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 have been spending a lot of time, redecorating my home. Painting, etc., and I can't help but reflect on the money and time I had spent in a card room. I think of the money I spent for the redecorating, and compare it to how much I would spend within an hour of playing cards, and its a drop in the bucket. My time I wasted sitting at a card table, for hours, days actually, compared to the time I spent, productively redecorating my safe place, called "home." Its amazing to me, to reflect. I'm not beating myself up, I'm actually very proud of myself for how far I have come in just a short period of time, all things considered.
My sister, who is going through allot, physically, emotionally and financially, is also an gambler, addict. She hasn't gone in sometime, but for whatever reason, she went this last weekend, what shocked me was not the fact that she went, as I know we are all one bet away from that, but, I had left for a couple of hours to go shopping for the house, and she assumed, because I was gone for so long, that I too had gone to gamble... although I have not in sometime, its still something people fear. She texted me and said "where are you" when I was home, and she was gone. in other words, she was thinking well, Terri went out, so, I will too, and then, she tried to trick me into thinking she was "home" when she asked me where I was. Tricky little addiction we have, isn't it/
At first I was pissed, not because she went, but because she tried to justify it, and then played her addictive game, by thinking I went, so, she would as well. I for one completely understand the games a compulsive gambler will play, the lies, and the justifications that come with the addiction, God knows, I did them plenty of times during my active addiction. I was reminded, once again, how cunning this addiction is, how close we are to placing that one bet, if we don't work on our recovery, every day.
To be true, I haven't had the desire to go, lately, but that doesn't mean I won't get it, its almost guaranteed, I will. But, today, I am in recovery, aware of the addiction and how if I allow it to, it can convince me its okay to go, just for a little while, just once.... we all know the drill, and where that "just for a little while" will take us.
Today, I am humble, grateful and in recovery. That is all I have, is today. Oh, and a freshly painted house, and decorated 45 ft hallway.
Do the day my sweet warriors.
XOXOX
My sister, who is going through allot, physically, emotionally and financially, is also an gambler, addict. She hasn't gone in sometime, but for whatever reason, she went this last weekend, what shocked me was not the fact that she went, as I know we are all one bet away from that, but, I had left for a couple of hours to go shopping for the house, and she assumed, because I was gone for so long, that I too had gone to gamble... although I have not in sometime, its still something people fear. She texted me and said "where are you" when I was home, and she was gone. in other words, she was thinking well, Terri went out, so, I will too, and then, she tried to trick me into thinking she was "home" when she asked me where I was. Tricky little addiction we have, isn't it/
At first I was pissed, not because she went, but because she tried to justify it, and then played her addictive game, by thinking I went, so, she would as well. I for one completely understand the games a compulsive gambler will play, the lies, and the justifications that come with the addiction, God knows, I did them plenty of times during my active addiction. I was reminded, once again, how cunning this addiction is, how close we are to placing that one bet, if we don't work on our recovery, every day.
To be true, I haven't had the desire to go, lately, but that doesn't mean I won't get it, its almost guaranteed, I will. But, today, I am in recovery, aware of the addiction and how if I allow it to, it can convince me its okay to go, just for a little while, just once.... we all know the drill, and where that "just for a little while" will take us.
Today, I am humble, grateful and in recovery. That is all I have, is today. Oh, and a freshly painted house, and decorated 45 ft hallway.
Do the day my sweet warriors.
XOXOX
I used to race to the casino in such a fervor that I didn't eat healthfully, exercise, bathe or shower as often as I should, and it showed. My home was a mess, just cluttered stuff everywhere. But I didn't care I was gaining weight and getting frumpy and my home was a mess and my clothes were wrinkled -- all that mattered was the casino.
Now I'm almost ten months out, 25 pounds down, and I too redecorated since quitting.
So I agree 100% -- sometimes you really can judge a book by its cover, particularly when that book is called Recovery!