HOW I STOPPED !

Sometimes it is the most simplest of things. For me it was this. A simple mantra to alter the way that I thought everytime I felt the urge. TRY THIS: If you draw a circle on a piece of paper. Quarter it. In the top left write Gambling is Good. Think of a few reasons why it is, write them down. In the bottom left, write Gambling is Bad. again write down some reasons.

This left hand side of the circle is how are brain normally thinks when we are addicted to something. i.e. it is either Good or Bad. This is why we are often caught up in the vicious cycle. Good Bad Good Bad. We know it is bad, but still we do it. We are wired that way, the reward way, the losses don't matter, we still go on.

Now in the bottom right hand corner of the circle, write down Not Gambling is Bad, again write down any arguments you can think of that support this, as an addicted gambler, there aren't too many but perhaps think of a social aspect loss, or the thrill etc. Then in the top right corner write, Not Gambling is Good, once again write down the positive aspects in a list.

The right hand side of the circle, particularly the top right quarter, is in effect a cognitive rewiring of our brain, of how it thinks. We change that 'Good Bad Good Bad cycle' to 'Not Good Not Bad cycle'. with a focus on the top right quarter. Of NOT GAMBLING IS GOOD.

If you work through it, and keep that mantra, you will be surprised. Yes you will probably relapse once or twice. I did, but to help, I put a little pocket card in my wallet with the circle on it. And everytime that I felt the urge. I pulled it out and looked at it and . Gambling is Good (Nah) Gambling is Bad (Yup) Not Gambling is Bad (Nah) and above all NOT GAMBLING IS GOOD. -+ -- (left) into +- ++ (right).

Cognitive behavioural therapy, just changing the pathways of entrenched thought processes from. I wish I had come across it many many years before, I would not be in such a pickle now. Please try it out. It worked for me and it's been a couple of years now. God bless.