A little victory

Hubby decided he needed to work today and it was my day off (usually we are together) I really thought about sneaking over to the new casino to try and win money back . I even put my casino points card in my purse I had the money I was to go to the bank and exchange for our holiday. I did my errands left the bank for last all the time thinking on it. I thought about posts I've read and in the end decided not to go. I have not been online either since Friday. Very small victory I know. I almost feel anxious when I can't go online and gamble even it's just for a bit. Is this normal?? I have been reading this forum for over a year and just this past month I decided to join in and post. I really must stick to making a life change. I know things can get so much worse if I keep on with this destructive behaviour. I still have not told hubby about the extra debt I've added ..I will wait until after our holiday and after I've made some real changes. I hope everyone of us gets better.

That's a great victory!!

traced wrote:I really thought about sneaking over to the new casino to try and win money back . I even put my casino points card in my purse

This sentence shows intent and is very hard to control. The last time I had this type of intent, I relapsed. I am glad that you are stronger than I was. Excellent job!!

traced wrote: I almost feel anxious when I can't go online and gamble even it's just for a bit. Is this normal??

Very much so. We are creatures of habit and when we try to change out of our usual bad habits, we start to get these uncomfortable feelings which often will draw us back to the bad habit. It does get much easier over time and the uncomfortable feelings will subside. True growth starts at the end of our comfort zone and it looks like you are there

Bravo Traced !

All those little victories add up and make you stronger every day . You should be very proud of yourself .

Yes , it is normal to feel that anxiety when you cut yourself off from gambling . It is like any other addiction , be it drugs , food , alcohol ...Your mind is dependent on getting it and when you stop , panic sets in . Even though you know that it is hurting you , you still crave it .

The good news is this - the longer you stay gamble-free , the weaker the urges will become . The
" brain fog " will start to disappear and all the reasons you gave yourself for gambling will begin to look like the lies that they really are .

Please take the steps that you need to block your path to gambling . Self-exclude from the casino and delete and block any online sites . Do not leave the door open , even a tiny bit . It may be a struggle to do these things , but once done it will help you tremendously .

Stay strong and keep fighting !

Thank-you both for the encouraging words...oh yes I defiantly had "intent"..LOL ...Lets hope today I stick with the plan...better days ahead for all of us!

Traced, how's it going?

Massive!

Well done!

Would also love to hear how you are doing today?

Good news, this will give you hope that it can be done. There will a lot more battles like this. You can beat this. The casinos are going to try hard to get you back in, the longer you stop going the bigger the free play offers, just throw them and casino cards in the garbage. It's bait their putting at the end of the hook. If people played with just free play the casinos go out of business, but we know that doesn't happen.

Every day is one more day! Today I had a little victory too! I had $500 in my wallet and drove PAST the casino and didnt stop! Put the money in the bank. Boy did I want to stop but I didnt! The chemical in the brain is real and the longer I stay away the better I feel, but I still think about going all the time. One day at a time!

That is brilliant Momalone !

That is indeed a victory , and a big one at that . Keep fighting ! You are doing great .

When you get the urges to gamble , distract , distract , distract ! Find something - anything - to turn your attention to , even if it's only for a few minutes . I turned up my car radio and sang along to the music . I counted red cars , I planned my dinner for that night , I tried to remember the names of people I went to school with ( lol - that one was hard ). I thought up names for pets I didn't have ( which is why some day I will have a chinchilla named Rex . ).

My favorite was planning my dream vacation - where I would go and what I would do , who would be there with me .

There are so many things to turn your attention to instead of the urge to gamble . Find them and use them !