Hi
I have been a member of this forum for nearly two months now , in that time i have remained totally Gamble free . I used to post as the only way is up , but somebody had that name first ,with all the letters joined together !! so to avoid confusion i changed my user name . to all at sea .
In the past seven weeks , i have come to terms with my addiction , and understand more as to why i used to gamble . Everybody is different , but i really do have an addictive personality . [ be it gambling , women [ in the past , when i was a full time entertainer ] , and binge drinking . plus computer gaming three times i have been addicted to that .
Today i had my third counselling session , via gam care , and i spoke about where i am atm . as i posed a question here last night [ via the chat line ] stating , that i had started to binge drink, [ a couple of days a week ] and play a free computer game on my phone for long periods of time to fill the void . i don't work in the days much , due to my careers , its mainly nights . so gambling was to relieve boredom in the main part . But also i have [ due to my gambling ,had no relationship's for 16 years [ out of choice , and situation ]. i have a" friend " who is a lot younger than me and we used to go out , but that ground to a halt this year ,hence my intensified destructive gambling this year , I've spent more in other years , but as a percentage more this year than any other .
So my points are , has anybody gained a secondary addiction after quitting gambling ? [ btw I've never smoked or taken any drugs ever ] and does the point about my isolated life , wasting my life away hoping for a relationship with someone who is not interested , or any similar experience , has that made people gamble .?
Clearly i have a self destruct mode .this year i went full on into gambling and just chased wins that never came ,because i was depressed , BTW i lost more money in Pubs on there Machines [ under the influence ] which i had never gambled on for 20 odd years , than in the Bookies , they the pub ones are very destructive £1 a go . soon adds up , and they actually tell you in three spins or so you are Guaranteed to get on the win board or something , it really needs looking into .
ACTION ... I avoid all my local pubs now , i have excluded myself from where i used to Binge drink which was just one place my local club ., i emailed the developers of the I phone game i play ,stating i wish for my self to be blocked and all my data deleting , and i have been advised to , only reply to the girl who is not interested in me on my terms , and to start focusing on my interests ,and career .
It can only be that way , i have not got much atm but i do have money in my pocket [ literally ] .
If anybody reading this , writes down what your triggers are , or if any of the above resonates . then it may point somebody in the right direction . As I've mentioned in my posts , I've had a few lightbulbs go off reading stuff on here , i understand my posts are a rambling mess , as i type like i talk , but my intentions are sincere .
If anybody can decipher this , good luck . and keep strong , i feel a lot better than seven weeks ago . but its one day at a time .
Hi AllAtSea,
Having had time to reflect on your post of yesterday, regarding special section for pillars of wisdom in hindsight i think i probably misread your suggestion or intentions and over reacted. I'm a compulsive gambler & spent most of my life making bad choices & getting things wrong. I now know your intention was not to form a separatist group which other members could be excluded from. Please accept my humble apologies & i hope you find your journey of peace, hope and freedom from addiction soon.
Best Wishes
AL
Hi All at sea. I am also similar to you as when I stopped gambling I started to binge drink and other not so good ways to escape. I have been gambling free for 46 days now but I am finding it hard to stop the drink binges and self gratification. I used to play a lot of games when I was younger. I went to Gordon Moody Rehab a long time ago and stayed gambling free for 4 or 5 years. I didn't drink as much when I finished rehab. I feel that all my demons and stuff that affect me in the past I got rid of and talked it through with a Counsellor at the rehab. I feel when we have to much stuff to deal with our bodies feels it needs to shut off and escape. In the last couple of years I haven't been dealing with the things I should be like people close to me passing away and my wife and kids and all life problems. I was told by my counsellor that you need to get rid of the Sh#t from the past and work through it and deal with daily stuff on a day to day basis and this is what I did before and Im trying to again. Try new things like getting fitter and new hobbys to fill the free time you will have.
All the best and I hope this helps.