05-02-2010, 12:49 AM
Mike,
To begin your recovery you first of all have to admit that gambling has you licked. You are beaten. You will never win back the money you have lost. It has gone - forget about it. You will only end losing more.
You have to admit to yourself that you are a compulsive gambler. Compulsive gambling is an illness. The first stage of your recovery is admitting your problem and wanting to overcome it.
The next stage of your recovery is finding your local GA meeting and going at the next avaliable oppurtunity! You mention in your story you attended a couple of meetings in the past but stopped. GA Meetings are your medication! Without your medication you will not beat your illness. It will consume and destroy you. Go to your meetings and do not stop going - no excuses.
Tell your family EVERYTHING. You state you are afraid of losing them. They will be shocked, disgusted, confused, upset. They will feel many emotions but you are family. Families stick together in times of need. In time they will come to terms with your actions and as you recover, they will respect, love you and learn to trust you again. Invite them to GAM ANOM support group. By attending these meetings, they will gain an understanding of why you do what you do and be able to help you in your recovery. You need to swallow your pride and tell them everything. GA promotes a personallity change from within. A huge part of this is being honest and open about everything. Telling lies and attempting to cover up debts will only lead you back to gambling. As for being worried about losing them - eventually you will lose them anyway if you carry on as you are - I guarantee it.
Any amount of debt can be sorted - one way or another. There is no quick fix. There are charitable organisations that will assist you in managing your financies.
Ultimately your life is in your own hands. It is down to you to stop. All the advice and best will in the world can'y cure your illness without you wanting to cure yourself.
Find your nearset GA meeting and attend urgently. You will not cure yourself. These forums alone will not cure you. The only place that will is a GA meeting.
12 months ago I was a wreck. I hated myself. I hated life. I was on the verge of losing everything. Family, friends, job. Years of gambling had changed the person I was. I'd gone from being happy, honest and carefree to a lying, cheating lowlife.
In one week I will have gone 12 months without gambling. In 12 months I have turned my life around. I am slowly becoming the person I was. Everything I ever wanted through gambling but couldn't have - I now have. My fiance', family and friends love me more than ever. GA gave me the support I needed to achieve this.
I hope you listen to the advice you are given.
I wish you well.
To begin your recovery you first of all have to admit that gambling has you licked. You are beaten. You will never win back the money you have lost. It has gone - forget about it. You will only end losing more.
You have to admit to yourself that you are a compulsive gambler. Compulsive gambling is an illness. The first stage of your recovery is admitting your problem and wanting to overcome it.
The next stage of your recovery is finding your local GA meeting and going at the next avaliable oppurtunity! You mention in your story you attended a couple of meetings in the past but stopped. GA Meetings are your medication! Without your medication you will not beat your illness. It will consume and destroy you. Go to your meetings and do not stop going - no excuses.
Tell your family EVERYTHING. You state you are afraid of losing them. They will be shocked, disgusted, confused, upset. They will feel many emotions but you are family. Families stick together in times of need. In time they will come to terms with your actions and as you recover, they will respect, love you and learn to trust you again. Invite them to GAM ANOM support group. By attending these meetings, they will gain an understanding of why you do what you do and be able to help you in your recovery. You need to swallow your pride and tell them everything. GA promotes a personallity change from within. A huge part of this is being honest and open about everything. Telling lies and attempting to cover up debts will only lead you back to gambling. As for being worried about losing them - eventually you will lose them anyway if you carry on as you are - I guarantee it.
Any amount of debt can be sorted - one way or another. There is no quick fix. There are charitable organisations that will assist you in managing your financies.
Ultimately your life is in your own hands. It is down to you to stop. All the advice and best will in the world can'y cure your illness without you wanting to cure yourself.
Find your nearset GA meeting and attend urgently. You will not cure yourself. These forums alone will not cure you. The only place that will is a GA meeting.
12 months ago I was a wreck. I hated myself. I hated life. I was on the verge of losing everything. Family, friends, job. Years of gambling had changed the person I was. I'd gone from being happy, honest and carefree to a lying, cheating lowlife.
In one week I will have gone 12 months without gambling. In 12 months I have turned my life around. I am slowly becoming the person I was. Everything I ever wanted through gambling but couldn't have - I now have. My fiance', family and friends love me more than ever. GA gave me the support I needed to achieve this.
I hope you listen to the advice you are given.
I wish you well.