help needed to stop gambling
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Originally Posted by aldo1980 
i think this problem's actually just about resolved.
can you believe it! if that's not stupidity then i don't know what is.
Day 1 again tomorrow then ain't it.
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Originally Posted by Rusty Zipper
what are you going to do different this time aldo?
well, because i did it again today as well, i guess i'm just going to have to stay away from the machines and not go near them. and by not going near them i mean not even going in the same building as any machines are in.
i had a vacation booked for next week but i now may have put it in jeapordy.
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i lost a fortune today as well.
i can't stop playing. i go out thinking "i'm not going to play". then it's as if i'm drawn to the machines. and for 50 days i'd been doing ok!
please do a bit of :praying for me because, as nothing else is working, i'm counting on a miricle. a big one.
i can't stop playing. i go out thinking "i'm not going to play". then it's as if i'm drawn to the machines. and for 50 days i'd been doing ok!
please do a bit of :praying for me because, as nothing else is working, i'm counting on a miricle. a big one.
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 22
Hi Aldo,
As I understand addiction, it's a none or all proposition. Having just read through this thread, my belief in that premise is strengthened. Whether you're talking about booze, nicotine, heroin or gambling, one is too many; a million will never be enough.
I always had a difficult time understanding non-substance based addictions like gambling, because I didn't understand the chemical basis for them, which is so clear in other addictions. However, I've talked to people who are more educated than me on this stuff, and I've been convinced that certain intense stimuli -- for instance, winning a jackpot -- produce reactions in the brain that involving dopamine and seratonin (natural brain chemicals related to pleasure and pleasure's opposite, like depression and anxiety). That the release/inhibition of these chemicals gets tied to the addictive behavior, so that the only way that an addict can experience relief from having not enough/too much (please excuse the lack of specifics) is to pursue the activity.
Google gambling addiction seratonin dopamine, and you'll find a whole slew of literature on this.
The only way to get away from this destructive chemical cycle is to break the cycle completely. The dependency is never gone; it only requires one sit-down at the machine or one purchase of a lottery ticket to reestablish the cycle.
My advice to you is to do the research on the internet. Seek to understand the real physical reasons why you are compulsively pulled to gambling (like the proverbial moth to the flame), and in understanding them, to understand the straightforward path away from it; complete abstinence.
While abstinence is frightening, as with all such things, it's a one day at a time proposition. Each of those days is made easier with a support group who knows what you've been through, and what you're going through. I'd see if there's a more specific gambling addiction support group with people that have been there and done that. Maybe that's GA; maybe it's somewhere online. I'd then commit to them (or here if this is the best available) that you'll never gamble without first giving them the chance to help.
That's all I have for now. Educate yourself, find support, and learn to accept that you can either gamble everything away, or gamble nothing away. There is no in-between. There is no 3 lottery tickets a week; only 3 lottery tickets followed by the power company shutting off your power because those 3 lottery tickets turned into all night sessions at the machines as they always have in the past.
(quick edit): You might read back through this entire thread to see the cycle in action. While your several attempts to stop over the last couple months each failed, the fact that you chronicled them here may be a valuable asset in your understanding of the nature of this beast. All or none; no in-between. Decide why you want "none" (or by extension why you don't want "all"), write down the reasons, and make a decision based on those reasons each time you're confronted with the choice.
-Ted
As I understand addiction, it's a none or all proposition. Having just read through this thread, my belief in that premise is strengthened. Whether you're talking about booze, nicotine, heroin or gambling, one is too many; a million will never be enough.
I always had a difficult time understanding non-substance based addictions like gambling, because I didn't understand the chemical basis for them, which is so clear in other addictions. However, I've talked to people who are more educated than me on this stuff, and I've been convinced that certain intense stimuli -- for instance, winning a jackpot -- produce reactions in the brain that involving dopamine and seratonin (natural brain chemicals related to pleasure and pleasure's opposite, like depression and anxiety). That the release/inhibition of these chemicals gets tied to the addictive behavior, so that the only way that an addict can experience relief from having not enough/too much (please excuse the lack of specifics) is to pursue the activity.
Google gambling addiction seratonin dopamine, and you'll find a whole slew of literature on this.
The only way to get away from this destructive chemical cycle is to break the cycle completely. The dependency is never gone; it only requires one sit-down at the machine or one purchase of a lottery ticket to reestablish the cycle.
My advice to you is to do the research on the internet. Seek to understand the real physical reasons why you are compulsively pulled to gambling (like the proverbial moth to the flame), and in understanding them, to understand the straightforward path away from it; complete abstinence.
While abstinence is frightening, as with all such things, it's a one day at a time proposition. Each of those days is made easier with a support group who knows what you've been through, and what you're going through. I'd see if there's a more specific gambling addiction support group with people that have been there and done that. Maybe that's GA; maybe it's somewhere online. I'd then commit to them (or here if this is the best available) that you'll never gamble without first giving them the chance to help.
That's all I have for now. Educate yourself, find support, and learn to accept that you can either gamble everything away, or gamble nothing away. There is no in-between. There is no 3 lottery tickets a week; only 3 lottery tickets followed by the power company shutting off your power because those 3 lottery tickets turned into all night sessions at the machines as they always have in the past.
(quick edit): You might read back through this entire thread to see the cycle in action. While your several attempts to stop over the last couple months each failed, the fact that you chronicled them here may be a valuable asset in your understanding of the nature of this beast. All or none; no in-between. Decide why you want "none" (or by extension why you don't want "all"), write down the reasons, and make a decision based on those reasons each time you're confronted with the choice.
-Ted
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Philly and NYC
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Hey Aldo I am a Compulsive Gambler and in GA. I have some time (doesn't really matter though) and it is tough. But in order to recover one needs to work a program. I've been in my head the last couple of days and I felt like I should try and help another person so I figure I'd let you know if you need to talk I'm here. The gambling is but a symptom...just like the alcohol and the drugs. I know right now that if I continue to be in my head that I will gamble soon as I have been thinking about it the last couple of days. It is scary but I know that if I want to be stay away from it, I must help another individuals so I wanted to just say Hi and lend out a hand.
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hi aldo! i was reading your thread and thought i might have something to share. i'm a cocktail waitress at a local casino, and we have a lot of programs for gambling addiction. i know you aren't visiting a casino, but rather you are going to a bar to gamble. here at the casinos, people who wish to stop gambling go to an office at the casino where they put there name on what is called a blacklist. once they sign this form, they are no longer allowed in the casino for any reason, and if they are caught, they will be arrested and charged with trespassing. have you thought about going to the bars that you frequent and asking the management to refuse you entry to their bars? you don't even have to tell them why, just say, "from here on out, if i step one foot in here, i would like to be removed from the property?".
i know it sounds weird. but here in the states, gambling addictions have become really bad due to all of the casinos. which is why we've implemented so many of these programs. we also have a website. try googling "winners know when to quit".
i watch so many people lose everything they have day after day. it's really heartbreaking to see people crying in the bathroom, saying how they've lost it all, then finding them the next day sitting at a machine, having pawned their car.
i'll try to locate some more info on this.
i hope you find some peace.:praying
i know it sounds weird. but here in the states, gambling addictions have become really bad due to all of the casinos. which is why we've implemented so many of these programs. we also have a website. try googling "winners know when to quit".
i watch so many people lose everything they have day after day. it's really heartbreaking to see people crying in the bathroom, saying how they've lost it all, then finding them the next day sitting at a machine, having pawned their car.
i'll try to locate some more info on this.
i hope you find some peace.:praying
Too far from the beach
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 387
Hey Aldo,
Educated gambling. Why not take all that money you would have wasted and invest it in the stock market. It is still gambling but its "educated gambling." Read and study the market, open an etrade account at etrade.com, and watch the stock ticker all day instead of some dumb machine. Invest in a good money market account for a long term investment and then take a few bucks and day trade with it. That way part of the money is safe for a long term investment and the rest is fun bucks.
Educated gambling. Why not take all that money you would have wasted and invest it in the stock market. It is still gambling but its "educated gambling." Read and study the market, open an etrade account at etrade.com, and watch the stock ticker all day instead of some dumb machine. Invest in a good money market account for a long term investment and then take a few bucks and day trade with it. That way part of the money is safe for a long term investment and the rest is fun bucks.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,299
Originally Posted by lovinmenow
Hey Aldo,
Educated gambling. Why not take all that money you would have wasted and invest it in the stock market. It is still gambling but its "educated gambling." Read and study the market, open an etrade account at etrade.com, and watch the stock ticker all day instead of some dumb machine. Invest in a good money market account for a long term investment and then take a few bucks and day trade with it. That way part of the money is safe for a long term investment and the rest is fun bucks.
Educated gambling. Why not take all that money you would have wasted and invest it in the stock market. It is still gambling but its "educated gambling." Read and study the market, open an etrade account at etrade.com, and watch the stock ticker all day instead of some dumb machine. Invest in a good money market account for a long term investment and then take a few bucks and day trade with it. That way part of the money is safe for a long term investment and the rest is fun bucks.
Going to G.A would be a far better option IMO.
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Philly and NYC
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Originally Posted by Jules62
I'm sorry-but this is a bit like telling me to drink wine spritzers instead of straight wine.It doesn't change the fact I'm an addict-I'd just drink more of them.Aldo has a gambling addiction-the stock market is still gambling-I dont care how well you research it-it's just an 'acceptable' form of gambling.I tend to think it's the last thing Aldo needs to do.
Going to G.A would be a far better option IMO.
Going to G.A would be a far better option IMO.
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Philly and NYC
Posts: 220
Originally Posted by lovinmenow
Hey Aldo,
Educated gambling. Why not take all that money you would have wasted and invest it in the stock market. It is still gambling but its "educated gambling." Read and study the market, open an etrade account at etrade.com, and watch the stock ticker all day instead of some dumb machine. Invest in a good money market account for a long term investment and then take a few bucks and day trade with it. That way part of the money is safe for a long term investment and the rest is fun bucks.
Educated gambling. Why not take all that money you would have wasted and invest it in the stock market. It is still gambling but its "educated gambling." Read and study the market, open an etrade account at etrade.com, and watch the stock ticker all day instead of some dumb machine. Invest in a good money market account for a long term investment and then take a few bucks and day trade with it. That way part of the money is safe for a long term investment and the rest is fun bucks.
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hi friends!
i'm not counting the Days this time, but as i just happened to be here on S.R. i had a count, and today i'm on Day 31.
i don't want to count them. nor am i considering myself 'well' after these 31 days, but the emergency to beat the gambling demon seems to be over so i'll keep yous up to date on my other thread (see link below)
thanks and my prayers to all who have been supportive and hav eoffered good adivce
i'm not counting the Days this time, but as i just happened to be here on S.R. i had a count, and today i'm on Day 31.
i don't want to count them. nor am i considering myself 'well' after these 31 days, but the emergency to beat the gambling demon seems to be over so i'll keep yous up to date on my other thread (see link below)
thanks and my prayers to all who have been supportive and hav eoffered good adivce
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