Cheapskates

Scratchintheitch wrote:This morning when I got off of work, instead of heading directly to the store to buy scratch offs, I bought some breakfast and headed home. A small thing to non-addicts, but to me it was a break from a Friday morning tradition. Now I can go to sleep without the dreaded feeling that gambling loses bring.

This is exactly what freedom from gambling, a.k.a "abstinence," looks like! It is comprised of little decisions we make from minute to minute. For the next few minutes I will not gamble. For the next few minutes I will do something else, I will make different choices.

You made the decision to take care of your body this morning. You bought breakfast. You made a decision to not gamble. This decision wasn't looking toward the rest of your life, it was for today. That is all we need to think about, this very day. Wishing you 24 hours of no gambling. Enjoy your weekend and realize that you are valuable in our own self. You do not need betting to give you value and worth.

I remember giving myself small treats during my early days of fighting off the urges and I was amazed by how much pleasure I got from them .

Coming swiftly on the heels of that were the thoughts : Have I really been so miserable in my life that this little thing feels like a wonderful gift ? How did this happen to me ? When did gambling become the only thing I considered rewarding ? How can that even remotely be a good life ?

Clarity comes with recovery . Enjoy watching the fog clear !

NewSunRising wrote:I remember giving myself small treats during my early days of fighting off the urges and I was amazed by how much pleasure I got from them .

Coming swiftly on the heels of that were the thoughts : Have I really been so miserable in my life that this little thing feels like a wonderful gift ? How did this happen to me ? When did gambling become the only thing I considered rewarding ? How can that even remotely be a good life ?

Clarity comes with recovery . Enjoy watching the fog clear !

Well said! Simple things like going out to eat or buying a new shirt seem rewarding when you're used to focusing all of your resources on gambling and not your wants or needs.

I took a fishing trip today. Normally I wouldn't have spent the money for a license, tackle, etc etc because "that's just too much" but it is equal to an amount I would lose in about 5 minutes gambling and not care at all.

It's only been a few days since I last gambled but I honestly think I'm done this time. I learned my lesson on my last relapse, I can't gamble in moderation, so I can't gamble at all. So now I'm going to focus my resources on me and things that make me happy versus gambling that only ever made me miserable.