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...
Am thinking of all my DS friends during these unsettling times. Hoping and praying that everyone is staying well, both in terms of abstinence and in terms of general health. I'm grateful for our virtual community, especially now when face-to-face support isn't available. In all this chaos and upheaval, it would be easy to decide it's not worth it and just give in to this addiction, but no. Just no. Today I will not gamble, and I will focus my energy on taking care of myself and my family. Be well, my friends.
I wish you all well. I am good. I have continued to sustain from gambling. It has felt so good to not be in that dark place. I will continue a day at a time.
I am sheltering in place and very concerned as I spent a lot of my younger days as a care provider and have had to many public health classes to rest too comfortably. I am part of the at risk population being in my mid 60s with a heart condition, COPD and asthma with tree pollen giving me hell as well. right now.
But I can't help but count my blessings as I needed to rest my back injury and I have learned enough in 6 years of recovery that I am doing well at self-care. Taking bubble baths, giving myself manicures, doing artwork, journaling and writing poetry.
I am also blessed and fortunate for having started with a new clinical psychologist about 5 weeks ago and am getting the benefit of tele-therapy video calls on a weekly basis. I am addressing lots of difficult childhood adverse events, my feelings about a dysfunctional family of origin that had very few coping skills. (Avoidance, escape and denial being the main ones. No wonder I leaned toward addiction.) I am getting Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for PTSD and Depression (gaining a better understanding of my OCD as well) and always feel better during and after the sessions. She is a skilled counselor and we have developed rapport and trust of each other in a relatively short time.