The withdrawls are the hardest for any addiction in the first few weeks because ultimately we’re getting a constant dopamine hit from whatever we’re doing. Once you take away that source that creates that chemical we feel empty,sad, depleted, emotional, more self aware which is why the guilt and shame are so high. We have to allow are brains to create there own chemicals again. Some people get medical help at this time for this reason especially with substance related withdrawals. It’s a little different coming down off a behavior addiction but not much. Ultimately it’s a matter of forcing ourselves to withstand the discomfort. There is no shame in asking for professional help during this time either. I’m not going to promise life will 100% be better because the fact is we’re human. And many of us addicts come from extreme trauma, mental health issues and dysregulated emotional responses to life so ya its gonna suck sometimes. But one thing that gets better is our ability to function without the added stress of our addiction. The fog gets lifted the blinders are off so we cope better. Learn better ways to manage stressful life situations. And with gambling addiction recovery we have financial security again. Ultimately money is a resource for our survival if we mess with it in a way that’s destructive we aren’t respecting it the way it should be. I’ve had to teach myself to love and respect money just like I had to teach that for myself as well. Glad to see you posting 🙂
