Originally posted by razzabelle
… I was doing SO well …
Good morning Razzabelle, my name is Larry and I am a compulsive gambler, my last bet was October 17, until then I was doing SO well for over 3 years. But in reading your story and seeing you too coming back after another outing to gamble, I see that we are still doing well, maybe without the SO, but doing Well just the same; recovery is a progressive process and you are moving forward — it make little differen in the difference that we have is our time in recovery, it is a ODAAT process for each and every one of us.
Keeping the progress on going takes actions on our part. You still get the promotional offers that temp you to gamble, a positive action for you could be following through with choosing to do what you know will help you; following through with the self-banning, or "black-listing" yourself, will stop the mailings and give you a serious reason to resist any of the bell that are calling you to gamble. You know that you are the one that is making the choices to gamble loosing everything, and know that you are the one responsible for making that choice, so self-banning will be a good tool for you to use to give you time to think rationally; time to realize that the ******* casinos are not an option for you. One of the earlier members, stephen, that helped me do SO well, and whose past input still helps me to continue to progress, once posted:
"Fortunately, I have been very strong in recovery for a number of years now. But the addiction is there trying to fool us when we become strong in recovery, sometimes tugging at us like saying, "Go ahead Steve, you can spend a few dollars on that lottery ticket, it’s only a few bucks, it’s chicken feed money is all, you won’t even miss that little money, and who knows you could become a millionaire"…..and that’s when I say "FU" to the addiction…because I know where that type of behavior would lead to…and I’m not going back there.
To those out there struggling which used to be me, the addiction would say, "Come on Steve, sure you’re broke and in debt, and sure you’ve lost countless amounts of money over the years from gambling, but at this point ya might as well take what little money ya got, and buy those lottery tickets or try other gambling games because that gambling hot streak, that big gambling jackpot hit, could be right around the corner, could even be the next bet makes ya rich."
It’s a tough addiction, but the solution to a gambling problem is never more gambling…the solution to a gambling problem is to stop gambling and stay in recovery…otherwise…the problem only gets worse".
It helps to read the post of others, even earlier ones like stephen that were here before us, their struggles, and success, gives us another look at this problem that we seem to partially cover up in our own lives; but even then we have to accept that it is us that we are reading about, that in the feeling we get here of not being alone we also need to involve ourselves in what is helping others, and separate ourselves form the things that do not work.
Hopefully I am not sounding hypocritical in that I too recently gamble and failed to do what I knew was best and am recommending here, but this addiction is an overpowering disease that causes us to do the unthinkable when circumstances are right, and we find ourselves unguarded, or are feeling too SO well that we think that we are immune to that addictive power and the compulsive gambling that comes after any next bet. "Don’t make the next bet and you will not have to worry about the second and other ones".
God’s speed. Stay strong. Keep aware. Keep your guard up. Keep active and involved.
LarryThanks to my Higher Power, My 3G's – God, GA, and GT, "Day Two Is Another Day Behind" and with the help from all I hope to continue to remain gambling free.