See I don’t disagree with everyone all the time.
I don’t think its such a bad idea either. Too much responsibility at work nearly always leads us to bringing our work problems home, and it takes up our personal time.
I’ve heard people say that they grieve for the gambling when its gone from their lives. I used to agree with them and I thought I was grieving for it for years and years. Now I completely disagree with that. But I think there is a similarity. The similarity I think is that just like when we’ve suffered a bereavement, we have to accept that that person is gone, forever. Of course we will never ever “get over it” but we do learn to accept in time. The acceptance never happens immediately we do mourn and we do grieve bereavement is a horrible thing to have to contend with. I do understand what Laura says and I’ve met enough people in my life to know many do end up with an addiction after a bereavement, this is, I think because they can not accept the passing of a loved one, for some people it is just too hard to accept, the alternative to acceptance is to escape. The ones that do accept it after time be it a week or a month or years later are helped to accept it by knowing that the person who has gone from their life forever would not want them to be miserable or sad. They would want them to have a happy life and not to mourn forever.
I think where you have an ace up your sleeve IDI is that you accept the money you have gambled has gone forever. I think many people mourn the loss of that money, they cant get over it and throw themselves back into work not taking time off, working stupid shifts to replace that money. Again not really accepting but escaping. But it has gone.
To accept what you’ve done and what you’ve lost money wise is a very very hard thing to do.
So you will have to take a pay cut, so what. Your life will probably be a lot brighter, and happiness is worth a lot more than money.
Acceptance IDI, as you know is a huge part of recovery.
Don’t grieve for the gambling it is and always was shit, its never really made you happy, but maybe played a part in helping you to escape from rather than accept the unpleasantness in life, as you know its not all singing and dancing.