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...
This morning I remembered my dream. I was in a casino that I used to frequent and my Father whom passed away years ago was in the dream at the casino with me. When he was alive we never went to the casino together. I had a roll full of quarters and was playing a chicken machine. Some guy sat down next to me and I hit a small jackpot. The guy next to me was encouraging me to cash out. I told him know that I was here for fun and just kept dumping money into the chicken machine. Next thing I knew the cops came in and arrested the guy sitting next to me. And I had lost 400.00. I woke up at that point and really glad that that was a dream and not my reality now. 67 days clean and Thankful my life has changed. Crazy dream and I guess my subconscious is still trying to let me know that I have the desire still buried in my head and it could surface anytime. That is why I am on here this morning. Scared of myself that I could just slip and end up back where I started. Broke and miserable.
My bills are very backed up and of course thoughts ran through my mind of gambling and if I hit all my priblems would be over but I didn't do yesterday.
I put the bills on my nightstand to make sure I saw them when I went to bed and woke up as a reminder of what gambling has done...
I promised myself not to worry about what I can't change and get some rest.
I had a dream that I did go to the casino and I did hit.. I jumped up and down thanking the Lord and everything.., them my addiction took over and I lost everything down to the little money I had left, couldn't buy food, gas, anything and I was very scared.
I have no more life lines, to get me out of a hole as I did in the past, so my dream was indeed a reminder of how desperate I am to quit for good....
These dreams are blessings to keep us on the rite path... 8 days today.
Part of it, according to my counselor, is the withdrawal from the dopamine, your brain is so addicted to it that it will find a way to get that feeling back. Part also is that in changing something that used to be a part of our lives, sometimes for a very long time, as in my case, just takes some extra processing. She also talked about dreams as being a way for our brains to process fears, hopes and major changes and stress.
I woke up one time from a gambling dream was extraordinarily pissed at myself for nearly half the day, feeling like I had blown my abstinence and gambled. It was a very vivid and realistic dream. I felt like God was taunting me and I felt alone. My support group was very good for helping me out of that funk and making me realize it was a normal part of the process that nearly everyone goes through.
Thank God it was just a dream!
You can take it as a sign that you are on the right path.
Ive been reading alot on here (Im on page 226) and all week Im waking up many times a night. I think it is because of anxiety any ideas on how to stop this?