Hi i-did-it, Thank you for the reply. It remains a struggle, but hopefully less so as I get to know others who are fighting similar battles. I empathize totally with you and you have my support however I can help in a small way.
I was very fortunate, I had signed up to study abroad (basically as an exchange student) in a foreign country. I had done this nearly a year in advance – so I got really lucky that it coincided with my downward spiral gambling-wise.
It forced me to be away from the same gambling avenues, and so I essentially had to go cold-turkey for several months, and that definitely helped get me off of gambling.
When I got back, I did eventually start gambling again, partially due to anxiety and being around the same triggers at home. But it was definitely greatly diminished.
Aside from the time away from home, what definitely helped me was getting a side income started. I just started flipping items on eBay and stuff like that, and somehow, that helped keep me away from gambling. Maybe it was just being busy with a hobby, or maybe it was actually making money without losing it for the first time in a while… but one way or another that helped.
I have slipped though a few times, things like watching too much sports on TV (I used to be a bettor) or going near casinos (I live in Nevada so this is a problem) can still be triggers.