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...
All my life I have been a penny pincher. Probably because I have never had alot of money, and neither did my parents. All my life it has been that I don't buy it unless it is on sale, or I can get a coupon for money off, etc. I have never been known to be extravagant on what I purchase, which may or may not be good.
I am the type that will buy the shoes that are a knock off (on sale that is) and not the name brand, or have not cared about name brands at all. I learned how to sew at a young age, and for many years I sewed most of my own clothing, with fabric I bought on sale. Now it hardly is cheaper to sew your own.
But my whole point is, most of my purchases have been well thought out and deliberately trying to conserve money. This was long before I started gambling. Then the gambling started and I thought nothing of throwing hundreds in the slot machines. This has always perplexed me, and I think added to my depression and shame. Did not make sense what-so-ever. Obviously it is an addiction and that explains it now. I was two people - the spender and the saver.
Any other fellow penny pinchers that found themselves to be compulsive gamblers?
I am the type that will buy the shoes that are a knock off (on sale that is) and not the name brand, or have not cared about name brands at all. I learned how to sew at a young age, and for many years I sewed most of my own clothing, with fabric I bought on sale. Now it hardly is cheaper to sew your own.
But my whole point is, most of my purchases have been well thought out and deliberately trying to conserve money. This was long before I started gambling. Then the gambling started and I thought nothing of throwing hundreds in the slot machines. This has always perplexed me, and I think added to my depression and shame. Did not make sense what-so-ever. Obviously it is an addiction and that explains it now. I was two people - the spender and the saver.
Any other fellow penny pinchers that found themselves to be compulsive gamblers?
Absolutely agree ...100%! Driving from NJ to Delaware to save $15 a carton on cigarettes, but in route, stopping by the casino and dropping $300-400 a pop! You don't want to get me started on the stupidity of my thinking, while I was in the throws of this gripping disease!
I do watch my finances very closely today, but for very different reasons. While active, I maximized every opportunity to be a penny pincher, in order to grow my bankroll for gambling.
Makes me sick to think about it, but the good thing is that I've reached a point of forgiveness with myself. There isn't a damn thing I can do to change what happened in the past.....
But there are many things I can do to build a BETTER past. First and foremost , continue to be gamble free...and I am bound and determined to do just that!
Thank you for reminding me of why it's so important to continue this journey .
Love Tagg
I wish,
that is what I believe helped me to go "so far"
in this addiction was my inability to understand
the value of a dollar.
they say your money "mindset" can come from
the people who have raised you and the people
you hang around with.
Gives one something to ponder, yes ??????
I just know that gambling has formed my NEW money "mindset" -
EXTREME SAVER to make up for NOT being GF.
I'll also drive past gas stations on "E" waiting for the cheapest station I remember driving past the day before... a little crazy and I've gotten caught playing that game a couple times, too.
Now, it's not that bad, more of a sport than a competition- I wonder if there's a connection?
Jay
just my opinion,
I truly think we may be 'hard wired" for addiction
and a lot of research says that trauma in childhood
a loss etc, like we've had, has the effect of "upsetting" our
response and reward systems.
But also add in the never ending inundation from the
commercial and technologically advanced world with the
"MORE IS BETTER" attitude and we are being set up for disaster.
Not only us "predisposed" addicts but the human species itself is being physically and psychologically changed in a 'bad" way.
just my thoughts
just my opinion
just a lot of research and
just my way of accepting and seeing this gosh awful thing.
I need to see the dark side, see the "badness" in order to let it go.
I have such a tendency to be positive and look at the good in everything that for me and recovery I need to remember that gambling has, in the end, really NO positives.
Things we put in our brains to fool ourselves!! :)
I do pay bills and have it together financially enough to have a house and car payments but still consider this setting myself up to have things to sink all my money into.
As for myself, I've always bought whatever I wanted with reckless abandon! LOL I'm working on becoming a penny pincher! This is the first time in over 20 years I've been sticking to a budget. Old dogs can change LOL