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 feel like jumping off a bridge, I have been borrowing my moms credit cards, and once i got paid i would give her money for the charges I made. Well I know the pin number to her card ....Lets just say i did it again went to the casino...lost my cash and remembered I had her card. What is in the air in the casino, that you know its so wrong to do, but I kept saying i am going to try to win my money back. I have made a complete total of $1200.00 of charges to her card 800 in cash advances , the rest in misc purchases. She is gonna flip when she finds , I will repay her the money , but its just the principal that it is so wrong to do in the first place. I didn't have to do it I could have just walked out the casino. I have done this in the past and she was really pissed off and forgave me. I don't know what is going to happen this time around I am really scared. I haven't been to a GA meeting yet....I suffer from anxiety and it makes my really nervous to go to a meeting with a group of people, that may have created a bond with one another already. I think i first might try one on one counseling.
deleted_user
chrissy, try a ga meeting. We were all nervous our first time. As a long time member of ga I promise you that you will be the most important person in the room. We bond with newcomers. I feel and am reminded of the pain I felt when I hear a newcomer talk or not talk which is ok. There is nothing you have done that we have not already experienced. Lying, cheating, stealing and so on. Embrace the pain, own it , and it will dissipate with time and some type of recovery. Right now you feel terrible but going to a ga meeting will take some of the pain away. Good luck, Jon
deleted_user
i understand what you are feeling but trust me, there will be an instant bond with you as well. there is something about going into a room full of strangers and each pouring your hearts out, that creates an instant bond. it is the only place i have ever gone that i felt like i totally belonged and was accepted and no judged. i guess for me, i was so far down and so desperate for help that my pride took a backseat. when i first walked into ga i laid all my secrets on the table w/o one concern for how they would think of me, besides they had already shared some of their stories that were very similar to mine, in return i received a very warm welcome. one on one counseling is an idea and may work for you, it did not work for me, i just didnt get the feedback and did not feel comfortable. i just didnt feel the same understanding and acceptance coming from the counselor as i did with ga. what ever it is you decide to do, we here at ds are here for you, and i think most of us share the anxiety, must be a trait common to cg. i can have an attack just from schedule change at work, lol. i have learned to just take deep breaths and at times just get through minute by minute. god bless and keep coming back
deleted_user
First thing to do chrissy is give the credit cards back to your mom. Once you tell her about your slip, insist that she doesn't give the cards back. Try to give her some money every pay period. Let her know you've learned a lesson about yourself and that you are going to do something about it, that you are going to make your best effort to change. Then go to GA or see a counselor or keep reading and writing on this site. Consider banning yourself from the casino. Sit down and make a plan on how you will avoid or confront triggers, remember the feeling of wanting to jump off the bridge due to $$$. Remind yourself that life isn't about money, you are worth so much more, your time is worth more. Imagine the casino as a sick, slug joint that will land people on skid row. You want a happy life and you have that chance. Good luck!
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