I really enjoyed reading this thread. I took my time and read every single post in it. I’ve been gambling since childhood myself. I’m 42 now. I’ve been combating my gambling urge for decades, sometimes succesfully, sometimes not so much.
I used to be a succesful poker player. I was succesful despite my gambling nature. That was when the games were soft. In the mean time the games got tougher, the players got better and I never bothered to work on my game and improve it. And as a result I’ve been losing badly last couple of years.
I don’t really think the One Day at a Time mantra works out for me very well. Sometimes I don’t gamble for weeks, but then I play one night and lose it all (all I possibly could lose for the period). So what’s the difference? I really liked the way Vera put it: Not gambling is not the same as a complete recovery.
Mythea (and the rest of you here) read The Willpowever Instinct by Kelly McGonigal. Many things are explained there in an amazing way.
If you dine with the devil, bring a long spoon
