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...

971 Members
6,389 Posts
0 Online
Addiction & Recovery
/ Gambling Addiction & Recovery Support Group

Withdrawal symptoms

Daydreamingagain
Daydreamingagain

Ugggh I am 11 days in to my latest commitment to quit gambling for good.  I have been noticing some big time symptoms this time, that I have never noticed before.  The biggest one is FATIGUE and the next one is BRAIN is MUSH.  I think my body is crying out for a rush, any rush, some of that chemical that has been fueling me for as long as I can remember.  Either anticipation, adrenaline from the risk of loss, or dopamine from those wins or at least the expectation of a possible win.  All of those things were stimulating in different ways.  


Does anyone here remember having these kind of withdrawal symptoms when they quit?  And if so, how long does it last?  I read some stuff online that says it can take your brain 90 days to adjust.  Yikes.  I have been gambling 3 to 7 times a week for the past 9 months.  Much more than I did previously, and when I've stopped before I was only going once a week and sometimes twice (that went on for about 10 years).  


I am more committed this time than any other, and this time I'm quitting for me and my kids and no one else.  If I don't, it's going to totally ruin my life.  I feel like I don't have a choice and I'm sticking to it this time.  I'm going to two meetings a week and getting a sponsor and doing individual therapy, and calling in to the hotline tonight and every Wednesday I can.  I'm going to beat this beast this time because I have proven to myself over and over and over that I will never win at gambling. Peace

healing57
healing57
I felt the same withdrawal symptoms you are having. I was so tired I was sleeping 12 or more hours a day and when I was awake I was always yawning. I couldn't think straight and just felt like crap. It did last on and off for 90 days but there were good days and weeks. I felt ill for a few weeks, not even that I wanted to gamble I just wanted to feel better and I do now, I am over 100 days. You can do it, you sound determined. Best wishes. Hugs!
itsjustmeagain
itsjustmeagain
of course, you are in withdrawal, you're an addict, and you need a fix, but the longer you go the easier it is, stay the course, dont give in....
Qwit4Good
Qwit4Good
Yes! All of the above depression, irritability, but the more I MADE myself do something, especially any kind of artwork, any kind of physical activity from walking or jogging to dancing helped some. But I was miserable for close to 90 days my brain didn't seem to fully come out of the fog feeling till around 120 days. I had been gambling for decades and withdrawing from spending 100 percent of my free time gambling for nearly 5 years. I had been suicidal, so I did seek help and got great counseling from trained gambling addiction counselors.
Daydreamingagain
Daydreamingagain
Thank you so much. It helps to know I'm not imagining this, that I'm not alone and that it will end at some point. In addition to withdrawing from the chemical my own body has been working overtime at producing, I realize that I am also grieving. Even though gambling became a major destruction of my spiritual self, my family life and finances, I loved it in a sick way. I loved the anticipation, the feeling, though false, that I was "treating" myself to fun, I loved the wins (even though they went back into the machines at the end), I loved the feeling of belonging somewhere, and probably most of all, loved the escape factor. But, there were so many more negatives and things that outweighed the "love" feeling, I couldn't deny them anymore. It really was like an abusive relationship. There is a country song that talks about "all the things I love are killing me". LOL
Qwit4Good
Qwit4Good
Grieving is a central theme for myself as well as many compulsive gamblers I have met. A grief and loss workshop after I felt my brain was starting to function properly was very healing for me. I cannot stress the value of writing a good-bye letter to gambling which is also part of the grieving
process that you mention. Journaling, a gratitude diary, exercise, affirmations, meditation, prayer and artwork can all work separately or together like an anti-anxiety medication. Artwork and anything creative is proven to grow new pathways in our brains. I have used artwork to relax, to relieve anxiety and to meditate it seems to give me an alternative to my urges to indulge in my past addiction(s). Hugs and good thoughts being sent your way.