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#50055
Steev
Participant

Your triggers are a lot more thoughtful than mine – which would have taken the form of “I was in a pub, bored I saw a slot machine and before I knew what I was doing I was playing it.” But then you do mention boredom as one of your triggers … knowing where that comes from makes you special.

I wonder if you have read the book “Man’s search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Don’t let the sexism of the title put you off – it is a translation. Frankl was in several concentration camps during the war and wrote the book on his release. One of the quotes is “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Anyway looking at your list – I can identify with most of them. Not the bullying, but being passed over for promotion (probably because I wan’t presenting myself very well – having spent money on machines instead of good clothes etc.) And certainly the debt – which in my case went on for nearly 20 years and has only recently been paid off by the sale of my home.

I feel I have come through the journey of addiction (though I am aware that I am only as clean as my next bet) and I am sure that you can too. It may look bleak now but … I was going to say one day at a time (too cliched?) You have a lot going for you, a lot of unrealised potential – now you have stopped gambling it is time to heal and then make the most of your future life.