[paul315]

Originally posted by paul315
…  I have looked into reserving a room but have been having trouble getting the conference reduced rate …

Bettie, I am more of an Internet person than phone person, I even only carry my cell once day a week, when my daughter is picking me up at the "bus stop"; I only do it to keep her from worrying. (And when traveling away from home, like the past couple of days, I go tired of sitting around and went to Memphis to see the pandas and polar bears — the polar bears at the St Louis zoo died and they are building a new area before replacing them; and of course the panda or only at a few locations other than China. My granddaughter always talks about her visit here, so I came to see what they saw; bears are an interesting animal (and I don’t mean "da Bears" lol).
So my efforts to book a room has been online through the hotel link. Let me know what end the problem is on.
Have a good day.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by bettie

…  here is the info Larry posted to Carole …

Good morning Bettie,
As you know from my post to Carole I am thinking about the conference in Chicago. There is one in KC in February that I am also thinking about and most likely will not be able to attend both; but the Chicago one might just win out.
I wont trying to get fit for the convention, I am what I am, but my doctor told me to lose 6 pounds by my next visit in a few weeks — I too need to loose a whole lot more; but this week-end I gained 6, not I have to loosed 12.
I posted to Carole and Reds to try to enter the registration page address, http://www.gachicago.org/Conferences/2012%20Conference/2012_Registration_Form%20FINAL.pdf, directly. I have looked into reserving a room but have been having trouble getting the conference reduced rate at the hotel, I don’t know if it is too early to get that rate or if all the slots or already taken but I will keep trying and may have to book at the higher rate; I do hope to attend.
God’s speed. Stay strong.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by bettie
… Don’t give up! Someone is thinking about you and is worried about you tonight. Lean on that love …

Good morning Bettie,
Or hopefully good evening if you are reading this this evening and not too much later. If you are reading it when you get home after work or your GA meeting, you are realizing the the truth in the words that you posted to Franklar, and accepting it as being the truth for you also.  In the time of stress it is not good to give up on what can help you through it, it is not good to return to something that will only bring on more regrets, pain, and stress.
Lean on the love that you find in others that care, lean of the love that you are beginning to feel for yourself. You do not need to escape from the adversities of live, and you do not need to join in with others if they feel a need to entrap you to accompany them at something that will harm you.  Stay home, go to a meeting, do something positive.  Don’t give up, take ownership of your actions and the ways that you have to deal with problems.
God’s speed. Stay strong. 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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by vera

Hi Larry!
If my calculation is correct, today would be your 29th month anniversary …

Thanks Vera for the post, and various suggestions and reminder.
You are right today is Month 29 for me living gambling free. And I do mention my last day gambled, August 13, 2009, in each of the welcoming post that I make to new members as part of my introduction; an introduction that I borrowed from my Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
August 12, 2009 was the last day of my oh-so-many "attempts" to stop gambling, and the day I joined GT. On that day I felt so relieved that I found a site that I could use as an example of my seeking help to strengthen a criminal defence for writing an overabundant amount of hot checks; I was so happy with another chance to lie and deceive that I went out experienced my worst "relapse" and gambled all night long, digging myself in ever deeper, and heading out the door with the only thought of a way in ending my gambling was to end my life.
That morning, August 13, 2009, was a day the I did not have idea of true recovery, or of adversities or thoughts of any milestones ahead of me; it was only the day that I changed direction, a day that I had finally had Enough, and a day that I decided living was better than stepping into the path of an oncoming train — and a fear of surviving the planned "accident".  And living meant no more gambling, living only meant doing everything and anything to not gamble again whereby placing myself back into an abyss of torment and unhappiness. Thankfully, I looged back onto GT, was introdiuced to GA, and so far, I have been able to do what is necessary for me to live; I have not gambled for anything (that is, have not gambled because of temptations, urges, problems or adversities, and not even in celebration of happy events), nor have I gambled for nothing (that is just for the hell of it).
The quote I used from Colin’s bio in my recent post to his past Anniversary topic fits into my life, and would be a good inspiration for each struggling with the addiction of compulsive gambling to add to their way of thinking; "I haven’t had a bet in a while but whats far more important than when my last bet was, is when my next bet is going to be. Hopefully the answer will remain as "not today". (not even on a Friday the 13th)
And yes you can make coffee by placing the grounds in a pot of boiling water; it is the way I started drinking it way back when I was a Boy Scout camping out on the colder days — strong, black, and no sugar. However, I have advanced from those "cattle drive" type days of boiling beans that  you see in old westerns, and from the skimping during the end of my gambling days; I now enjoy coffee brewed in a more flavorful manor — but still am not a "Starbuck’s" or gourmet connoisseur.
This is the first year that the cold hand condition has advance to prolonged pain and discomfort; before now the fingers only got stinging cold after a time in freezing temperatures and returned to normal after warming.  It this does keep up I know that it will require some type of medical attention, and alternative medicine might be the thing to do. Thanks.
And as for Friday the 13th, it was a good movie, scary and all (and Saturday the 14th was a funny parody), and the 13th is a day and number that strikes fear in many; but for me, Thursday the 12th is the scary one, it is when we start to think about the 13th.
God’s speed.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by paul315… After reading a post by paul1day, and like him, I would like to say "that my post are for me", so forgive me if I seam to carry on. This is not to say that I am not seeking your help, I read these post all the time and, again paraphrasing paul1, "graciously accept all the help I receive here" and deeply appreciate your comments that give me further insight, help and encouragement.

Good afternoon,
I am setting around waiting for a delivery (I miss the part of my old apartment being in a complex where the building manager would sign for deliveries) cooking and listening to music on the radio. I am also spending more time than usual reading different post, even some of my own first ones that the above paragraph was taken. I found that my recognition of a need for help from others, and the benefit to be found in my posting to others as if posting to me started in the beginning. Replies as if all of "My post are for me" still seems to be a good way for me to learn and gain further insight and encouragement. So again I ask you to forgive any of my carrying on; my carrying on to others does help me to carry on in my journey.
While I carry on in replies to other, updates to this my main topic are not that frequent. One reason being that my life in general is uneventful.  Don’t get this wrong, "uneventful" is a good thing for me even if it may carry a negative message to others; I do have a different way of looking at things.  A good friend of mine and I that do not see each other quite as often as before, and even when we did, use this term also to let each other know that all is OK, that the trip went OK, that a certain event went on OK, that life has been good without incident, etc.  We are both of the same mindset that everyday events and enjoyments represent what is to be expected and therefor uneventful, just normal — waking up to smell the roses or coffee is the way things are meant to be. Unfortunately this outlook on life, and the reasons, was substituted and suppressed when I was active with my addiction, and he with his as an AA was active in his; but now are both enjoying all the uneventful things of life, and properly dealing with the less enjoyable and sad eventful things that must be included in the adventure of living.
A few here encourage me to be more open and informative about my adventures in life, but now that I am living gambling free, uneventful things are again back to the status quo and I just fail to take the time to talk about them to others; thinking that they are like my other friend, they know that things are OK. I am not a private person, I still post about some of the more enjoyable events and even thing that I have problems with, it is just that my post to others allows me to journal my feeling concerning the problems, and talking about all the good would take too much time. But I have a lot of time today so I will carry on with venting, babbling, and just typing about what comes to mind.
At my GA meeting last night the reading started out being about the "why me" questions that seam to hold people back from accepting the facts about our addiction; instead of addressing the issues, we ask why we were "singled out". Here again with my taking a different view on things, I see it as a different question. I did not see my "why me" as an accusing question, I saw it as relating to the question "Why Me Lord, What Have I ever Done to Deserve Even One of the Blessing You Give", not what have I done to deserve problems, heartaches, and adversities. For me looking at things form different and more positive angles makes negative things look better and less controlling or threatening.
Before I am interrupted by my expected delivery I will carry on a little more about the delivery, a mild medical intrusion on my life, and maybe even about one of the uneventful happenings.  My medical condition is not serious as many other here have talked about, more of a nuances and discomfort, but one that I am being reminded of as I type. For quite a few years I have been experiencing the effects of what is know as Raynaud’s phenomenon, a condition that affects the arteries and is marked by brief episodes of a narrowing of the blood vessels. This causes my fingers to swell. itch, and be sensitive to touch. My fingers get cold even with heavy gloves and in the past the only sign was purplish fingernails, red fingertips and a a burning-cold feeling. However the past few weeks it has progressed to the itching and sensitivity symptoms. And the best cure and prevention, unless it gets to serious, is to not let them get cold, even when handling food, and to use a lot of itching relief ointment.
The delivery that I am expecting is a new coffee maker (I do almost all of my shopping online). The other morning my old one just did not work, and for the past few days I have been drinking cola for my morning pick-me-up, it is not the same, and knowing that I am sharing a "cupa" with others here is not the same either; their presence is felt, but the aroma and taste of their brew does not make it through cyberspace.  This is just another very mild inconvenience that I am facing, nothing the keeps be awake, no pun intended, but it is a reminder of part of one of the 20 Questions that was asked when I first joined GA; "13. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?". Nearing the end on my gambling binges I would hold on to every penny just to gamble, I started skimping on the amount of coffee required to brew a good cup, started reusing grounds, and yes, even took coffee packets home from different places, I was doing anything to keep from spending a few gambling dollars on a can of coffee. Now in a little while, I plan to make me a cup and enjoy a delayed wake up to the smell of coffee, and continue doing anything to keep be from having to answer such question in the affirmative again.
The last part of my post will be about the enjoyments of an uneventful occasion, or occasions. My daughter just recently "friended" me on her Facebook page, this is something that I did not give much thought too, either at the notice, except for the good feeling of being included in her thoughts, or the time that I was not a "friend"; I didn’t know that I wasn’t, so it made no difference and both ways was only a natural way of those living in a type of a reality-show episode. I have peeked in on occasions to some pages, but never poked, ???, anyone or replied to notices that some one had poked me. I did join when FB first started to reserve claim to my "moniker" used on most all sites.  Like I said, this was an uneventful, yet satisfying, event that I would really talk about. Except, now that the initial pleasing feeling is part of everyday life, I am also a little disappointed that I am a FBF. I do not want to know about what she is finding "uneventful" in her life, some of the things that I have read, and as a father presumed to be too much for my little girl to be involved in — she was 8 when I left, and is now 15, going on ?. I am only talking about her piercings and posing with cigarettes, and "with a boy", but still not what I would particularly like to see and admit to as her growing up. She also has accounts of the little girl things that she still does, and talk about her what-"I"-considered-to-be-normal interest, so I guess I should just not look at the other things to harshly and be grateful that I am a friend when I can not be a father in residence.  She does show an amazing talent and imagination in the photos see post, and an amazing beauty, reminiscent of her mother’s looks, in the ones of her; and thanks to seeing her talent and reading about her interest on FB I was able to give her a better lens for her camera. All in all, all is good and all is OK, i.e., uneventful in her and my life.
Well another coincidence just happened, I am through posting to my page, and FedEx just arrived. Off for a nice "hot" cuppa to invigorate me and warm my hands while I take a look at my daughter’s FB page and cringe.
God’s speed to all. Thanks for your ear.
Larry

Thanks to my Higher Power, My 3G’s – God, GA, and GT,  "Day Two Is Another Day Behind" and with the help from all , I will continue to remain gambling free.– 1/11/2012 2:43:44 PM: post edited by paul315.

[paul315]

Bettie,
I am sorry for your loss. May God be with your and your family at this time of need.
Larry

[paul315]

Originally posted by bettie… – I know don’t defend him-but …
he said he understood … He told me not to feel bad …

Bettie, my replies normally pertain to gambling problems, and I know that personal problems and gambling are connected and can not be readily separated. With this being the case the thoughts I have on your defending your "friend" are questions ask about your recovery from gambling; If a casino PR man, "another friend", called you being sympathetic to your breaking up with the them, saying that they understand and for you to not to feel bad because your had abandoned them, that they knew they did not provide what you were looking for and that you only stayed with them in the past and let them screw you over because you were a nice person, (And in reality saying, we have a heart, but only for ourselves;  start thinking that we can do better, give us another chance now that you know how nice and carrying we are, believe that what little you are getting from us is worth all we are taking — come back to us), what would you think? Would you think that your rational thoughts and their proven poor record was perhaps completely wrong, that the BS that they were feeding you to win you over was the real truth after all?  Or would you see through their hidden agenda and hang up?  
I firmly believe that you would hang up and might even change your number, that you would not fall for the "nice guy" BS again.  I would even think that you would even use the same reasoning with any type "friend", and not let their BS sway you either.  Following the Steps and what you learn in working on recovery from gambling, can help you in other decisions too. 
I know that the advertising and promotions are only to win over every single person so that they can have their way with them; and I am pretty sure that your "friends" motives run alone the same lines. Neither of these opinions just happen to me mine, they were part of my life. I experienced the temptations of the casinos and the smooth talk that they provided; and alas, when I was in my "sowing-wild-oats" days (a cliche of justification too kind for my actual acts) I would say anything to win over the affection of an unsuspecting soul, I would put up will all of the complaining and demanding for a different type relationship as long as it was said afterwards when I was on my way out not caring in the least what they were saying — as long as they got over it and took me back whenever I felt like it.   This is not judging your "friend", it is however, right or wrong lumping him in the category of being a "dog" based on what I have seen when running in the pack.   BTW, I am no longer that person, but know that the pack still runs loose.
Well these are only my thoughts, and I hope that if I came to you with a similar scenario and said that this nice guy (gambling) was winning me back over by being nice and showing that they had a heart, that you would try to bring me to my senses and have me look deeply into what was really taking place and what the outcome and consequences would be. 
God’s speed. Stay strong.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by bettie
… I did get told …

Good morning Bettie,
Sometimes we do need to be told somethings, and I can come across as telling others things, however, for you to leave with an "I’ve been told" feeling is not very helpful; and is also a feeling I do my best not to plant, and sincerely hope that anything that I post is not perceived in that matter, even when asserting "tuff love", something that I do not see your statement as representing.  Perhaps, and hopefully so, it was said with good intentions or to encourage you, and hopefully I am not judging other’s actions with my viewpoint, but for anyone to be labeled as not working on their recovery because they had a relapse, of have not done what somebody else thinks, in my opinion may be too much of a gap between any good intended and the hurt felt. Continue to work on your recovery, work on the principles of recovery without regards to the personalities that invoke any strike judgemental views, instead of caring guidance, and try to see their efforts in only the caring light.
There is a difference between abstaining and recovery, but I do not see anyone acting out on the desire to quite gambling over a period of time merely abstaining. Foe one, abstaining is only giving something up for a time, recovery on the other hand is a continuing process that you, I, and others here have been diligently working on; we have not just logged on or attended meetings letting it end there, ending at only being content at being stuck with just abstaining; on the contrary we have been working towards our living gambling free, we have been taking action and making progress. The time of living gambling free accumulated by us grows more and more  because of how much we work recovery rather than just by the time since our last bet (taken form a past post by Colin, The Ledge of abstinence.)
God’s speed. Stay strong. Continue to work on your recovery, and on not gambling for anything.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by vera
Today,in Ireland it is " Little Christmas"! Otherwise known as "Nollag na mBan"-(women’s Christmas) …

Tody in New Orleans is "12th Night" otherwise know for the first official parade of the Mardi Gras season. Tonight a club known as the Phorty Phunny Phellows (many more than forty, and including gals — "Revelers na mBan", I would think —  as well) will "parade" and party while riding on the Street Cars that operate in the city.
And of course, as you point out true meaning of the Epiphany comes from accepting the opportunity and gift of change that was given at Christmas.
This lessor celebration for recognizing the coming of Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, is however something that can be experienced by those that are not held prisoner by addictions; one of the many minor gifts that can be enjoyed today. But alas, I am here in Saint Louis resting up form a day at work and not at play, yet still being comforted by the Light.
God’s speed. Stay strong. Stay guided by the Light of your higher Power, and of your recovery. 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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by Carolyn
… If I had three wishes …
 

Good morning Carolyn, my name is Larry and I am a compulsive gambler, my last bet was August 13, 2009. Welcome to GT, a place where you will find that you are not alone when it comes to the problems and consequences of you gambling, and are also not alone in working on recovering form this baffling and insidious addiction of compulsive gambling.
Your topic title and parts of your sharing looks as though they could come from a Dear Abby column, and I am pretty sure that the advice in that reply would be for you to move on with your life also. Your ex-husband has found something that he may have been searching for anyhow, and you have found that his and your love was not as strong as your addiction.  Here and in most recovery rooms we have another term, one we use for our addiction but can apply to all aspects of our lives as well; "Let go and let God"; moving on takes more strength than we can find in just ourselves, or in the advice from others.
As for the wishes, the key part of the statement is "if", "if only" is something that many, including myself, hold onto for many reasons; the ifs, wishing, and just hoping for something to happen, or not to have happened, is a good way to express regrets, but is also something that only holds us back in living life, and is definitely not something to use in recovery.  In recovery such wishing keeps us form the actual doing; in recovery we have to "do", we have to take actions to make changes and work on the ways and means to make the changes work for us — Recovery works if we work it, it don’t if we wont.
However, part of your last wish can be realized, you can live a more happy ever-after-life by living it gambling free, a CG can not gamble for anything; gambling for us only destroys us more and separates us from even more things and people. In working of recovery and changing the character flaws that the addiction feeds on, we can once again be happy and be the person that we were meant to be, we do not have to just wish for this.
Keep coming back here and using all of the services that GT offers, learn from the mistakes of others, and yourself, and just as important, from the success that many experience for a greater part of their recovering process; recovery is a process to guide us in living a more normal way, it is not a plan for achieving perfection. Set up barriers to help you overcome the urges or temptations that will ***** during this journey, barriers that will give you time to think rationally before gambling again, and ones that will provide you with quality gambling free time that will allow for any of the needed changes to take place.
God’s speed, use your Higher Power to guide and strengthen you.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by debeaux

I drive 2 hours one way to gamble ….
For Debeaux. 
But first a word to Jen; Well done of reaching this Two Week Milestone, well don on keeping coming back and taking actions to combat this addiction.   Also, thanks for the words you post that caused Debeaux to use your topic page as a fist post; I hope that he will find even more encouragement in the post and continue to work on his recovery.
Good morning Debeaux, my name is Larry and I am a compulsive gambler, my last bet was august 13, 2009. Welcome to GT, a place where you can find much help in your journey, a journey that might take a continuing series of more or less 2 hours of your time a lot of days; and this too is also a one way journey, but one that will pay off, not represent great losses.
Another drive that might help you is one to a live meeting that will provide even additional help. One such place is Gamblers Anonymous, a meeting that I take my introduction form, and one that I and many others use in our recovery. There are also other groups such as community and church programs, and counselling services that help with addictions, look one up and use this type of live help. Keep coming back here and using all of the services GT has to offer, the chat rooms and the forums. To use the forums it would help you and the other members if you started you own topic to keep a journal of your actions and progress. You should have received an email explaining this, but information can also be found in the first parts of this forum.  Use all the help you can get; you have to go after recovery, it does not come to you.
God’s speed, use your Higher Power to guide and strengthen you. 
Thanks for the use of your topic Jen. 
 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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by blueelvis888
… If any body has the time to tell me why they gamble , I would love to know that reason as I cannot see why I should gamble anymore ?
Good morning Elvis,
Well done on making it this far abstaining from gambling, it is a good start for a lifetime of living gambling free. You can’t change the first part of your lifetime, but you surly can change the rest of it.
You ask why others gamble, hopeful in asking you are encouraging them to review their actions so as to make them see the error of their ways like you now see yours, and not in hopes to find new reasons for you to gamble. But the reasons a CG gambles makes no difference and has no point when we are in action; the reasons that we manufacture are only weak justifications for our wrong doing.
However, when in recovery, when we are making good use of the gambling free time that abstaining gives us, we might need to look at the real reasons that we want to disregard all logical thinking and cause harm to ourselves and those around us. In doing this we are not actually looking for the reasons we gambled, but we are taking a fearless inventory of our lives to see what character flaws we need to change, the character flaws that an addiction feeds on that causes us to use gambling as an escape, a futile search for elusive dreams, or just for the temporary and destructive thrill or entertainment.  One of the charismatics of a CG is that they have a subconscious desire to punish themselves; this is why we need to know what triggers our addiction. We really do not need to know the why we gamble.
Keep up your good work, use your time of abstaining to work on the changes that are needed in your life. Keep asking questions and searching for answers for anything related to gambling and recovery, answers to things that will help you in recovery. Being aware of our problem, of ourselves, and the solutions to our problems, is HOW recovery will work in our lives — being Honest, Openminded, and Willing to take action on what we learn.
God’s speed. Stay strong. Keep aware.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by Amyyy

Well its been like a month and no gambling …

Good morning Amy,
One month, wow that is really good – good on ya!’; and although 30 days may look like a short time, it is more than a small victory, it is one of many great ones that will allow you to reach higher milestones.
And you are right, its all about living a more normal and better way wo life – "finding little activities that give ya a little happy buzz"; and you don’t even have to look for them. In living gambling free the good things of life and different activities that were suppressed before seem to come alive once again.
Well done.
God’s speed. Stay strong, keep the barriers in place.
 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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by bettie

Originally posted by paul315

… I have yet to figure out what to say to my sponser …

Good evening Bettie,
Being right or wrong about an opinion is not important, the opinions of others do their best in getting other to think and encouraging to do what is right in their actions. You are now faced with another action that needs to be taken head on and will use the same source of my previous reply to respond to your new post.
A sponsor is some one to turn to, someone to listen to you without judgement, and is there to help you work out problems and follow a path that is already laid out.  Ask her to help you in overcoming the character traits of a CG that are holding you back form being the person that you are meant to be; ask her to help you work the Steps which are a program of recovery. Perhaps giving a little more attention to the fearless inventory required of Step 4, in asking for for shortcomings to be removed in Step 7, and the ability to "Let go and let God" in working Step 11. All the steps are tied together in some fashion so in working these Steps "out-of-order" you are also working the others. (Hopefully there is not a presumed sequence and power-based demand of adherence of your sponsor to follow the Steps in order if you have not worked on these Steps before now — and with you being a member of GA over the past year, you have had to have worked on all the Steps in some fashion, and are now refining and  enforcing the previous actions that you have taken. In my thinking, the only Step that needs to be taken in strict order is Step 1, and Step 12 does speak of "Having made an effort to practice these principles" giving advice about us not sacrificing our own recovery to try to help others.  Even page 17 of the Combo Book that speaks of working the Steps, ask us to "Read the Steps often" and to "practice" them; there is no restrictions as to the order.)
I don’t think of these actions of being right or wrong, only a logical course to consider and take.
God’s speed. Stay strong. Keep aware.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 will continue to remain gambling free.

[paul315]

Originally posted by Reallydumb

I am 53 and have ruined my life …Help!!!!
 
 
Larry

Thanks to my Higher Power, My 3G’s – God, GA, and GT,  "Day Two Is Another Day Behind" and with the help from all , I will continue to remain gambling free.
Good afternoon RD, my name is Larry and I am a compulsive gambler, my last bet was August 13, 2009. Welcome to GT, a place where "Reallysmart" people come to find help and work at the ways and means to stop their compulsive gambling and renew a life ruined by an addiction, not by them, but by a baffling and insidious  compulsive addiction to gambling.
You may find yourself in a situation that you feel is unique or one where others fail to grasp the seriousness of you position, but in the long run you will find that you are not alone, that others have experienced mush the same predicaments that you find yourself facing. The only difference could be that they have accepted that they had to do something different and not just hold onto old ways that did not work or ones that they refused to follow; they had to become Honest, Openminded, and Willing to make changes in their lives, and work at a recovery program that would afford them the opportunity to live a more normal way meeting the real standards of Life, not just arbitrary standards of an organization or profession.
For a compulsive gambler there are only two viable alternatives, "to gamble, risking progressive deterioration or not to gamble, and develop a better way of life". Once we are willing to accept that we are compulsive gambling and that our lives have become unmanageable, that in most all aspects of our lives gambling has caused growing, continuing, and progressive problems for us and those around us, the alternatives come down to just the one thing; not to gamble for anything.  Of course this is also where other choices come into play, choices that are more complicated and more numerous. However, these hard choice are what will make the difference in your future, not someone finding out your secret.
I would think that any standards for ethical behavior would include participating is activities that supported monitoring and broadening the development of the standards in your life, and ways to show others how to overcome any shortcomings that they could be facing by sitting another type of example.  Reaching out for help and participating in the programs that provided that help should not be looked on as a failure or denial of the responsibilities entrusted to you. I would also think that any sanctions of not practicing the high moral or ethical standards would include a requirement to seek out help before any out and out dismissal.  Your clients are like most other people, they are forgiving, they are also aware that some of the best advice comes from advisers that have faced problems and are still successful. Your success in your career is shown not only by what you have acquired, but by what others have. Any different arrangement you have to make in your lifestyle or home only shows that you are able to make needed adjustments to continue to be successful.  Paying off your debts may not come easy and could take more time than you would like before being able to clime back up the latter once again, but this obligation in no more than a large loss incurred through losing out on legitimate dealings that successful businessmen have to also face. In that loss you learn from and make changes in the way you invest, in the losses from gambling you make changes in your character and attitude and the way you live.
Having a successful practice in financial planning you most likely also have health insurance to cover emotional or psychological problems as well as other medical ones; check into the provisions that covers these areas and seek the profession help that you might need. Although a problem here might be the same one that you faced in your other attempts at therapy, your reluctance to accept the type of help offered and probably needed. And your coming here carries the same type problem, you must be willing to do what is necessary, but keep coming back and participation in the forums and chat rooms, work at gaining the strength and courage that you need to go forward with your recovery before any more damage can be caused.
God’s speed, use your Higher Power to guide and strengthen you.– 1/5/2012 12:20:39 AM: post edited by paul315.

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