Hi i_quit,
Thought I’d stop by and give you some words of encouragement. I have been gamble free for almost a month now, and during this time I only had one urge to gamble (a few days ago). The urge was brought on by one of my triggers: staying up late. I wasn’t tired, so I decided to stay up and watch a movie, but then I started to get these ideas in my head. I immediately recognized them and started talking to myself, reminding myself that I am not acting on impulse anymore to anything. So I talked about it. I said to myself, “I see I am having this urge to gamble, but I know what will happen if I put money on a site. I will lose my money, but more importantly, I will be going behind my families back. I also am saving for a house, and losing this money will put me further behind that goal.” I said this and then came to this site to write a response post to a thread. After I made the decision to come on here and write a post, the urge just dissipated. It was a reminder that I was recovering, and having urges is part of that process. The more you deny these feelings, the weaker they become.
It’s great that you are recognizing your thoughts. Next time you feel out of wack or in a funk, I would suggest taking a 10 minute walk just to clear your head. If not that, then some other activity that allows you to not act on impulse. My plan for any urge moving forward is:
– Acknowledge it
– Talk about it/play it out in your head (including outcome)
– Do something else (recommend walk or post on here)
You’ll start to get really good at recognizing your thoughts, and it will start to become easier.
A few more things I recommend if you are not already is to start exercising and eating better. I know these two were never a high priority for me, but the more I think about my health, the more it gets me fired up to just go on a bike for 30 minutes after work or something simple. Eating healthy is also super important, especially to help the brain recover. I would recommend taking Omega-3 supplements (same oils found in fish). This is pretty much brain food and will keep you feeling sharp.
Also, I’d love to chat sometime, but I haven’t even used this chat feature (I’d like to though). I am in California, and it is 8:20am here now. I am mostly available in the evenings (7-10) or early in the morning (7:30am-now). Let me know if you want to set something up. Keep going, you’re doing great.
–Nick