our son

Can anybody explain to me exactly what a gambler is. Our sons counciller has told him that he is not an addictive gambler because he doesnt do it everyday day, but he has underlying problems that make him gamble to make him feel better, im confused, he loses thousends at a time and thinks nothing of it, how long does it take before you become an addict?

Hi Ginny,

Interesting read your last post. Personally I would need to know if those words actually came from the counsellor or not, in my opinion not great advice if they did, especially if the person there is attending for any reason connected to gambling.

I'm a gambling addict. Yes I bet everyday. I could be arrogant and say I could afford to lose £5 a day but the problem is I wouldn't be able to stop myself after losing the first £5. If I'd have bet only once a month I wouldn't have been able to lose and wait until the next month. I suppose my underlying problem is I'm a bad loser, but this has made me a gambling addict.

I have problems that made me gamble, a stressful job, three young children, the gambling made me switch off from it all. Really I should have been seeking help well before I did, but I was blind to it. Last year I wouldn't have listened to anyone who told me I had a problem. If my wife had found my post, statements etc I would have just lied and twisted the story until she believed me.

If a person can gamble for fun and walk away without the urge to win it back they may be ok. Otherwise gambling for any other reason, the person already has a problem. In the latter part of 2015 winning or losing didn't really bother me. Just the buzz of having a bet was my fix. Combine this with the person this awful addiction was turning me into made me own up to the fact I was a compulsive gambler who needed help.

I wish you and your son all the best.

I am the mom of a compulsive gambler Ginny. Here is my advice for what is's worth after what feels like a lifetime of watching my son struggle with this addiction. To borrow a 12 Step phrase our son's have a life problem and use gambling as their coping mechanism. We went thru a multitude of counsellors and therapists a lot who said the same thing as yours. At the end of the day it just became a game of what we can blame it on today. In the end he would still revert to gambling as his go to. I think (hope) that we are good parents but we just could not stop the merry-go-round and we all got very tired!!

Yes your son most definitely has underlying issues but yes your son certainly sounds like he became addicted to gambling along the way. I call bu**s**t on the need to do it everyday to be an addict. In a lot of ways this is why GA helps a CG as nobody knows them like another CG. That is just my opinion and not intended to offend.