Very touching read.
Steev hits the nail on the head perfectly. He explains when he relapsed he did not lose as much as he did the time before and he eventually stopped altogether.
My story is different, I have never been a compulsive gambler and so don’t know how bad it is. But from reading your posts it sounds like a right problem to beat.
But at the end of the day, we are all here because of similar stories and that’s horrid losses. I may be wrong, but I doubt you get winning players who sign up to this site. That tells you everything you want to know. There are no winning players. All of us have lost and all of us admit we have a problem.
I decided I needed help after playing the slots for over 40 years. How I’m beating my addiction is to write about how I feel when I have the urge. Writing a journal is definitely helping me and the odd time I have had the urge, I just simply open up my journal on here, or the other journal that’s a bit more personal on my iPad. I believe WillPower is my answer and I know the worst is yet to come. Mind you I’m now 1 month and 5 days slot free and no meetings in sight. I decided the best way to help myself was to tell everyone that I was addicted to slot machines and had been for 41 years. I told everyone I spoke to and I also told them I was in the process of stopping by letting them know how long it had been since my last slot machine play. It’s working for me because I feel I’m not just letting myself down but everyone I told to. So I have the added pressure not to fail.
So think about writing or starting a journal and write about it daily if you want. Anything to stop that urge. Will power and writing are what’s stopping me from falling back into my habit.
Don’t think I have no problems either so it’s easier. I lost my daughter 8 months ago tomorrow along with my in laws in the past 13 months to. I’m classed as 40% disabled after a routine back op went wrong leaving me living with severe Chronic Back Pain which I am heavily medicated. Top that off with losing my mum and fighting to keep my special needs brother out of the care system along with fighting with the courts for mums house so my special needs brother can remain in the house. How I do not fall back into my addiction every day is literally a miracle. I have a shit load to deal with on a daily basis and if I can still be slot machine free during all the above, then I believe in you and everyone on this forum. You MUST fight and if you think you are going to relapse, open this post and think to yourself, if Plaza can stop under that enormous pressure, then I certainly can try harder. That goes to everyone who reads this. 41 year addiction combined with 41 years of depression and if I can stop then there’s no excuse for anyone else, I mean that.
Good luck with your journey my friend, I wish you all the luck in the world.
Plaza