[Goodenough]

i started gambling in 2015, I won and then I lost.  I won more and kept losing.  I went for help in GA in in 2018, someone blew my anonymity and I left.  I’ll do it alone.  Yeah, right.  I went back, just resenting that guy giving me an excuse that I used.  I went back, first meetin, there he was.  I didn’t share in the meeting and didn’t go back.  I exhausted all funds I could get my hands on and figured you must bite the bullet and go back to GA or it is the end for you.  I went back to GA on Saturda, I got lucky, he wasn’t there and I could share.  i cashed in big.  Sunday, not there again, lucky me.  After break, he appeared.  I shared anyway.  Anonymity was my suggested topic.  He didn’t get it.  Who cares if he gets it, I will not use him as an excuse to gamble again.  I have known for a long time a compulsive gambler can never win, even when they do compulsion will exhaust winnings or bring you back until you do.  I think it was here i read that the casinos (my problem was the bar machines in Quebec) work at player extinction…such an inhuman concept when you consider the suicide rates of gamblers.  the player extinction model/concept should make every compulsive gambler wake up but, it feeds into our self loathing.  The only concept/ model that can combat the player extinction model is for the gambler themselves to stop gambling and to cultivate their own self love, respect and compassio.

[dunc]

Hello and thanks for starting a thread in the Gambling Therapy forums

Here at Gambling Therapy we pride ourselves on being a caring and diverse online community who can help and support you with the difficulties you’re currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if you’re new to recovery, so come here as often as you need to and participate in the forums, access online groups and connect to the live advice helpline if you need one to one support. We’re in this together!

Here on the forum you can share your experiences in a safe, supportive and accepting environment. The beauty of writing it all down is that you can take your time and you will be creating a record of your progress that you can look back on if it ever feels like you’re not moving forward. So, share as much or as little as you like but do try to stick to keeping just one thread in this forum so people know where to find you if they want to be updated on your progress or share something with you.

As well as the forums New Members are invited to join Charles in the New Members Practical Advice Group On Mondays at 21:00 (UK) and Thursday at 19:00(UK)

And on that note….

I’m going to hand you over to our community because I’m sure they will have some words of wisdom for you 🙂

Take care

The Gambling Therapy Team

PS: Let me just remind you to take a look at our privacy policy and terms and conditions so you know how it all works!

[Steev]

Sorry that you had a bad experience at GA. It is a self-help group and so is only as good as it can be with the people present. That being said, breaching anonymity is a big no-no and I hope that you could bring it up with the group so that it will not happen again. Is there another meeting nearby that you could go to?

If GA is not possible for you there are other options – e.g. SMART recovery .org which is online and is for all addictions but includes a gambling section … or co-counselling international which again is for anyone with personal problems and is self-help but there is a lot more training involved. Co-counselling .info does show one contact person in Canada – but I don’t know how active things are over there. Then there is one-to-one counselling, which can be expensive but will probably be cheaper than continuing to gamble.
Of course you can stick with the resources on this website – and good to see you in group last night. I hope to see you again.

[i-did-it]

Hi Goodenough,
Great post and very honest.
I understand how this would put you off GA.

There was a woman in the f and f section of this site who used to have someone from GA report to her whether her ex attended meetings and whether he was gambling . It was a enough to completely put me off – even the fact she wrote about it on here was horrifying .

I drove miles to attend one where I wouldn’t be known but it was unsustainable .

I feel you are very strong and determined to go despite this person. I guess it matters a lot now when we are struggling , but it might not matter so much when we are living a good prosperous life. Will it matter if we attend a meeting to help us with our issues when people can see we are successful?

Keep strong !

[Author]

Posts