Hi Kevin,
Well done for finding this site. Thanks to the support here, and my GA meetings, I have not had a bet for 30 days today. It has been hell stopping gambling. If I hadn’t had a lapse 30 days ago I would have been on day 48. 30 days is my first major milestone. It is the longest I think I have gone without any kind of a bet for 4 or 5 years. I am a mental wreck but I trust in my higher power that I am in recovery.
As with anything you get out of this what you put in. If I had found this place a few years ago I would probably not be in the position I am. But I cannot change the past and I can only be grateful I have found it now, even though my life right now is a total wreck due to gambling and other factors.
Please feel free to write your story, as much or as little as you like, and people will offer support and advice. This is a terrible addiction to someone we can never win. When we win we put it back, when we lose we chase and lose more. It is lose lose. The only way to win at gambling is not to gamble. If we could walk away with winnings, we wouldn’t be here. What characterises us as CGs is that we cannot stop, we are emotionally invested and we chase and chase.
Have you looked for a GA in your area? Stopping gambing is hard as it is a learned beavhiour, but I have seen so many people in my GA meetings who have done it I know I can. People who lost homes, jobs, families, were homeless – now, many years later lead productive lives thanks to GA and support groups like this.
I hope you are ok, it is a while since you posted. Take care.