Acceptance

Hi

Thank you for your sharing.

Yes   for me the gambling addiction just indicated that I was not healing my pains or reducing my fears but was making things much worse.

By attending the recovery mettings over some time helped me understand how emotionally vulnerable I was.

The most important thing to remember no matter when I last gambled keep going to meetings.

The recovery mettings helped understand that I was not a bad or evil person I was just a very unhealthy person.

Being young in the recovery program will help you save your self from a lot of pain and suffering.

I have been in recovery now over 50 years.

If I have not gambled in over 32 years why do I go to meetings today.

Because by sharing so much honesty and therapies I get to make healthier choices today.

Dave L

Hi Dave,

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice with me also.

Your words about your addiction making things worse rather than healing strike close with me, that was one of the first things I noticed too.

Hopefully for me this is the start of a process just as long and successful as yours!

Well done on your progress so far!

Hi, 

Well done for joining here. It’s great to talk to people who absolutely get it! I highly recommend going on the group chats. 

All you can do is take each day at a time. Have you got anyone to talk to? The first step is realising you have a problem, but being completely accountable is the next step. The addiction wants you to lie and keep secrets, by talking and being completely transparent, you’ll be on your way to beating this awful illness. 

I’m almost 15 months GF but I was at day one once and it only feels like yesterday.

Good luck, 

Claire 

Hi Claire,

Well done on 15 months!

I intend to try out the group chats when I get a moment to. In the past, I've had a few brief conversations with friends about it, but never admitted anything. Usually just say I've come close to addiction but managed to stop, which is a blatant lie and that I feel guilty for. 

I suppose one of the next steps in my journey is coming clean to those around me.

Thanks for your advice 

I have been gambling for years I was good for a while but suddenly I have went overboard. I withdrew private pension paid off some debts, but lost 12k over three months. My bank is empty and I will have to lie to my husband again as to what has happened to the money I took out. We own a business and work together. We rent business back paying income in to our pensions. He is going to find out and soon. I may lose my marriage and no job too. What an nitemare I have created. I feel sick  and angry I have done this chasing jackpots and reached loss limits on most sites. I shut them down and need to try and see how I can fix this. He will go nuts it's so wrong. Drinking wine and gambling don't help and chasing losses.

Hi and welcome to realising you have an issue what your experincing is common i'm currently on day 471 and it only feels like yesterday i too reached out for help, i was sick to my stomach and i couldnt believe what i had done, i wanted to make the change and i took advice on board their no majic formula or a cure for this addiction, what has helped me in the process is using the services on here i was even blackmailed by a horrible person he would tell my family and friends about my gambling issues, i have really had to do it the hard only few people understand about this addiction however the support i have recievement and the encourgement by people has only pushed my drive to remain bet free, one thing i learnt the addiction will always be their it my duty to ask for help, the last 6 months have been a breeze i dont even think about gambling however i know how dangerous a single bet can become it what drives me to keep coming back i hope u well in this journery

Hi greeneyes 

I can soo relate to your post. It could have been me writing it.  So scared my husband will find out I have gambled all my money from pension away .. he works so hard to give us a good life and I’ve ruined it.  So so ashamed. I cannot face myself ever day. I am on day 2 of no gambling and have been here before then when I had the resources gambled again.  I sought out therapy earlier this year that help. But for some reason the day of my last session I gambled and haven’t stopped.  No body knows about my gambling. I am living a total lie if deceit with every one. I want to stop.  It was last straw two days ago when I didn’t have a single penny to spend.  I have loans my husband had no idea about and would be crushed if he knew.  I just cannot tell him.  I keep hoping will sort it out before I have to tell him 

maybe we could help each other on here and use  the resources available. And hopefully encourage each other to stop this awful monster destroying our lives.   Feel better just writing that down. Sorry if not helpful honestly feel your pain 

I’ve lived this life and I’m now over 200 days gamble free and enjoying my life. That’s not a brag. That’s a motivational speech!

I gambled for more than half my life. Nearing 30 years. I got into huge, huge amounts of debt. I didn’t face it head on, I lost my marriage, I lost my home, I lost my marriage family. 

I finally came on here and took all the advice available. I opened up. I got my secret out there. It was the best thing I have ever done. It cost me so much but it gave me my life back. This is not the end for you, it’s the start of something amazing. Use this forum for the best. Take the advice. Block all access to gambling. Talk to someone in real life. Attack it head on and you can be the person you really want to be. 

You’ve posted here now. You are ready to quit. Take the next step and fight it, hard. You don’t need to give your money away. It’s only going to end one way if you do. Alone, broke, low sets of the low. Fight it now. You can do this. You have shown this by asking for help. Take the advice. Lock it down, keep coming back. The future you wants it, the future you deserves it.

Stay strong 💪 

Thank you so much for reply.  I really want to stop this huge black secret that has taken over my life … it gives me strength and courage when I hear someone has got thru it … when it’s happening you think nobody else is as stupid or selfish as you are.  I feel so ashamed of my actions.. I want to be the person I was before I was secret gambling and chasing slot jackpots. That even if I won I just gambled it all away again. Then feel even more ashamed of my stupidity 

I will talk more on here as it’s actually a relief to say/write it and show how black it gets 

but with help I want to be more open and take each day at a time and learn it can get better 

Thank you for replying