I’m sure if you have read other stories on the forum you have an idea of what you need to do to get away from this behaviour. In a nutshell it is a) lose access to the places where you gamble. b) lose access to the means of gambling – i.e. stop the supply of money. c) find alternative ways of keeping busy so you don’t have the time to gamble and d) get as much support for yourself as possible.
Now with a big sum of money coming your way – there is a challenge with b) and I wonder if there is some-one else that can manage your finances for you until you are strong enough to do this yourself. If not then I strongly suggest that you pay off as much as you can afford and put any money left into an account which is difficult to access. The more barriers in the way the better. Carry as little money on you as possible – just what you need from day to day.
I too was living in a town where slots were all over – including next door. In the end I decided to sell up and move elsewhere because I knew that the temptation there was too strong. I also was up front with any new friends that I made there about my problem – so that they wouldn’t “lure” me into a difficult situation (invitations to casinos etc.)
As regards to d) you might want to check this out
Restoration Gamblers’ Anonymous.
7:00 PM
Emmannuel Community
46 Rosalino Street
Port-of-Spain
Trinidad, West Indies
I wish you well.