Hi Malcolm.
Just to say I agree with your post on Vera’s thread. Who would deliberately “self inflict” this addiction? I am pleased to read you are thinking of going back to church. I get so much from my faith…although not so much from my church!!.
Choosing the right church is important- we blame ourselves enough without feeling God is blaming us too. Some churches have gambling support groups. i did an on-line course called “setting captives free”. I found and still find it really helpful.
People would call this fanciful but i believe that God intervened and removed all my internet access in one day- an otherwise perfect phone with an internet app that won’t open and a broken laptop. The moment I realised I thanked God! I needed that complete”fast” from the internet to break the spell of gambling.
Look how we have survived Malcolm.. We have survived poverty, shame, self loathing etc, and we are still here, not only surviving but full of hope for the future. Surely God has carried us when we could no longer walk!