Hi Chris,
Good job on seeking out help, this is a step that sadly not a lot of people take. I can see you really care about your future and your family, so well done so far.
In regards to GA, you should absolutely not feel ashamed at all when going to seek help. Everyone is there for the same reason as you, they are fed up and tired of not being in control. They want to change their lives, just like you. In fact, there are a lot more people than you think that are suffering from some kind of addiction. The fact that you want to help yourself shows that you are serious about moving forward.
Different techniques work for different people, and I’ve found that learning as much about addiction and what it does to the brain was the most helpful to me. The more you can understand the illness, the better you can plan your attack to recover. Basically, the brain can get addicted to anything. It is the prolonged engagement in a highly stimulating activity that leads to addiction. Your brain will make connections, and whenever you think about or experience a trigger, these connections will light up causing cravings. The more you resist urges and cravings, the more you recover. The brain is a highly complex organ, and it is constantly changing. Whenever you resist a craving, those connections made earlier become weaker, and when you explore new healthy activities, you will create new connections. I also found that having goals is super important. Anytime I get an urge to gamble, I just talk to myself and say, “I know I am having a craving, but I also know that if I act on this craving, the outcome will be the same. I want to save up for a house, and throwing money away to gambling will put me further away from that goal”. This usually works for me, any technique you can do to delay the action is a positive one. Good luck and keep posting.
–Nick