Haven't read the whole thread yet but here's my input. In the past if I was abstaining I still occasionally played the lottery and considered myself gamble free. Of course now I see how silly it was. It was an open door to continue gambling, as I did the lottery then I could buy a scratchcard. Then I could justify playing poker with my mates for the craic which leads to a small bet on the football and so on and so on.
I'm totally gamble free at the minute, no lottery, poker, raffles, nothing. Playing the lottery is gambling no doubt about it
This is a thread that makes me really think. Ive just done 207 days without spending one penny on any form of gambling.
Would I do the lottery again and consider I had relapsed? I dont know.
It has never been my trigger for escape or instant repeat gambling. This is because I understand the odds, it long since lost its appeal and the small queue at the supermarket till is just tedious.
Am I urging to play it....no it bores me...however I do have the feeling that one day I could just put a pound on. I think Im strong enough to know it wouldnt lead to a scratchcard as none of that is my trigger...would it open the floodgates as Ive started gambling again...I seriously dont think it would because I am ultra strong regarding machines in a way I haven been for decades. However i have to consider my previous compulsion and playing the lottery may let some sort of "well Im doing it now so who cares" guard down
Anyway Im saying I have no real urges but have a thought that I wouldnt want to rule it out.
Is one pound a relapse?
Anyway Im onwards and forward to 250 days.
This is interesting to me in thinking about what constitutes a relapse and what is not a problem that doesnt need reporting. I think Im pretty much aware and what Im not doing here is making excuses at the thin end of the wedge....Or am I?
What do others think?
Well the lottery is gambling, so it is a relapse BUT each to their own.
Strangely even though ive relapsed many times over the years, the lottery hasn't been one of them. I can honestly say I haven't bought a lottery ticket since the autumn of 2004. The reason being is that there is no INSTANT fix and that is what my gambling head craves.
I like instant fix gambling games. Buying a ticket and not knowing instantly whether I have won or lost is of no interest to me. There is no thrill there is just waiting.
Slots ='s instant fix.
Online scratch cards ='s instant fix
Horses, dogs, sports bets ='s no instant fix
Thats the way my addictive mind works.
Member of admin team asked about lottery opinions
Thank you Triangle,
it is good to think about this and talk about this, thank you for bumping the thread for me.
All the best,
Eva
Forum Admin
Thank you Triangle,
it is good to think about this and talk about this, thank you for bumping the thread for me.
All the best,
Eva
Forum Admin
Could this be moved to the debates / discussions section? Might be more appropriate?
Playing the lottery just keeps the addictive mind ticking over. Living on a dream and not in reality.
day@atime wrote: The message/lie we continue to tell ourselves if we play the lottery is that freedom from our pain can be bought. That it can be fixed by no effort on our part. That someone or something will fix it for us. Humans need emotional security to love & be loved to have a sense of worth, a purpose a sense of belonging. What we dont need is a barrel full of cash. Wealth is not my desire it will not bring me the happiness i searched for on the spin of a reel for 25 years. My pursuit of peace can only be found within my own actions & behaviour both to myself & others
love this one.
I thought i'd resurrect this thread. After a time I start to forget why i can't play the lottery.
I found out I can't play the lottery either whilst trying to recover from this gambling addiction.
When checking my lottery ticket i had a recognisable feeling and that feeling is one I'm familiar with. It was a feeling I had when the BJ dealer was dealing my hand and then revealing their face card. And then my heart sunk a little when I didn't win a feeling I'm also used to when losing whilst gambling.
That's me though but I don't agree that if you play the lottery your not gamble free.
Conradnose
check out my blog www.conradnose.com
"That's me though but I don't agree that if you play the lottery your not gamble free. "
A bit of distorted thinking here I would suggest. To buy a lottery ticket is to have a bet. Fullstop
Just my opinion, we all do what works for us.
If i found I could play the lottery one day without any further engagement in gambling, I wouldn't consider it a relapse.
Each to their own there's no one size fits all.
Conradnose.
The fact the odds of winning the lottery were significantly reduced some time ago without a corresponding drop in the price of a ticket tells us all we need to know about the lottery and those who run it.
We have bought tickets occasionally back in the day (Mr L naturally was always a lot keener than me to do so) but never do so now. He doesn't take part in the share option scheme at work because it's gambling. He doesn't buy tickets to charity draws because it's gambling. He doesn't do a school T*****a because it's gambling. He doesn't do any of these things because he doesn't want to wake the demon.
My view is a lottery ticket leaves the door ajar even if it's only by a little and a doorway left ajar is asking to be used.
Only in the gambling addict's world is playing the lottery considered NOT to be gambling.
Gambler's logic
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