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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JohnnyZ36 01/27/2013

Hi my name is John and i am new to this site. seems like a really amazing site. i literally stayed up til 6am reading discussions the first day i discovered site. it was like i was reading my life story! i live near 3 casinos 2 of them are right across bridge in canada the other is about 5 minutes away from me. brief summary of life of gambling...or should i say nightmare! first casino opened in canada when i was 19 started losing there. at the time i figured i was young and it was just a phase... fast forward 17 yrs and the losing is as bad as ever. actually did quit gambling for a few yrs due to the fact it was a hassle to cross border. 2 nd casino opened in canada didnt really tempt me. then 10 yrs ago the nightmare restarted full force. N.Y state legalized an indian casino 5 minutes from where i live . no borders to cross free alcohol til 4am. bars and stores here stop serving alcohol at 2am. convenient the casino figures the more you drink the more you will lose. the casino has every angle plotted out to maximize extracting all your $. they even let you withdraw your bank account over your daily limit... not even sure how they can get away with that! so now to my current situation lost 1500$ a few days ago . thought i was gona quit after losing 3500$ on christmas eve.....of all days... so sick i coudnt even eat dinner and a couple weeks before that i lost 2000$ needless to say bank account is cleared out and i feeling like an idiot i usually dont leave casino til all my $ is gone i have left that place feeling as low as humanly possible 100s of times but still go back. i realy think with the help of this site i can beat this demon i look forward to checking in everyday thanks to all and god bless!

atticus63 01/27/2013

Welcome Johnny, If you have been reading the back posts you know that your story is actually not uncommon. Perhaps the amounts are different, but we, as compulsive gamblers, have the inability to stop once we start. You are amongst friends and peers. You will find no judgement here, just people willing to share their stories, and their experience, strength and hope.
I commend you on making the decision to change your life. I can only talk of my own experience, but I would definitely seek out a GA meeting. GA has helped me a lot. Some people have other methods, and I just want you to do what's right for you. Please do share as often as you wish. It is a wonderful group of people, whom I feel blessed to call friends. Welcome, friend. Hugs, ~atticus

deleted_user 01/27/2013

Welcome Johnny.. hey, you're not alone and you're not unique.. many folks here are in the same boat as you.
Please keep coming back, this is a great site to gain some inspiration and support from.
Stay away from the casino:-)

Vicky39 01/27/2013

Welcome Johnny! We all compulsive gamblers here in a different stages of recovery, who will always offer you understanding and support you need. Stay determined, positive, keep it simple, take one step at a time, share with us often, please, and believe in yourself! We all been there and we are here for you.
Vicky.

cathyio 01/27/2013

im 46 years old with 6 kids and a puppy. I have 6 weeks clean today wahoo!!! i owe the booky thousands and played blackjack. IM DONE OF BEING IN HELL!! goog luck to u

jmnewco 01/27/2013

Good morning Johnny, I had the exact same first day with this site. I staed up for 3-4 hours past what I usually stay up until and just kept reading post after post. I am on day 5 of no gambling and having urges today, but if you come on here when you have an urge. there are great people to help you!!! stay strong and we are here if you need us!

JohnnyZ36 01/27/2013

thanks to all for responding it means alot that we all are in this together! i look forward to coresponding with everyone thanks again !

lisadawnb 01/27/2013

Welcome Johnny. I am fairly new here too. I am so thankful that I can come here and be real about how I feel. Everyone here understands how you feel because we are all trying to pin these demons to the ground. Lisa GF Day 7!!

tagg20 01/27/2013

Johnny, good for you on your decision to put an end to the nightmare. As so many have already said, we know and completely understand your plight. It is fantastic that you took time to read through a lot of posts, because by doing so, It makes you realize that you ARE NOT alone.

I think we all wish we could gamble like the other 97.5%of the casino goers, but unfortunately we cannot, because despite the amount we win or lose, it never seems to be enough for us.

You've come to a great place, and we welcome you to our family. Looking forward to your participation ....sharing is caring, and that's what we do best around here.

Be well, stay strong, and God Bless!

Tagg

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