For me i would say it depends on the type of the game i used to play a site with tokens and prizes such as playandwin and no money but it ended up in more urges to play real money games, also recently my own gf picked up on i was playing games in a virtual world and it wasnt using as much rl money but she made me relise i was just substituting real gambling for skill gaming which technically was gambling too.

I dont know if that helps, and i can't really advise people too much as im only a day past my relization that i needed to finally go to GA

It does, indeed, depend a bit on what games you are playing. There are hard core GA people that would say any sort of competitive game is gambling and should not be played (even Monopoly, for example). I don't feel that way, entirely- although I can see the connection and I would say it depends on the player and where they are at in their recovery.
Nevertheless, I would, however, definitely say that if you're playing poker or blackjack or something of that sort, even if for free, that could spark up the little devil on your shoulder egging you on to stop messing around and get into a real game...

Thank you both for replying to my question. The games I am playing are not gambling related. I tried to do the free slots when I just quit a little over 2 years ago and when I relapsed. My counselor worked with me, and I now know that those types of games are triggers. The ones that I play are word games, Scrabble, trivia games, Family Feud, Hollywood Squares, etc...

honestly personally i dont see anything wrong with those type games your mentioning as long as theres no further options as such, for example i have a gem game on my laptop which is made by microsoft it will constantly offer you to buy tokens to attempt to have more time to beat the game for that kind of thing its not such gambling but its bad addictive behaviour that will cost money.

For me, I must be hyper-vigilant as my addict will find a way to be addicted to anything if left to own devises. Gambling games had to all stop for me. Anything that looked like a poker hand, slot machine, crap table or roulette wheel had to cease or it would trigger me to gamble elsewhere with real money. All other online games and games with friends I have to keep in moderation - as with anything else. If I allowed myself I would be addicted to junk food, tv, chocolate, the internet and many other things. Important line for me is not to allow activities to keep me away from my responsibilities or my friends. I strive for balance and moderation in what I do engage in.

I think if you go to that still quiet place inside of yourself and ask yourself if you are substituting one addiction for another and the answer is yes I would quit. Remember you don't want to be addicted to anything. It isn't healthy and in my humble opinion it will only be a matter of time before you return to gambling. Remember once you have removed your addiction that is when the work begins. You are then on a journey of soul searching and discovering more about yourself, who you are and so on.

I just took a quick look at the 20 questions post and was going to write something about how reading through them and being honest with yourself on the answers is the key to answering for yourself whether or not you are a compulsive gambler. The computer froze up and I ended up clicking on this to wake it up. Sometimes, things just happen, you know?
I see this question and a different component of that same thought comes to mind... If you get that "feeling," and we all know what I mean, from playing games and get the rush of winning or the despair of losing- STOP.

closed 4