for me it went hand in hand, one fed the other, i would lose more when drinking, and sometime i think i made myself numb so i could deal w/the losses, but MYYYY GOODDDDD was the hangover to die for, the loss of money and saddness and horrendous feeling of hopelessness just about did me in....

i would then only drink if i knew i was locked into an event that i couldnt get to a casino, but yet sometimes that didnt work, alchohol is a huggeeeeee trigger for me, makes me not give a shit about my life, and i cant afford to do that anymore, good luck, try to focus and remember the pain/hurt/loss,

ali85m - The only requirement for AA or GA is the desire to stop drinking or gambling. Only you can determine if you have a problem or not. Both programs have 20 questions you can answer to see if you think it is a problem. With both programs we admit that our lives have become unmanageable. I encourage you to attend both AA meetings and GA meetings, and to research as much as you can regarding both addictions. Also come back here often and get on the Alcohol Addiction Support Group as well.

If you don't address both of them at once, then if gambling really is a problem for you, you eventually will go to the casino when you have not drank. Both are progressive diseases.

Find something else that you can do to occupy your boredom. Volunteer to help somewhere, start exercising, find different friends to chill with.

Hope you search out the help you need!

Both go hand-in-hand.. I hear you about the losses, I've wiped out my 401k account.. And this is done while I'm sober.. I don't drink and gamble. It's going to be a hard road ahead of me.. I think now.. WTF did I do?

Thank you all for your comments..

I think it is best for me to take things day by day. I know not drinking is going to be very difficult for me, but I will try to control my drinking as much as I can. If I do, I have to be good about setting my boundaries. Even after, banning myself from the local casino, they do not kick me out (also I never give my card or ID) so they dont know who I am. After the first time I was able to still gamble and its so disappointing that it hasnt worked either. I am also planning to start one on one therapy to find better ways of controlling my urges/ boredom.

I don't drink so I can't relate to that, but I can definitely relate, as I'm sure most people can to the endless pain and regret over losses ... I will be paying off debts for many years to come, and with every payment I think of what I could have bought my family with that money. The pain never leaves, and the wound is always fresh ... it gets me down often, but I try to use it as an ongoing reminder for why I need to stay away from gambling.

hi ali, welcome to the group. sorry about your losses. i can fully relate. i too only gamble when i drink . i also get bored when i drink and i am only a 15$ cab ride away from my casino demon. i have lost 1000's of dollars too many times to count in a drunken stupor. waking up to a hangover from hell and an empty bank account has made me wish i didnt wake up at all so, so many times. i have gone back and forth for 20 yrs trying to diagnose if its a drinking or gambling or boredom problem. i have gone to the casino sober to eat many times and had no urge to gamble. im actually repulsed by the place when sober. i would only go if a friend wanted to go and eat then i would leave. i no longer enter the building though cause just being in the place has triggered me to have a 'couple' and then its all over for me.. the demons have won the battle. guess i have quit trying to figure what the exact problem is.. all i know is its a problem. i now try and limit my alcohol and access to money. i dont count the days but it has been months since i gambled . i must be extremely cautious though cause i have gone back down that horrible path way too many times. best wishes to you moving forward . keep posting here many great people here that can fully relate stay strong johnny

Hi all I've lost thousand of dollars not drinking. When I gamble i go to not be social i don't want a drink i put my head in the machine and feel my body start to stress. I quit for 2 1/2 years and began again 11 weeks ago. I'm on day 4 of no gambling due to my family and husband disquieted with me. I get in this mod where i don't care about spending the money it's horrible and to top it off i work in a casino so i should no better. It is a horrible addiction and i hate it. But glad i can come on here and get it out. Thank you in advnce

I am the exact same. My drinking triggers gambling, and my gambling triggers more drinking. They do go hand in hand. I feel your pain. Just try to stay sober from both. I keep messing up too, take it one day at a time. That is all we can do. Each day make a pact with yourself to not do either. I am on my new Day 1 again today as well. There have been so many....:(

Drinking and gambling for me go hand and hand. I realized I really had a problem when I started to talk to the machine I was playing. I use to be a blackjack player but found much more fun with the machines. I would think too hard when playing machines, Play 30 credits then adjust it so see if I could outsmart the machine. It rarely happened. I would win but ultimately would walk away with no money. AWFUL. I have stopped drinking and gambling. Good luck to you (not casino luck) Life luck.