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    • #12031
      williame
      Participant

      Today I feel I made real progress treating my complusive gambling disease. Made connection with a coach today that I feel  gets it and going to my 1st consultation on Saturday. 19 days gamble free living one day at a time, today was a very good day, made this thread so myself and hopefully others will gain something by reading and posting on it. Going to GA once a week currently in search for the right treatment for me.

    • #12032
      williame
      Participant

      Nothing feels better than to start the new year gamble free. With a commitment to treatment and a desire to be free of this gambling addiction, a bright future is now possible. Want to thank my therapist and those here on this site for all your help, I wouldnt be 4 months gamble free without your help and guidance. Happy New Year everyone 🙂

    • #12033
      williame
      Participant

      I am now 5+ months gamble free. Thank you sherry123 for your response, it helped alot. What Im learning now and I hope it helps other CG’s is that I was very sick emotionally from abuse as a child from my mom. Now the gambling is gone, but all the years of pain and sadness are still there and now without the gambling to escape I am now forced to face a strong case of depression, which was the driving force behind my compulsive gambling (which i didnt realize till now). Trying to be patient and continue therapy, which helps. Im currently on an antidepressant (prozac 40mg) and it helps, but not that much. Will continue to work on myself to allieve this depression, any advice would be appreciated.

    • #12034
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Congratulations on your 5 months and then some. I thought long and hard before I replied because I’ve been struggling and I don’t feel qualified to help at this point. However, I feel we should share whatever tools we have to help each other. Lately, I’ve been reading a blog about changing our lives for the better. A lot of it revolves around behavioural change. It’s helping me, give it a shot, perhaps it will resonate with your too. http://www.changeblog.com. My best to you. RG

    • #12035
      bettie
      Participant

      Hi Williame,
      You have a valid point. When I started recovery I assumed, incorrectly, that my life would just get better overnight. How wrong I was!
      The good news is when we confront the past, "peal the onion" as it were, thats when real recovery begins. As we learn new coping tools we will find that gambling is not the fix we once thought it was, and we "grow up". 
      Most people find that the heavy urges seem to stop at the 6 month mark. Look how far you have come!
      bettie 

    • #12036
      williame
      Participant

      Thanks for the replies and advice 🙂 Feeling much better today, my therapist suggested cleaning my home to create a more positive living environment so i spent the entire day cleaning. Suprisingly, it helped quite a bit, and I suggest it to everyone 🙂

    • #12037
      vera
      Participant

      Congratulations on 5 G -free months William!
      Nothing will change the past. That is a common cliche, I know but I really question the value of dwelling on ***** that caused us hurt and pain. Some people become very fixated in past issues. This gives the past power over us. Another cliche, I know, but I have learned that the more I delved into the past, the more morbid my life seemed. Morbidity definitely drove me to gambling and as Neva rightly said, the side effects of the "cure" (gambling) were worse than the depression!
      I think it is good to revisit the past William. Look at it as if you are looking at pictures in a book,and when you have observed what you need to see, then turn the page and move on. Each chapter in our lives brings a new experience. Some good . Some bad. Some mediocre. Personally, I used gambling to blur out the pages I could not bear to look at, until the only page left was an empty blank.
      I have no words or no picture to describe that page! 
      From here on we can write the next chapter William, beginning with…
      "Today, I did not gamble!"
      I hope you regain your life as you enter the threshold of hope!

    • #12038
      neva
      Participant

      I agree…clutter in your house is clutter in your soul.  Maybe that’s why ‘spring cleaning’ is so important.  You’re doing great!

    • #12039
      williame
      Participant

      Id like to PROUDLY announce that I am now 6 months free from my gambling addiction! Its such a wonderful feeling to be free of this horrible addiction. I reflect back to where I began 6 months ago and am so blessed to find a great counselor who specializes in gambling addiction. Plan on celebrating my sobriety this weekend with my wife and 3 boys.

    • #12040
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Sending you transatlantic ‘champagne’ ………..thats brilliant, its your story and others that motivate me to work this evil away and outta my life. Love the fact the biggest please is your kids………
      Well done

    • #12041
      neva
      Participant

      Great news William!  6 months is amazing.  You deserve a celebration and all the better to share it with the ones you love most! I’m smiling and happy for you!  Sherry

    • #12042
      neva
      Participant

      That’s impressive! Over 7 months clean time!!!!  I’ve read a lot of threads where people are racking up the clean time and it’s something I never tire of reading.  You’re proof that it can be done.  I’m so happy for you!

    • #12043
      williame
      Participant

      Happy to check in and report I am 8+ months gamble free. As a reward to myself, I bought a Playstation 3 with the money I would of wasted on gambling, and it felt wonderful. Still off the prozac going med free, feeling better each day. Depression has lifted for @ a month now and am acomplishing much more. On break from my therapy for now, planning on sitting in on some GA meetings (since they are free) for maintenance.Thanks Neva for the kind remarks, Im proud of my sobriety, felt good to sleep thru the Kentucky Derby this year and have no wager on it 🙂
      Wishing everyone here at GT a happy gamble free day!

    • #12044
      adele
      Participant

      Williame,
      I see how my husband struggles with this addiction and how he resists getting the help he so desperately *****.  So it is very encouraging for me to see someone like you who is experiencing success and working all the harder because of it. Way to go!
      Adele
       
       "… should I give up or should I just keep trying to run after you when there's nothing there?"  Adele

    • #12045
      williame
      Participant

      Today marks 9 months gamble free!!! Celebrated with a vacation with my wife and 3 boys to Virginia. We had a wonderful time swimming, going to the zoo etc. In the grips of my addiction, Id be at an online poker table or at the racetrack. Instead, I had a week of laugher and joy with my family, and for that I am truly blessed. So happy to not feel the need for escapement thru gambling anymore. Recovery is there, you just have to be ready to surrender to this horrible addiction and face your underlying reasons that drive your desire to gamble. Life is so  much richer without gambling in it. I pray for everyone who still suffers from this addiction.

    • #12046
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Excellent progress, Williame!! Awesome !  Reading your progress reports really inspire me.  How wonderful that you’re able to enjoy a vacation to its fullest.  There are so many joys when we are present in our day to day life.  I like the sound of your counsellor and that he/she gives you homework to do.  I agree recovery is much more than just stopping or even staying stopped.  It’s relearning to live with vigor, enthusiasm and gratitude.  It’s discovering that life is truly much richer without gambling.  Keep going strong.  RG

    • #12047
      williame
      Participant

      Havent been here in awhile. Just wanted to update everyone that I am continuing to live a gamble free life of 11+months with my 1 year date coming up on 9/2. Been doing alot of vacationing with my wife and kids (getting ready to go camping as i type this) and living a clean gamble free life. Still get the occassional urge to play poker, but learned good lessons on how to put those in check. Simply not worth the risk of losing all I have. Dont miss the stress of my addiction and thru alot of very hard work i am enjoying the rewards. Got a little money saved in the bank, and am putting it to positive things. Hope all is well with everyone, and pray for those still in the grips of this horrible addicition that you find the courage soon to truly surrender to it like I did and seek proper counseling that works best for you.

    • #12048
      neva
      Participant

      That’s great news!  Thanks for coming to update and give hope to the rest of us that we too can find our path to a gamble free life.  You deserve all the great things happening to you!  Sherry
       

    • #12049
      williame
      Participant

      Wow, cant believe so much time has past since my last post. Just want everyone here to know I am still gamble free. Struggling with dealing with the stresses of life, but that’s just life. Hope all is well with everyone, and wishing everyone here sobriety from this horrible addicition.

    • #12050
      Anonymous
      Guest

      Well done Williame. It’s really uplifting to read success stories. It must be much better to face the struggles of life with a clear head, that with a mind fixated on gambling. Keep posting.. It’s success stories that motivate others, and help us realise it can be done.

    • #12051
      p
      Participant

      William congratulations

      That is an enormous victory to you over gambling… awesome stuff and it helps me believe i can do it

      P

    • #12052
      williame
      Participant

      Just realized that its been over 1 1/2 years since my last wager on 9/2/12. Havent been to therapy in a while, but I honestly don’t feel the need for it presently, and its not cheap (I spent several thousand on intense 1 on 1 therapy to find recovery from this horrible addiction). Must tell you though, I have had a harder time dealing with life’s “bad days” and find myself getting aggravated more by these things. Ive been told that I had gambling in the past to escape to from this, so I wouldn’t have to deal with these things in my past. Now, life without gambling is no easy walk in the park, its just better to live without gambling taking away from it. Have 2 vacations planned for my wife and three boys ages 7/5/2 now in April and August. We also bought our 1st new Dodge Caravan this week. These are things you can afford when gambling isn’t eating away at your finances. Wishing everyone still suffering to seek help like I did, with some genuine commitment and a good form of therapy you can actually recover from this addiction. Feel free to start at the beginning of this story, which I started back when I was in the very beginning of recovering from my gambling addiction. Wish everyone here the best and hoping me sharing my story helps someone.

    • #12053
      monique
      Participant

      Hi Williame
      Thank you for sharing your news. It is good to hear about progress being made and that this is possible even when things get tough and ‘temptation’ is strong.

      Very best wishes,

      Monique

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