Thank You Flyorra for sharing your thoughts with us and congratulations on 3 months GF! I am so proud of you! I remember when you first got here and you were so desperate to stop. Now you are reaching out to help others. That is what it is all about isn't it? You have crawled out of the pit and you are reaching your hands back in to try to pull others out with you. Thank you again for sharing your ideas about erradicating gambling. It helps so much to think of it that way! Any and all ideas help us. Each person brings something to this DS group and eventually one of those things will click for someone. You may have saved a life along with your own! Love & Hugs! Cherbear

flyorra, you have hit the nail on the head, it IS more than just semantics, quitting vs. eradicating.
It's interesting that you bring up eradicating cancer. So many times addiction is compared to cancer as a disease. I have a friend who was diagnosed with ALS ( Lou Gehrig's disease) shortly after I recognized that I HAD to stop gambling.ALS has NO cure. No hope for a cure. No remission. Certain death within a matter of a couple of years. (Stephen Hawking is an extremely rare exception to the rule). Having this friend, who has small children, a wonderful life, a loving and supportive wife, fall victim to this disease was the ultimate reality check.
I wrote down at the time "If the doctors told Dave that all he needed to do to beat this disease was to never step foot into a casino again, would he do it? That he would be able to stay out of a wheelchair, not have to use a ventilator, not have a feeding tube, be able to see his children and his grandchildren grow up, dance at their weddings, but he cannot ever gamble in order for that to happen, would he have done it? OF COURSE he would.
And yet I was risking everything in my life, my relationships, my home,my mental and physical health, by trekking to the casino and mindlessly going from machine to machine feeding them our bill money and my sanity.
So I decided to ERADICATE gambling from my life too. Listened to "Live like you were dying" by Tim McGraw every day. Resolved to grab each day by the balls. Made a silent promise to Dave that I would not dishonor or disrespect him by choosing to die while he was fighting to live. That was my first step in accountability, being accountable to a dying man who has no idea I ever had a gambling problem.
So yes, ERADICATE that compulsive beast that ruled our lives. Beat the living daylights out of it, learn to HATE it, see clearly what it has done to our lives and banish it. Imagine an immobile life gasping for air and losing your ability to swallow, and know that all we need to survive and thrive is to stay away from gambling. Because a slow death of some kind, the loss of a quality life, is the ultimate consequence of unchecked compulsive gambling.
ERADICATE!!! ERADICATE!!! ERADICATE!!!

Hi flyorra good post. I think you almost have to completely erradicate gambling and the thought of out of your mind to succeed. Im trying to think back to my life before gambling..even though it was so long ago. Trying to get back to when life was exciting without gambling. Almost like a kid trying to ride a bike for the first time. Very good post ahead of me resolved2succeed . sorry to hear about your friend. That is so true that compulsive gambling is not a terminal illness. lets be thankful we still have the option to erradicate. love and hugs Johnny

My gambling started as a 6 year old left in the car with what I thought were numbers for horse races coming up and I was told to see if they win. They were probably not live tickets but with the reassurance that I was doing a good job I continued listening to the races trying to do a good job. On a regular basis this happened and later in my teens I was left outside slot machine rooms listening to the music of win pays and the sounds of losing. I am now still at home living with my parents at the age of 46 seriously listening right now to my drunk 74 year old father throwing up in the toilet. I only checked to see if he was dying which he was not and returned to write this. Now I feel a deep sadness for I had not the parents that could inspire me, I have been crushed under the weight of neglect. However I have an intelligent 7 year old boy who I take ice skating, judo, and God is great for the love I feel with him makes up for everything I never had and for what was taken away from me, also his mother is thrifty with her finances so his future is secure. The moral to the story is to take what you have that is good and build upon it, and thank God every night for the good things and go to sleep in peace.

Johnny, from my personal experience it took a while to have the ability to experience joy again after I eradicated gambling from my life. I went through withdrawal, had physical symptoms, could actually FEEL my brain crave the rush of the bet. I was a slot player, and I found my fingers pushing an invisible button on the kitchen table! Crazy, huh? But slowly, the world came back in focus, and I became *present* in it. For me, "fake it till you make it" worked. You had written in a previous post that you were ready for sky-diving. Go for it! Get that adrenaline pumping, those endorphins and dopamine flowing. Seek a thrill that won't break either your spirit OR your bank account!
Jamescu,
You were indoctrinated into this lifestyle at an early age, and that really sucks. But you are so ready for a change, it's obvious from your posts. And your son is fortunate to have a dad who is ready to break the cycle. You've made a promise to yourself that HE will never have to watch his father slowly destroy himself. You said your son's mom is thrifty with her finances, add yourself to the equation. You can be that dad to your son that you never had, the one he can count on. I had a reality check with my friend's illness. Yours is the look of trust in your son's eyes and the knowledge that you can start building your legacy right now. I have so much respect for you that you are starting this process while your son is still so young, his memories of his dad will be those you are creating right now.

Thanks resolved, It is my sons trust and love in his eyes that gives me strength and I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to find peace in the role as a father.

Hi Flyorra,

You're right...erradicating gambling from my life has helped me STAY quit. When I see an advertisement for gambling the people are smiling and happy and winning...and I think what a bunch of crap! Why don't they show what it's really like for us...taking the walk of shame after a big loss at the casino...the self loathing and feelings of helplessness.

When I received coupon mailings from the casinos I used to throw them away, but in time I called to get taken off their mailing lists...some of them wouldn't do it over the phone, I had to send a written request! Just goes to show you they have their interests (your hard earned money) at heart and not those struggling with gambling addiction.

I have erradicated all forms of gambling from my life...no casinos, no scratch tickets, no bingo. It's amazing how one $5 scratch off can suck you back into the addiction! No more!