Yes, and yes, I know through experience. I lied, begged, borrowed and stole in the height of my action. I became a person only going through the motions in other parts of my life and then, just gave up the other parts to feed the monster. Not really being present at work or with friends and family, part of me always focused on the next bet. The best part of my recovery, I think, is that my actions are back in line with my values, so I no longer engage in self-loathing on a daily basis and I am for the most part enjoying life.

Of course I know. I've had so many excuses to leave the house. I have to go get cigs, I'm supposed to meet a friend, I need to run to the grocery store....lies that got me to the machines and more lies followed.

Pants on fire! I know exactly what you mean when you say "liar, liar", I know the self loathing associated with the lies I told others and myself. It has to be the worst part of a complusive gamblers existence, at least for this complusive gambler. Lying to myself! That just sounds so stupid to me when I really think about it! Errrr, it even makes me angry at myself all over again. Sad and cruel treatment when it comes to others in our lives, sad and cruel treatment when it comes to ourselves. Let's write it down, pick it apart and learn from it. Today I will not lie to my own face! Today I will not gamble. Today I will pick sanity over lies to myself or anyone else. One day at a time.

LOL, at first I thought you were talking about trump... just kidding. Boy do I know what you were talking about. I lied so much, I started to believe them. Today, I don't have to do that, but yes, I can completely relate to what you are saying. In recovery, you don't need to lie anymore, its so liberating.

The lying caused by gambling eventually infiltrates every aspect of the gambler's life. I lied at work, to my family, to my friends, to strangers and most importantly to myself.

The biggest lies I perpetrated on myself while gambling were:

1. Gambling was fun and harmless entertainment.
2. I deserved to gamble (either as a reward for something positive or medication for something negative)
3. I was in control of myself and gambled because it's what I wanted to do, that I didn't have an addiction. .
4. I was 1 big win away from being "even" (at which point my gambling would have been validated). It will come eventually, right?
5. I could undo the pathological aspect of my gambling and become a "regular" gambler again.

Once I accepted those 5 things were lies I became more focused on stopping. I consistently revisit these 5 things almost every day to ensure I don't forget how dangerous my gambling had become.

Well said, highlimit, those are the ones that help me "ensure I don't forget how dangerous my gambling had become", too.

Spot on, Highlimit.

My stupid lies:

I'm an adult
No one will know
I don't care if I lose
It's okay to hide out in the open
It's only money
It's okay if I hate myself later
Just do it and get it over with

Plus all of the lies you posted, highlimit. And more lies...

You would think I'd get sick of my own lies! Guess what? I do! It's the most debilitating result of my gambling addiction. Self hatred.

Today I will believe in the kinder side of my mind. No lies there. It's okay to be an addict as long as I don't gamble. So I'll trust my heart and today I will not gamble.

I love sharing here

When I came back to DS a few weeks ago after being so sick of myself again because of this terrible disease, I logged in and went to my journal. I had posted in Oct 2015. At that time I had made promises to my husband to never gamble again after spending a stash of money. I was so afraid he was going to leave me. That journal was full of lies....I was blaming him for MY gambling problem. We have been together 16 years and I went to my first GA meeting about 5 years before that after being a compulsive gamblers for 10 years! I had to laugh at that post...it was so untrue. No wonder I didn't quit then because I was not being honest with myself nor was I really seeking help. I was only trying to put the blame on anything or anyone but myself. It was still the addict talking in that post. I am really glad it was there to read though, it was a huge eye opener for me. It is helping me see things differently today. I own my addiction today. I can only change things to have a better life. Things happen for a reason and God has perfect timing. Having faith in the Lord that he will carry me through this is so comforting. No more lies.

The biggest confrontation I faced with lies was when I first looked at my bank statements after years of gambling.

There was no denying it -- multiple thousand-dollar withdrawals and cash advances within hours of one another. Sometimes from multiple casinos in a day. The account was often overdrawn. Numerous checks, usually autopay for bills, bounced and were documented. I was paying $700 a year in overdraft and bounced check fees alone.

The lies that had gotten me there couldn't be denied when you looked at my bank statement. There were hundreds of withdrawals. It was clear I was spending hours upon hours at local casinos. It was alarming, frightening, and disappointing. The great irony was, part of me was filled with so much shame that I wanted to go back again to escape it.

Before I got married, I realized I had to close the account and start fresh. I promised myself I wouldn't do this again. And I've relapsed here and there, but I'm determined to get 100% clean for life.