Irish Virus

Frito:

I'm glad you are loaded to the gills financially and that your gambling is equivalent to an old lady buying a lotto ticket. If you are not into high stakes gambling, then what type of gambling do you do if it is a problem? Horses, dogs, casinos, bingo? In my opinion, if you only throw a couple of bucks into the slot machines, then you are over exagerating your gambling problem. If you are betting 5K on a flip of a card, then you do have a problem. High stakes is a matter of degree for the wealthy like yourself.

Good luck in your endeavors. But remember,a drunk and his money soon part.

Chy

...just a suggestion, a lasagne frozen dinner after 10 beers before bed won't help with the weight problem... I know!

Pick-a-name

UGH!..I feel sick just thinking about it!

nwaa330

Sounds like we have similar situations. I drink between 9-12 miller lights a night. I also drink 1-3 glasses of wine on top of that per night. I never drink before 8pm. I like to gamble after drinking, but I never have the guts to take a risk without drinking, which makes gambling less attractive if sober. Lucky for me the closest casino is 2 hrs away. Last year I got a DUI which was a nightmare and a half (i suppose this result depends on what state you live in) hope this doesn't happen to you if you are driving to the casino. I also get the shakes a little in the morning. I am also nervous around people and I jump at load noises that I used to not even notice. I have had success while doing this to myself I got my BS with a decent gpa but probably a screwed up liver.

I think there are a lot of people in similar situations. I wonder if it isn't from an underlying problem that isn't even related to alcohol or gambling?

Poker Pro

Allow me to interject Frito, dude if your drinking a 12 pack every night you have an alcohol problem, plain and simple. If you don't think you have a problem, then I challenge you to go 2 weeks without a single beer.

I am in a somewhat similar situation as you when it comes to gambling, although I play poker and I don't nessecarily think of poker as "gambling" in the sense that blackjack, craps, slots, and all those games of chance.

I have won huge tournaments and made thousands in sessions when I'm sober only to get drunk and **** it all away at an online poker room. Luckily for me as well I am blessed with financial independance but that could all be gone if I let alcohol control my gambling. I play much higher limits when I drink and I make bad decisions.....I realize this.

With the advent of online casinos and poker sites, alcoholism and gambling have become easy to cohabitate with eachother. Each addiction is awful but alcohol is the fuel for gambling addiction in many people.

Don S

Let me suggest you (both frito and Poker Pro) read Sex, Drugs, Gambling, and Chocolate, by A. Thomas Horvath. He's the president of SMART Recovery. The book focuses on managing compulsive behavior, not just on substance abuse. The behaviors are interconnected, as you probably have figured out, and it's mostly a matter of managing the compulsion--not the substance.
Take care,

fraankie

fast forward yourself to recovery
GO TO AA, GA, and probabvly a few other A's

daddysgirl29

Wow - and here I thought my jumping at loud noises was nerve problems - taking after my dad who jumped at EVERYTHING! Hmmm...

I can't speak for everyone else, but I KNOW my underlying problem is depression. My first love killed himself when I was 20 (I'm now 38), and needless to say that things went downhill quickly after that. At least you got a decent GPA in school. I transferred to university after that (spent 2 years at a Community College on a softball scholarship), and my grades went from a 3.6 to a 1.8!! Yes, drinking the whole time to cover up the pain, only to have to deal w/ the real pain all this time later. I used to be a good social drinker; always the life of the party. Now I sit in seclusion and polish off wine. I can't wait to be sober for good!

Thanks, all, for sharing. I really appreciate it!!

nwaa330

You can always go back and retake the classes you didn't do well in and quickly boost your gpa. Besides many employers don't even look at it. I'm sure I've screwed up a lot of things in my life that you have excelled at.

Anyway I haven't had anything to drink in 48 hrs and I naturally feel better about myself. Alcohol is a deppressant right, if you stop using it you aren't going to be as deppressed.

Alcohol Me

Mongo

Wow Frito.

If I "nursed" ten beers a night I probably wouldn't get the shakes either. As it was, I drank usually a little less than that and still had pretty serious withdrawal symptoms.

If you feel your gambling is no worse than a little old lady buying a lottery ticket twice a week, this may be an issue for you. It probably never occurred to her that she has a problem, yet you admit to feeling that yours is. Respectfully, if you are financially sound and don't care about what you wager, why is this a problem?

I respect your desire to help yourself and I truly hope the plan for your recovery works for you.

All the best to you, my friend

Mongo