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Hi kolberg,?
I’m glad you didn’t reset your gamble free daily *****. Rooting for you to keep it going to day 5000000! Are you open with your friends about your issues? Perhaps they would be more mindful about asking you to go to the casino if they were aware.?
Onto Day 15 of being gamble free! The weekend is here and for a lot of gambling addicts, this is the dangerous time. There’s so many sporting events going on and we’re usually not working so we have time to bet. That was the old me. The new me doesn’t care about what games are coming up. I would like to get to a point where I can watch a game and be passionate about the outcome without having money on the line. However, I think I’ll wait a while longer before watching sports.
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nI’m looking forward to spending time with my wife and dog while my state goes into further quarantine mode. And hopefully I can finish Allen Carr’s book this weekend but we’ll see. The important thing is that I’m not having gambling cravings or feeling like I’m missing out on something. That cloud isn’t hanging over my head anymore.Hi Reno,
There’s so many reasons why we are addicted to gambling. For me, I thought it was because I was addicted to winning or being correct or being smarter than the bookies. But now, I’m not so sure if that was it. Did I truly enjoy the stress of having to pray for a bottom of the 9th HR to win or having my team come back from down 13 in the 4th quarter? And if my team made that miraculous come back, was I really so smart? Did I really enjoy looking at my credit card statement and seeing that I didn’t have enough cash to pay it off? I don’t think so. Now, I think that’s stupid.?
And there isn’t one single solution to stoppping either. I think you have to try a combination of different things if you want to stop. For me, being completely open and honest about my addiction and struggles with my wife has helped. This forum has helped. I’m also reading books about quitting gambling. I’ve given up control of my finances so my wife can monitor me. I’ve tried counseling with a licensed therapist. I’ve also attended some of the GA zoom meetings.? You have to find what works for you.
https://gamblersinrecovery.com
Hi Reno, another member posted a thread about it but the link is above. It is a bunch of GA meetings from all over the world so you can join in any one you feel comfortable.?
When I came clean to my wife, just a few weeks ago, I felt the same way you do. Removing the ability to hide our problems will help a lot in quitting gambling. You are on the right track to stopping the endless cycle of gambling and losing money. Keep it up!
Been so busy with work today that I haven’t been able to post but I am on Day 14 of being gamble free! I’ve been feeling very good these past few days, some of the best days I’ve had in a while. The lack of stress is such a nice feeling.
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nGot to chapter 10 of The Easy Way to Stop Gambling and i found it very interesting that the author claims you don’t need will power to stop gambling and gambling addicts aren’t necessarily weak willed. He’s trying to unwind the way we look at the addiction so that we feel like we aren’t giving anything up by quitting. We’re just getting to feel how a non-gambler feels every day.Feeling better today than I did yesterday, didn’t even wake up with a headache. Got to page 100 of Allen Carr’s book and I can see how he’s breaking down the gambling addiction.
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nI realize that the real trigger for when this addiction began to spiral out of control was when I hit a big jackpot, a few years ago. It really programmed me to think that I could do it again and after that, I needed to bet larger amounts to try to obtain that same feeling. It is exactly like a drug or alcohol addiction where you would need greater amounts of the substance to obtain the same feeling. I’ve seen on TV that meth or other drug users always chase that first high because there isn’t anything quite like it. Gambling is exactly the same way. You can start off betting $5 or for me, $1 a hand of cards when I was in high school and fast forward to present, it is out of control.Yes, so far it’s a good read. I’m skeptical about how the author thinks he can make a gambler just not want to gamble anymore but I’m keeping an open mind.?
Woke up with a headache this morning but I went to the gym, worked out extra hard and now my head is clear. For the first time in a long time, my head is clear. I don’t have a headache at the moment. I have zero inclination to lookup statistics for sports or anything like that. I hope this is the start of freedom.
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nAt the suggestion of someone in the recovery tools forum, i bought the book “The easy way to stop gambling” by Allen Carr. I’m only on page 35 but it is an interesting read so far. Hopefully, it helps me to overcome this addiction that has had a grip on me for so long.I can relate to all of these thoughts and struggles you have been posting about. It sounds like you have been dealing with this addiction by yourself. Is there anyone around, family or friends that can help you, that you can talk to? Personally, it has helped me to have my wife be by my side and I am able to lean on her. Not only that, but giving in completely and having her to hold me accountable has been helpful so far for me. I wish you the best.
Keep it up Alex! You?ve done the hard things like talking to your family and deleting the accounts. Now it?s just about winning each day by being gamble free!
Made it through the weekend without gambling so this is day 11. I am still having headaches everyday and not sure when they will stop. At times I do have restless feelings but I am trying to remain locked into the present and be in the moment. I noticed in the past, I wouldn?t be paying attention to things that were going on around me because I was too worried about the scores or results of my bets. I?m focusing that attention on my wife and my dog.