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...

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bear22 07/20/2014

Hello everyone, I've been gone for a while but am back now. It's quite interesting looking back on my journals and reflecting on the past. It's been almost 2 years since I first joined the site. What a reality check!

Anyway, although I'm yet to succeed in stopping completely I have made significant inroads to the addiction. Some key points I would like to share below and I welcome all feedback.

Significantly reduced my debt. Will be debt free by the end off the year. I was in huge debt and at the time I never thought I would be debt free and was so stressed had no idea where to start. My point is it can be done and don't lose focus.

Not gambling related but have been smoke free for almost a year! Thanks to nicotine replacement therapy such as mints.

A key ingredient to reducing or not gambling is to restrict access to money. If you don't have it you can't gamble. I also found that not having access to cash completely changing the way I think and actually reducing the urge to gamble because you know you can't.

I hope to hang around, continue to share my progress and receive and give support.

Good to be back

deleted_user 07/21/2014

thank you so much for sharing!!

deleted_user 07/21/2014

I read the posts here every day. I am trying to reduce the amount of time I spend gambling and the amount of money. I found your post to be very helpful. I am not yet ready to quit, but I can see all of the pitfalls that go with the addiction. I find that my desire to throw away money is less and (thanks to this website), I see the casinos for what they really are. I also see what can happen to people when they give in to the allure of this form of adult amusement. There should be a sign at the entrance of all casinos - "Enter at Your Own Risk". It's a very dangerous place. Thank you, everyone, for your posts - we are all in various stages of recovery.

victoria2014 07/21/2014

Welcome back!
Bear22 and lotsaslot, just out of curiosity, what is preventing you from quiiting completely?

Leapyear22 07/21/2014

I am happy you're back, not sure how you can still gamble, for me, it was always all or nothing, and nothing was the hard part :) Keep posting.

ll2live 07/21/2014

Welcome back bear22. I applaud your progress on overcoming this addiction. I think I stayed gambling so long because my financial situation was so bad that I thought it was not fixable... the stress from that and the hopelessness I felt about it, kept me gambling.

Being smoke free is awesome too!

Way to go!

deleted_user 07/21/2014

Lotsaslots here - I am 71 years old, legally blind and now I have a bad knee. I love to walk in my neighborhood (naturally I don't drive) - I have tunnel vision, but I can see the sidewalk enough to walk locally, safely, but not again until my knee gets better. I have considered quitting the casino completely (I go with my sister), but when I tell you it is Day1, I want to be relatively sure that I can do it. Of course, I see from the postings, that there is no sure thing in this addiction. As of today, I am not yet ready to quit. And yet I am here on this website knowing that eventually I will quit. To sum it up, I'm just not ready yet. The time will come.

bear22 07/21/2014

I think deep down those who choose not to quit completely perhaps still haven't really accepted the addiction or maybe still in denial. I really don't know what it is.

I do know that saying to myself I will never gamble again just doesn't ring true for me for whatever reason. I find saying this creates so much pressure and anxiety that I end up blowing up. Saying I will not gamble for say 3 months I can achieve. So what I tend to do is set progressive goals. Does it work yes and no. I've quit numerous times for different periods ie year, few months etc.! At the end is the day this approach is not ideal but it's helped. Don't get me wrong I am not saying I won't quit completely or I will never stop or I don't have problem, simple saying progressive realistic steps. Everyone's different and different approaches work for different people. My goal right now is 3 months then another 3 months etc.

Interested in others views.

I also try to learn from previous mistakes and do something different the next time to correct it!

Cheers

stopat56 07/21/2014

for me, I have to plan not to gamble again, and put every effort possible into my recovery because constant gambling was slowing killing me. so, out of the 7 months of 2014, only about three of them have I gambled. that may not seem like a lot to some people, but for me, I'm a little proud of that accomplishment.

it is a daily struggle, because after 14 years of gambling, it was/is a part of my life. so I struggle with quitting, but I know I need to. so, I'm going to keep on trying until I get it right.

I respect every one's opinion because it's just that: an opinion. that is all I have: my opinion. I can't speak for anyone else: but I'm ready to quit. someone said we're all at different stages in our recovery, and I agree.

so, that is my view. I have to quit! all the enjoyment is gone that I thought I enjoyed so much. gambling became torture for me.

ll2live 07/21/2014

The "I'll never gamble again" thing has never worked for me either.... or counting days. My recovery from this awful addiction has not been about how many days I could white knuckle it in between relapses. For me, recovery has meant getting my life back again. Finding what makes me happy. Living in the present. Accepting my faults. Learning to enjoy the simple things. Learning why I gambled in the first place..... stuff like that. It does seem that the more good stuff I bring into my life, the less room I have for gambling. And this philosophy has led to my abstinence from gambling. But I think it took me longer than it could have.

Don't y'all think it gets easier to say no to the urge the longer you go without a gamble? So why put off quitting completely?

bear22 07/21/2014

Yes, completely agree. The more you get back to reality and start living again the less the urges. I guess that's my approach. I have set myself a 3 month goal not to gamble at all. In addition I have set a couple of life goals to achieve as well. Hopefully the two come together and give me the traction and motivation i need to abstain from gambling.

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