Many of us did not think we had a gambling problem until the money ran out.
Even when others told us we had a gambling problem, we were convinced that we were right and the world was wrong. We used this belief to justify our self-destructive or gambling behavior.
We developed a point of view that enabled us to pursue our gambling without concern for our own well-being or that of others.
But we began to feel that gambling was killing us long before we could ever admit it to anyone else.
We noticed that if we tried to stop gambling, we couldn’t.
We suspected we had lost control over gambling and had no power to stop.
Certain things followed as we continued to gamble.
We became accustomed to a state of mind common to addicts.
We forgot what it was like before we started gambling;
We acquired strange habits and mannerisms;
we forgot how to work; we forgot how to play;
we forgot how to express ourselves and show concern for others;
we forgot how to feel; we forgot how to live life.