It has now been 62 days since I hit rock bottom on Saturday 11th Sept and decided that I was finally beaten and enough was enough. The first step to my recovery so far has been to tell my wife and family everything about my gambling tell them every last detail, no more secrets and no more lies. I have handed over all of my finances to my wife, put in place barriers so that I have no means of causing any further destruction. Telling my family the truth about my addiction was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. My wife did not speak to me for the first few weeks as she was too upset, she couldn’t even stay in the same room as me. She has sorted out a five year debt plan to pay off all the credit cards and loans I had taken out without her knowing. I decided to attend my local GA meeting and I can’t believe how much they have done for me, Their advice and understanding has really helped me through the darkest days of my life. The GA members know exactly what you are going through and how you are feeling, it’s been great to speak about my addiction with people who understand it. I have been attending the rooms on a weekly basis they are my medicine and keep me focused on the prize which is not gambling.
Well done Nick keep going strong!
I’m in the early stages of the cold shoulder from the girlfriend after coming clean last Wednesday after it all came on top. For people who don’t do it it’s hard for them to understand and takes a while to realise you just can’t stop like that. It’s an illness, one of the worse types as it takes much more money than smoking, drinking etc! What sorts of things go on at the GA meetings? I’m kind of wanting to attend but scared that someone will be there who I know. Any advice would be greatly received.
Take it day by day and keep going buddy!
Liam
Hi Liam
sorry I didn’t answer sooner been really busy at work.
If you have a means of transportation I would attend one in a different town to where you live, much better chance of not bumping into someone you know however everyone agrees that what is said in the rooms in not to be repeated.
The rooms I attend have on average 10 -15 members each week.
We pick a topic or theme for the evening and we all take turns in speaking about out our experiences in regards to the topic. one week it could be about how your family feel about your addiction and how they cope, the next week it could be about money worries or temptation to gamble. It’s nice to be around people who have been in the very same situation as us and know what it takes to turn your life around. The meetings are 2hrs long and I think that without them I would be divorced & and in a much worse place .
The hardest part is walking through the door and saying to a room full of strangers “hi my names nick I’m a compulsive gambler and this is my story” I said very little the first week but a couple of months in and the group isn’t a bunch of strangers now, they are friends who are there to help, I hope you do try and attend, keep me posted Liam.
good luck
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the heads up, I definitely will be attending a few, at least until I get started with my face to face counselling. All the best and keep fighting the urges.
Liam
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
