One casino I banned myself from, they took at picture of me holding up a sign that said, "BANNED, and it was right in the entry way. I laughed. I could have thought how humiliating, but instead I laughed thinking. HA HA, you don't get any more of my money EVER! ------------I laughed all the way to the car where my husband sat. He said, "What is so funny?" I said, "More like what is so good? It just feels good to get the monkey off my back."

Another casino I listened to the security guard tell me he is in a casino every day, Either working or gambling. I told him that he needed to get a life. I said it with all the compassion in the world, because I truly cared that this man was wasting his life. (We would often visit when I was gambling) He proceed to tell me how he was not married and wanted to be. How he lived with his parents and they gambled. He finally said, "I don't have a life." He told me I was brave. I told him I needed my life back and this is how I was going to get it back. He had to walk me out to my car. (This casino's rules). He stood there waving as we left the parking lot. Wow, I was so sad for him. I cried. In his eyes was the real hurt, the pain that gambling brings to a person. My eyes use to look like that, they don't anymore.

Another casino, they took me into a back office, but before going into this office he let me know that everything we said was being recorded and at all times videoed. Wow, really, what did they think I was going to say or do? Kinda creepy. He let me know that he had never done the paper work for a self-ban. I had to show him how to use the camera and how to fill in some proper info. More men showed up to help him with the procedure. All the while creating a nice atmosphere. He told me he didn't ever play, he saw too many people losing money and that was not his thing. An older wish man. (Did they catch that on recording?) He also walked me back to the front. He asked me if looking at the machines bothered me and made me want to play? I said, Not at all. I was looking straight ahead of me as if one of the machines might want to make eye contact with me and coax me into its one arm sick game of death. He also had to walk me to my car, because he couldn't make out the model of the car from the front door. It was not embarrassing at all, I felt more weight being lifted from my back.

These are just three scenarios of what happen to me when I banned. This is what has happen since. I sleep better, clearer mind, can concentrate, no need to lie, not ashamed of my actions, know where my money is, can help others again and the list goes on.

If you have not banned, do it! Today! The weight of this addiction is so heavy and banning is one step towards making the load lighter.

It may start as fun, but for some it sucks the life right out of life.