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...
I can so relate to how people have said it is almost an unconscious decision to get in the car and go back to pushing those buttons on the money hungry machines! What insanity this is that we do that. Especially when we know the result will be the same as it has been, over and over. Losing. Not only money, but more importantly our soul. Insanity - doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result! That has been me!
What bothers me is how I know how much damage it causes, yet I have gone back time and time again. Who does that? I like the idea of writing out the feelings and emotions of going and coming back to keep on hand for when I get those urges. How is it that this disease lets us push that pain and agony to the back of our brains, just to do it again. If I were to put my hand in the fire and burned it to a crisp, would I do it again? I think not! I have today. Today I wll not go to the casino. Just for today I can be strong. I can't worry about tomorrow, but I need to prepare for tomorrow so I can be strong then as well.
What is a way I can prepare? My biggest downfall is not calling out for help when that urge gets so strong that I forget my resolve, my determination not to go. I go into that trance and just go. A couple GA members told me I should call people on the list they gave me before I get the urge, just so I get used to calling, because if I don't, then when the urge hits, chances are I won't call because I have not set that relationship up. This seems like such a simple way of helping ourselves. This is another way I can prepare for tomorrow.
Praying everyone finds someone they can call, not only when the urge hits, but to have that support and sharing on a daily basis. DS has been a huge relief and a source of strength, information and support, but sometimes hearing that voice is so necessary to keep it real and in the moment!
Thank you for this day - gamble free!
What bothers me is how I know how much damage it causes, yet I have gone back time and time again. Who does that? I like the idea of writing out the feelings and emotions of going and coming back to keep on hand for when I get those urges. How is it that this disease lets us push that pain and agony to the back of our brains, just to do it again. If I were to put my hand in the fire and burned it to a crisp, would I do it again? I think not! I have today. Today I wll not go to the casino. Just for today I can be strong. I can't worry about tomorrow, but I need to prepare for tomorrow so I can be strong then as well.
What is a way I can prepare? My biggest downfall is not calling out for help when that urge gets so strong that I forget my resolve, my determination not to go. I go into that trance and just go. A couple GA members told me I should call people on the list they gave me before I get the urge, just so I get used to calling, because if I don't, then when the urge hits, chances are I won't call because I have not set that relationship up. This seems like such a simple way of helping ourselves. This is another way I can prepare for tomorrow.
Praying everyone finds someone they can call, not only when the urge hits, but to have that support and sharing on a daily basis. DS has been a huge relief and a source of strength, information and support, but sometimes hearing that voice is so necessary to keep it real and in the moment!
Thank you for this day - gamble free!
For the first five years on my recovery road, I found this last minute sudden urge is definitely the hardest to control. I would be doing just fine all week and just before the weekend was going to end, a uncontrollable urge just pop up and that is unstoppable. To call people in order to stop me from going won't even come up to my mind. Not even a bad weather, icy road could stop me from going.
After I start limiting my access to cash or money, the result is "I don't have and I can't get any money to gamble, so what's the purpose of going?' When this reality hit me, just in few seconds I will give up this idea of going to a casino totally.
you can think about going but then you think I can't stand to be there without money, so boring, so agrivating, so you know you can't even bother.
and,
I just wrote a big long letter describing the ride there and the ride back. All of my feelings.......the anticipation, the fun, the excitement, the anxiety and the ride home......the remorse, the regret, the tiredness, the depression............
I am going to read it when I want to go and maybe just everyday because we gamblers are good at just looking and thinking of the win and not the reality, not the facts, avoiding the truth and trying to avoid other feelings. Keep it close at hand and read it and maybe the black and white truth will make the feelings we're trying to avoid look like a cake walk in comparison.
Try anything to quit gambling and stay that way.
Read the posts here for you will see that it is a DEAD END road.
have a safe and happy gamble free day
have a safe and happy gamble free life.
Please limit the cash,
you will see,
bank daily limit of $50.
cut up credit cards and pay them off,
no debit, don't really need it,
sign out where ever you can,
casino will let you renig your check cashing ability,
keep coming here,
keep with us and play back what happens when you go,
the AFTERMATH of it all.
then just pray.
Do anything else you can think of to pass the time.
I find it helps to talk or be around people, even if it means going to the library and reading magazines and being around others.
You can do this,
others are doing it
and we will do it together.
I have maxed out all of my credit cards unfortunately months ago, so there is no way I can get money off of them and have no clue how I could begin to make the payments they would like me to make. That is probably one of my biggest financial regrets as before I went crazy with the gambling, and when the creditors call, it create such a fear in me, that it often will be one of my triggers to want to go. Before I went back to gambling, I was very responsible with money and had great credit. Now it is just down the tubes, I don't have a job and have no means to pay it back. Trying not to let it overwhelm me!
This will be my first time trying to quit where I won't have access to my debit card, so ;those last minute urges should be much more manageable. Although, I have to be honest with myself, it by no means keeps me from going, as I have in the past sold things in order to be able to go, so I am not beyond that. Having easy access to cash will definitely help though.
Part of my problem is over committing myself, so I need to learn how to manage that better. I can get so overwhelmed with committments that I will just say to heck with it, jump in the car and off I go. Good thing I don't have access to that easy money now! :-)
Thanks for listening and thanks for the encouragement and the support!
If I had $60 and I needed $180 there was only one thing to do...right? I was so good at lying to myself. It wasn't even a choice. It was literally the only way. Wow! I was so delusional.Anyway, I just want to commend all of you on another day gamble free.
I don't even really feel urges, they are so ingrained, they
are simply thoughts, of going, of how to get money, of how NOT to go...
so,
I recently sat down and wrote a letter to myself describing in detail the drive the emotions the getting there the staying the winning the losing the remorse the regret the depression the whole darn mess of it, in excruciating detail.
then even added how it affects me currently and always will.
I plan on taking this "bugger" out and reading it not only when the thought comes but daily for a while.
Each time I feel like adding another horrific word to the details as they come fast and furious while remembering it all.
have a good, great, delightful, beautiful GF day.