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 know that people often report symptoms when they quit alcohol, drugs, or even food addictions.
I'm 7 days clean today, and the past week has been full of the following:
*Sleeplessness
*Fatigue
*Headaches
*Physical symptoms -- got a cold, sore throat
Anybody else get these? Or am I just crazy?!
I'm 7 days clean today, and the past week has been full of the following:
*Sleeplessness
*Fatigue
*Headaches
*Physical symptoms -- got a cold, sore throat
Anybody else get these? Or am I just crazy?!
It is just that when we are in action (actively gambling) we function under a high stress and high adrenal and dopamine level. Those chemicals keep inflammation at bay and we anesthetize so we don't feel anything physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Since our physical body is the first defense and/or first exposure to life, we feel it there first.
Get enough rest, and if you cannot sleep, meditate, pray and find an alternate activity. Take an anti-inflammatory if you can, and do the next right thing.
I am still trying to deal with the sleeplessness. Finally, though, I have money to get my medical needs treated and that is what I am spending my money on, now. Interesting how a few months ago, I would find that I neglected myself and my health to gamble.
I find that I answer yes to these two questions from the 20 questions from GA:
#12. Were you reluctant to use" gambling money" for normal expenditures? YES.
#13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself of your family? YES.
Art work of any kind helps, even if you are not an artist, even coloring is meditative and focused at the same time. Mybestself is exactly right about the chemical withdrawal and that the dopamine and adrenaline anesthetize so well, we don't realize how much pain we are in physically or emotionally. You should be able to sleep better in about 30 days. I get dreams of me gambling but it has lessened and the dreams are not as intense now, at 7 + months of abstinence. It takes 90-120 days of abstinence for your body to get the chemistry regulated. I felt a lot better at 90 days or so.
I can say for me, that I felt better not worse. It may have been that my support system was good and I had a lot of hugs and positive affirmation.
I don't think you are crazy. Everyone has their own way to recovery.
BTW, congratulation on your 7 days. I just reached my own one week point but it feels soooo much longer :-).
It also really helps to know that others are going through similar issues. I thought maybe I was weird or something, lol. It's funny, with chemical dependency issues like alcoholism or drug addiction, it's fully anticipated that you will get these withdrawal symptoms. But with gambling addiction, I had absolutely no idea. I went to the casino, finally had enough of myself, and went for the self-ban. I didn't have a clue I would wake up the next day feeling awful and not be able to sleep well for days!
As an update, it's day 8 for me. I swear, like @pennyluv said, it feels like day 80 or so! I didn't sleep much last night -- fell asleep finally for a few hours at 4 AM -- but I am hopeful that it will get better with time.
tony