stay in today! One day, today, stay there.

yes, our addicted mind plays many tricks on us.

At the beginning I took it one hour, one moment, one day at a time.
:)

hang in there and stay close to this wonderful site.

i think about the casino and it makes me nauseous. i guess we all have our way of gambling, i read so many stories here, and when people say they gambled for days, w/o sleep, food, like really submerge themselves in the addiction its so scary to me, i dont / cant / wont get there, it makes me thankful at least that my sickness has mercy on me after i lose after the first 3-4 hours and i have a budget in my head, which i most certainly go over but not with a fever pitch, its a crazy thing NOT TO BE ABLE TO TRUST ONE SELF isnt it? i cant trust ME? if i cant do that what hope do i have....I'm in charge of me, and i suck at it :) maybe thats why the higher power is involved.....boy im a mess

but Im here, at least im not there

when your mind is used to going every day, or every other day, it is like withdrawal when we first stop going. I swear I heard the machines when I first stopped. I actually looked around a few times to see where the noise was coming from: inside my demented mind, of course.

tough it out. stay busy. write about the urges/feelings. remember how bad you felt the last time you were in there. I remember my last time: and the determined steps I took out the door: no more.

keep posting.

I think that the first two weeks are the worst. It takes time to break the pattern. I'm sure you had certain times you gambled. I did. Break free from the hamster wheel! Get out of that cage! Tear up any mailings. Cut up the cards. Self excude if possible. Set up safety nets and road blocks to protect yourself. You can do it! Keep trying and don't ever give up! Start counting one day at a time! Don't gamble for anything! It's not worth it and it never ever will be! Hugs! Cher

You hit the nail on the head- "maybe that's why the higher power is involved." As others already have said, the first few weeks are the toughest and we all need that higher power- whatever form that takes for you to lean on during these times especially. For me the higher power was and is still mostly my wife, GA and DS- when I get flustered or tempted or anxious I force myself to reach out to someone and redirect those emotions having faith that someone will help me through it. I believe a big part of recovery is letting go of the part of ourselves that says "we're in charge." Of course we are responsible for ourselves and how we conduct ourselves, but trying to force it only leads to bad things in the end, for me, at least.
Hang tough and try to keep things very simple at this juncture.
Jay