Dear Festus, reaching out is a good start. We may just be a virtual group of people from around the world with the same problem but now you have someone who knows your story and will support you as you work on this addiction. Someone you can discuss thoughts and urges to gamble with. Check out the groups, facilitated ones are earlier in the day and indicated. Ask the chat line for advice. In the beginning a lot of people with a gambling problem find they can’t manage money responsibly for any length of time. Find ways to restrict your access to money. And when you have earnings left over don’t hold them yourself. My first couple months I was given a small weekly allowance. But as I always needed to make family purchases I ended up with a bank card but I had to hand over receipts and the account was monitored. I felt a bit like a baby but on the other hand I had proven over and over I couldn’t be trusted when gambling. I also started gambling addictions counselling, to help me understand why i was gambling and risking important things like a 20 year marriage and my family home. It felt like my head was an auto pilot when gambling. I’d only come to when flat broke! Once I broke the gambling pattern and was abstinent, the counseling, my GA group, and this site as well as others helped me get my head on straight and enjoy life.
Welcome to the site.
Laura
