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Hi P, well done on posting. Are you back using your other support as well? Your meetings? Your phone list? Your gambling counsellor?
Whilst I know it won’t feel like it at the moment there is one way in which you are lucky at the moment- you KNOW what works.
Keep posting, hopefully see you in a group soon.
Hi SJ, again my apologies. I’m glad we managed to talk to each other in the end.
See you again soon.
Hi Jenny,
I am not going to speak for Velvet as I know she is perfectly capable of doing that herself.I see there are now Friends and Family Groups on at 6pm and 10pm on different days. Both times which are hopefully accessible for you and other UK members. Unfortunately with different time zones those times are not as convenient for members in other parts of the world.
In case you didn’t know, you would also have been more than welcome in my ealier groups this evening: the Drop In groups are open to both Gamblers and Friends or family and the New Members Advice Groups are also open to all and existing members are more than welcome. Basically they are a “normal” group until/unless a new member comes in and then I and other facilitators are more than grateful for any advice or experience that more experienced members can help give.
Check out the times and you are more than welcome in all but the Gamblers Only groups. Hopefully see you soon.Hi P,
I think you have been struggling to come to a group since the seasonal “clock changes” in both our countries.
I’m not sure what the time difference between us is now but I thought I’d let you know that my group times are now an hour later on a Thursday. I have just started the last of three one hour groups. If this new group time makes it easier for you then i hope to see you soon. Stay strong and use all the support you have, you CAN do this. One day at a time.
My commiserations on the loss of your father Reds. Stay strong and have a safe summer. See you when you are back in the land of tecnology!
Hi Again!
I just read your comments regarding your brothers new “addiction” with his action figures.
You are right we all do need to find heathier options to fill our time with. It is also preferable to gradually find a variety of things to do so that we do not become overly focussed on any one thing.
The main reasons for that are that firstly we have all shown our addictive tendencies with gambling and even seemingly healthy options can become a problem if done to excess or the exclusion of other things.
Also because it’s best not to have “all our eggs in one basket”. I had a friend. He stopped gambling and started going to the gym. A healthy option of course but he threw himself into it as compulsively as he did gambling. Six months down the line he’s as fit as a fiddle, not gambling and life is good…. he twists his ankle and is back gambling in a couple of weeks. He didn’t have a “plan B”
A variety of activities gives us that plan B if things fall through with one of them.
Keep posting.
Vera was right my group started at 7pm UK time. I am also in another group now and yet another one follows this so I am here for the next, nearly, 2 hours. Hopefully see you soon.
Hello David. This is the world wide web so the answer of course is yes and no. In some countries gambling is legal in others it’s not. Of course even in countries where it is illegal it still exists, especially for those who have a problem.
Why do you ask? If it’s because you want to gamble then take a look around the site, you would be in the wrong place as this site is here to help those for whom gambling is a problem and want to stop.
If you are among those who have a problem with gambling then you are in the right place. Rather than worry about gamblings legality though focus on your own actions and use the support you can get here to address the problem.
If you feel this is the right place for you then please continue posting and let us know a little about your own situation in relation to gambling.
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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 youre currently facing. We understand that this might be a tough time for you, particularly if youre 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. Were 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 youre 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.
And on that note….
Im going to hand you over to our community because Im 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!
In case those thoughts return Carole here is a link I need to give you.
You have a lot of support available to you Carole, you can stop gambling I promise you. When you make the first of those weekly meetings one thing you will get is likely to be hope. That tends to happen when you look into the eyes of another compulsive gambler who isn’t gambling.
Stay strong, you can do this.
Hi Carole,
I have a group going on right now, hope you can make it. Break things down into less daunting sizes. 30 meetings in 30 days? Very scary Im sure, don’t use that as a reason not to do 1 meeting a week though.
Where are you gambling? Is there any reason you can’t get excluded from there? Have you told Danny you are gambling? He can help you protect both your finances.
Hopefully see you shortly in the group. I’m there for the next 45 minutes or so.
Hi Tired,
I see you haven’t posted in a while but I hope you are still reading here. I myself am a Compulsive Gambler and I facilitate some of the scheduled groups here.
I am of the “Once an addict always an addict” opinion. I am a Compulsive Gambler and I will always be a Compulsive Gambler. That doesn’t mean that a CG always has to gamble though, we do have the ability to stop gambling while not being “cured”. I haven’t had a bet in some while now but I couldn’t stop on my own nor could I stay stopped on my own.
You mention your husbands GA meetings. It’s a shame they are no longer available but is he willing to use any other support? Has he seen this site? Considered counselling? Or anything else?
If not it’s unlikely he is going to stop on his own, infact as this is a progressive problem it is likely that things will get worse.
Whatever he does it is important, as Velvet will rightly tell you, that you focus on you. I’m glad to see you now consider these debts as his debts and his responsibility. What can you do to both keep it that way and make it clear to him that this is the case? How can you protect yours and family finances? What support can you use? It sounds like he wants you to keep things quiet for him? This can be part of a CG’s manipulation – talking to people would allow you to get support from your family etc so do the right thing for you. It would also of course make him less able to borrow money from those family members to feed his addiction.
I see the church and God are important to you. My own belief is that God is never likely to send us a burning bush or other such sign as a way to stop us gambling or “see the light”. What he might do is put a GA meeting in our area or guide us to a site like this. Then it’s up to us as to whether we use the support he has sent us.
I hope to see you posting again soon, I hope you use the support that you have here and elsewhere.
Brilliant poem and strategy vera, nice one.
