, or cut myself off from my environment too much, as she said, is this going to mean I'll continue to get addictions to things? I'm confused. I was wondering what your experiences were.
"He got that way because he was socially isolated," she said. "People get addictions when they feel cut-off from the environments."
This resonated with me, for some reason. But I don't know if I am necessarily wired to be a social person. Parties and large gatherings wear me out after a few hours. I prefer the company of just one other person to groups or cliques. I also enjoy being alone.
Where I really come alive is work. I own a business and it's like I'm this brazen, confident, boom-boom-boom get it done kind-of powerhouse in this element. I love it. It's my calling and my reason for being alive, I believe, running successful businesses and teaching others eventually how to do the same.
But if I don't have enough socialization, or cut myself off from my environment too much, as she said, is this going to mean I'll continue to get addictions to things? I'm confused. I was wondering what your experiences were.
At my age I have lost many that I cared about along the way. I work now to express to the friends I have left, how much I appreciate them. An 80 year old once told me that as you age, you must make younger friends or you will run out when you are his age. I am an extrovert though and we are all different.
I do need to feel connected to others and connected to the Earth and connected to the Universe (my higher power).
I believe there are many roads that lead to addiction, grief, abuse, pain, mental illness, boredom, family of origin issues, self hatred among them. I also think that isolation may not be so much the reason for the addiction as a symptom of addiction. Childhood abuse is common across all kinds of addiction. Many folks don't realize until they go to treatment for addiction that their spouse and/or parents have been mentally/emotionally abusing them for years. I have kicked unsupportive, negative, unkind people out of life a few times as I wondered why did I ever want to put up with that.
Going from one addiction to another as is usually a sign that you have some issues you still need to deal with.(My 40 years of addictions was drugs, then alcohol, then more drugs, then gambling. Still cigarettes, sigh.) Knowing that addiction can be just as bad if it is exercise, TV, food or work makes me know I need some vigilance. But to do good preventative maintenance I have to meet all my needs, physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and the need for variety. I am not good at it yet, but I can see the path to improvement.
That was a few years ago, and I am still listening to problems and it is not like it was. I am thankful to find the caring me again.
It is crazy how a room full of people made me feel all alone and I liked it.
Last year my husband asked me what I liked about going to the casino and I said, "I like being alone. I like not listening to anyone talk to me. I like not caring." I would make sure no one would talk to me, by clearly putting off in my body language, "Don't talk to me."
I looked around at all the sad people and I was one of them. There are still times I want to isolate myself, but it is much better. There are time I want to go to the casino too.