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'm 45 days free of gambling as of today. But I started having dreams of being in the casino and gambling. The pull to go to the casino was getting stronger each day. This morning when I woke I immediately thought of going this weekend. I had forgotten for a moment that I am a compulsive gambler and just blanked on all the problems that I caused for myself financially. Luckily I stopped myself from being in this haze. I was wondering why now? I figured it out to be attributed to a game that I downloaded onto my phone. I have been playing it for a week in my spare time and always playing right before I would go to sleep. So I have now uninstalled this game from my phone and hopefully the pull to go to the casino will diminish. Has anyone else noticed this?
It is different for everyone. Some people are triggered by Yahtzee, and even Monopoly, horse races on TV, sports, even fishing. One of the best things I did was listing out my triggers including games, people, places, certain drinks, hungry, angry, lonely, and tired, early in my treatment, and writing a plan for each one of them about what I would do when faced with each one, besides go gamble. This was not only very helpful but is an integral part of my relapse prevention plan and overall recovery.
What I try to do is be very mindful of everything I am feeling and doing and how it overall affects me and take good care of myself. Video games of any kind of Internet use or TV are not the most conducive for making a good night's sleep. Listening to radio, music, talking book, or relaxation tape might be a better choice. Bottom line is take meticulous care of yourself.
One last note: Almost everyone I know, whether they have a few weeks of abstinence or years has dreams about gambling. Less frequently the longer the abstinence.
After I quit gambling, I got hooked on Dice with Friends. I have no idea why, but at one point, I was playing 65 games at a time at night. I was also spending up to $30 per day on "extra rolls." I realized this after 7-10 days and quit Dice with Friends too.
I've found that the only online games and apps I can play are skill-based ones, like Bejeweled. It's rewarding because you get better over time, but it's also mentally taxing, so you can't play for too long. I think skill-based games are also better because they don't depend so much on luck. Maybe Bejeweled does a little bit (some boards are easier than others), but you notice when your score goes down from a max of 1,500,000 to 600,000 over an hour. Your brain just gets tired from these skill-based, non-luck-based games.
Hope this helps.
Hope you all have a gamble free weekend. I know I will. :)
Having other outlets to help me relax was crucial to learning how to really take care of myself. In my early recovery I listened a lot to a guided imagery You Tube session by a British guy. And my library has hundreds of "talking books" that I like to listen to an the end of the day and in the car if I can. Artwork or anything creative, really relieves anxiety for me.
I hope you are continuing to put your abstinence tool box together and have a relapse prevention plan. You are moving along and growing every day, I can see it in your posts.
(((Hugs))) and Prayers!
One of the signs that I am getting ready to go out and gamble is that I will look for video on Youtube of slot machines wins, people playing, etc. I have actually watched these for hours on end and it makes me feel like I am in action. I get a high, not quite the same high as when I am gambling, but very similar. The more I watch, the more I want to be out there gambling. It is just like when I am gambling, suddenly, four hours will have passed and I missed it.
I have never participated in any type of online games or electronic games. I have a fear of getting addicted to them and one gambling addition is enough and I know that it would be so much worse if that happened to me. I actually go to the library to use the internet because I do not have internet access at home. (Another result of my money woes due to gambling.) I am happy with that right now, though, because the temptation to gamble on line is not there. If I had internet access it maybe would show up. I like this, actually, not having to be tempted.