I am about 5 months gamble free as of this writing. I went to counseling as demand from my wife to save my marriage. I had no Idea how much my problem was causing issues between us. The fact that I told her I wasn’t gambling, but was still doing it behind her back was a breach of trust and just another form of infidelity.
Long story short, I did not want to be in counseling, I had it under control. I have been taking counseling seriously for the last 6 months. I wasted almost a year thinking I knew better. In the last 6 months, my way of thinking has improved, and my self esteem is much better (self esteem was always an issue, and a reason I enjoyed gambling so much).
I didn’t like myself very much, and I didn’t care what gambling did to me. But because of my wife, and my respect for her, I was willing to try, and make a positive effort. We can say we want to quit, but many of us truly don’t want to, until it is too late.
If my advice means anything, keep up with the counseling, if you aren’t happy with your current counselor, seek out another. In the right situation, as mine is, my counselor is more like a life coach. They know they cannot control what I do, but they want me to think it through before I act, and that alone has kept me from gambling over 5 months now.
Best wishes
Johnny B
