Hi CB
It certainly isn’t easy focussing on yourself when you have been giving another person all your attention. It is true of most of us who love someone with a gambling problem; gambling can be the first thought in the morning and the last thought at night even when we don’t actually own the problem. Over the years I have heard, time and time again, how difficult it is for members to say ‘no’ – I believe the word to describe us (I include myself in this) is people pleasers.
There is no need to become hard but a little hardening up can be good for us. I have a quote beside me that says ‘one day hopefully you may come to realise that this miserable experience might be the greatest education of your life’. I suspect you are educating your parents without realise it. In my opinion, If we all learn from the ghastly situations we found ourselves in then we will have kicked the addiction in the teeth and that pleases me.
So keep going with those baby steps and know that they are taking you onward and upward. Re-finding ourselves can be exciting, it’s a gradual long walk back, it can be exhausting and sometimes a bit scary but ultimately it is a walk back to life. I got there and I’m sure you will too.
Please keep posting
Velvet