It’s great news that you’ve been offered a place at GMA, it can give you the very best chance of leaving gambling behind, where it belongs, in the past.
I’m fifty years old, and sorry to say I’ve been resident at GMA three times. That dosn’t mean it didn’t work, I know people and I know of others that have completed the programme and have never gambled again.
My first stint at Gordon House, as it used to be called was in 1986, it was more like a hostel then. Partly run by the probation service and you were only allowed there if you were either coming out of prison for gambling related crime, or on bail for the same. There was no structure and to be honest think it didn’t help me in the slightest.
21 years later I went to the Dudley project, it was very strict but it did help me a great deal, however, to cut a long story short. I thought I had it cracked and left before I completed the programme. I was in prison for the fifth time within six months of leaving.
My third and final stay was in 2009, the programme was a lot more structured then. ( I believe it has changed a great deal since). I left in 2010 I would love to tell you it cured me and I’ve never gambled again, and skipped off happily into the sunset to live happily ever after. Unfortunately not.
What I can say is it made me see that I could change, I could learn to say no to gambling, and could live a life that was not ruled by either thinking about or actually gambling.
I promise you Sam you have a great chance of turning your life around. Listen to what they tell you. Nobody will tell you what to do, but you will realise what an absolute nonsense gambling is. You will learn to think straight.
One thing that slightly concerns me is that you say you owe it to your family, friends and former colleagues. Mate this has to be 100% for you. Not because it seems to be the right thing, but because you really really want to. You don’t give too many details about the shite you’ve let gambling put you in, that’s fine. But it must have screwed your life up significantly. GMA can give you the know how, to start living an honest life. It will not cute you, it’s not a miracle cure.
If you really want it to work it will. My advice would be not to forget how desperate you were when you filled on the application. Whatever other residents are doing, if it’s something advised against do not do it.
It’s not a prison, and isn’t run as such. But there are a few rules which are there for good reason.
Please come back and post once you’ve completed the programme. I don’t know if you’re aware that there is an ex residents group on this site on Mondays @ 7pm. I’m not 100% sure if they’d let you pop in, in fact it mightn’t be on this coming Monday because of the bank holiday. But perhaps you could contact Dave the outreach worker who runs the group he’s at the Beckenham project, I’m sure he’ll advise you if you could pop in. There is always a selection of ex residents in there and you might find it better speaking in real time.
My life now is so much better to how it was in the past. I am happy, and that is a new experience to me.
All the best with it Sam.
Geordie.