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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Moving on

High59
High59

It's been over 3 weeks since I have been to the casino. I feel like I am moving on. I collected all my gambling books, DVDs, my home practice table, dice sets and am slowly selling it all. I don't want to stop gambling but I feel like a child giving up his favorite toy; sometimes we have to grow up and move on. I can't say I'll never gamble again. But I am trying to reinvent myself without playing craps as part of the new me. Today will be a hard day. I always enjoyed the casino on Thanksgiving. But I can't go. I need to break the cycle and man up today. In 3 weeks of not gambling I already have about $2000 sitting in my bank account. That really drives home how much I was losing. Happy Thanksgiving, hopefully we all go to bed tonight proud of ourselves for not gambling. 

Getting_Out
Getting_Out
Wow ....that's absolutely wonderful !!! And to have that much money in your bank account would definitely push me to NEVER gamble again. Right now I'm up to my neck in bills and not sure how the next 2 months are going to go but I'm definitely seeing it thru. I have made my mind up this time. To see the position I'm in at the moment, I HATE it !!!! Hoping that in a couple of months, I'll be able to see the light to be even able to go out to supper. Today I'm feeling down and think I'm just going to stay in bed the rest of the day. As far as gambling, its not going to happen, its just getting thru the depression right now.
jasonl
jasonl
High - it doesn’t sound like you are truly ready to move on. Congrats on 3 weeks of abstinence, but it’s a little puzzling to read your original post and the constant teetering between wanting to quit, not want to quit, gain control, but not able to stay in control, and so on.

You are a compulsive gambler. I urge you to embrace the meaning of that. Right now it sounds like you are accepting the fact that you will relapse. Don’t do that!!

I can relate to how giving up something that’s basically been a mistress to you is so difficult. I loved horse racing, but when I think back of the time and energy I put into it, i certainly didn’t receive the same kind of love. And unfortunately “just being friends” isn’t something I’m capable of. If you’re here, I assume you and I are pretty similar that way. Casual gambling, especially with something that was such a priority for you, just isn’t possible.

Wishing you the best this holiday weekend. Stay the course. We’re in it together, brother!
Robin-Mc
Robin-Mc
You’re realizing the benefits of abstaining from gambling. For me, anytime I’ve spent not gambling has been time well spent. Because I have a number of relapses under my belt, I know the torture treatment is always just one bet away. Gambling stopped being fun for me so long ago it’s as if I can’t remember it ever being “fun”. An escape, yes, at times, but even that eluded me after the addiction swallowed me up whole. Hate is a strong word, but gambling reinforced my self- hatred to a tee. I’m moving on, one day at a time.
Today I will not gamble