Crave to Escape

I do not crave to make a bet. I do not wistfully think about gambling (the act of it) or dream at night about it.

What I am feeling is that need to escape. I think most of us on here, have been to establishments where there is gambling. I do not fondly remember the gambling part. That part was like a descent into self-flagellation. What I do fondly recall is the drive (100 miles) to the casino and taking in all the sights: the trees, the rolling hills, the lakes, the farms, and feeling the excitement and anticipation of arrival at the casino.

I am dealing with a really horrible situation regarding something a dentist did over the summer that was supposed to help me as I had already a bunch of iatrogenic problems with my bite. What my dentist, who I formerly trusted, did has now lead to worse outcomes. I was already suffering in that regard. I am now feeling physically very depleted, probably due to underlying infection. I sure as hell don't want dentures. But it looks like that may be the only solution. All of this is a tragedy because my inherited dental genetics are extremely good. I went to a terrible dentist when I was 24, who put into motion a host of events that have been like dominoes in terms of damage to my teeth.

I guess that is why I crave to escape. I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place, with no way out. Of course, I won't gamble. I do not think I will ever do that again as long as I live. I just crave the feeling that of escape.

I relate so much to those feelings BGL .

I also underwent a medical crisis that had me turning to gambling as a way of escape from reality . The problem was , that same reality was always waiting for me outside the casino doors and now I was broke on top of everything .

My way of escaping from my problems only created more problems I desperately wanted to escape from . I know the added stress only worsened my already bad condition , yet my addiction had me convinced that spending hours hypnotized by a slot machine was a good idea of " taking a break " .

Looking back , the idiocy of that twisted logic and fact that I accepted it as truth still boggles my mind .

I am so sorry that you are still going through this . I hope that there is a solution to your problem somewhere and that you find it soon .

NewSunRising wrote:I relate so much to those feelings BGL .

I also underwent a medical crisis that had me turning to gambling as a way of escape from reality . The problem was , that same reality was always waiting for me outside the casino doors and now I was broke on top of everything .

My way of escaping from my problems only created more problems I desperately wanted to escape from . I know the added stress only worsened my already bad condition , yet my addiction had me convinced that spending hours hypnotized by a slot machine was a good idea of " taking a break " .

Looking back , the idiocy of that twisted logic and fact that I accepted it as truth still boggles my mind .

I am so sorry that you are still going through this . I hope that there is a solution to your problem somewhere and that you find it soon .

Thank you very much for your empathy, and your kind wish for my well-being, New Sun! It means a lot to me, even though we may not know each other in person.

Right. Definitely gambling will not make anyone's medical condition improve. It only makes everything worse.

You have so many insights and I thank you for being here. I hope that your own health condition is doing better.

BGL I am so sorry to hear about your current health worries. I know that when we are overwhelmed with negative and destructive thoughts, we want to find something to turn those thoughts off, like you say, to escape them altogether. In the past gambling seemed to be the answer, you are insightful and know that this is not an answer. I think we all need to escape sometimes, it is a matter of finding something healthy and enriching, that works for us. I very much hope you can find an escape route that works for you and offers you enhancement in your life.

gran wrote:BGL I am so sorry to hear about your current health worries. I know that when we are overwhelmed with negative and destructive thoughts, we want to find something to turn those thoughts off, like you say, to escape them altogether. In the past gambling seemed to be the answer, you are insightful and know that this is not an answer. I think we all need to escape sometimes, it is a matter of finding something healthy and enriching, that works for us. I very much hope you can find an escape route that works for you and offers you enhancement in your life.

Thank you for your caring, and for your thoughtful words, Gran. As I said to New Sun, it means so much to hear this. You folks on here are Godsends.

It's true that I am rather overwhelmed with worries and apprehensions. But you are right I need to find something healthy and enriching as an alternative. Really, over this weekend, I can't "fix" my problem anyway. I need to talk to experts on week-days, if I can hopefully find a good one to help me. No sense letting this issue get me down on a beautiful Sunday.

I am wishing everyone here 24 hours of no gambling. I wish all of you serenity in your day. I am going to get out in the sunny Canadian winter landscape.

I'm sorry to hear about your issues. I also suffer some bad dental problems and most of it began from seeing the wrong dentist. . . I can't say that's my reason for gambling, but I can say that I relate to the aspect of gambling being an escape from a traumatic experience.

I suggest you take an adventure. (If/when you're well enough) I've always been a pretty secluded person but since I quit gambling 4-5 days ago, I figured it was time to break out of my shell and experience some new things. Early this morning I went fishing with my nephew. It was an amazing day just being out on the water taking in the wildlife and the scenery and the experience. That certainly gave me a better feeling than gambling ever did. I enjoyed it so much I'm going again in the morning! I've always loved fishing, but this was a trip out of the norm that I would have been too cheap to go on previously.

So that's my suggestion for an escape. Escape from the norm and do something adventurous. Go on a hike, fishing, camping or out to a place you've never been.

Scratchintheitch wrote:I'm sorry to hear about your issues. I also suffer some bad dental problems and most of it began from seeing the wrong dentist. . . I can't say that's my reason for gambling, but I can say that I relate to the aspect of gambling being an escape from a traumatic experience.

I suggest you take an adventure. (If/when you're well enough) I've always been a pretty secluded person but since I quit gambling 4-5 days ago, I figured it was time to break out of my shell and experience some new things. Early this morning I went fishing with my nephew. It was an amazing day just being out on the water taking in the wildlife and the scenery and the experience. That certainly gave me a better feeling than gambling ever did. I enjoyed it so much I'm going again in the morning! I've always loved fishing, but this was a trip out of the norm that I would have been too cheap to go on previously.

So that's my suggestion for an escape. Escape from the norm and do something adventurous. Go on a hike, fishing, camping or out to a place you've never been.

Thank you for your kind words and concern, STI. I am sorry that you were harmed as well by a dentist. I have come to the conclusion that in the future people will look back at this era in dentistry as the dark ages.

Your experience fishing with your nephew sounds wonderful!! I love being in nature. I hope that are able to go again today as you had wished.

Sunday I did escape a bit. Happy to report! I went with some other graduate students here bowling. Fun folks and we had a great time! I felt so good afterward, as it was physical yet also social.

Wishing folks here 24 hours of no gambling.

blue green lake
your honesty, even painful, is inspiring.

Hang in there.

So disappointing when we put our trust, our health, and bodies into hands of professionals and the outcomes are poor.

Good for you to seek out more opinions/advice. It takes some tenacious searching to gather all this information, and should put you in a good position to move forward with all the input.

I just shared on another thread my own craving that is coming up w/ gambling.

The insanity of the longing, for something that wants to destroy me.

and that, is addiction.

All the best to you today

uskat wrote:blue green lake
your honesty, even painful, is inspiring.

Hang in there.

So disappointing when we put our trust, our health, and bodies into hands of professionals and the outcomes are poor.

Good for you to seek out more opinions/advice. It takes some tenacious searching to gather all this information, and should put you in a good position to move forward with all the input.

I just shared on another thread my own craving that is coming up w/ gambling.

The insanity of the longing, for something that wants to destroy me.

and that, is addiction.

All the best to you today

Thank you for your words, Kat. You are helping me to stay on the right path, to be dedicated to finding a solution to my challenge (problem), rather than flee to addiction in my despair. It means a lot to me, to hear from the people on this board, who offer caring and insight. I find it is far better if we all communicate with each other than to throw our money to the casino owners or bookies or state lottos.

Re: your longings, I think we are all longing for love. Gambling is a poor substitute. Hang in there and keep communicating with us and any other folks who may understand this issue (GA folks?).

I wish you and everyone here peace, love, and 24 hours of no gambling.

BGL I'm so sorry you have these health issues which bring you down.
You are always going to be a nice and sensitive person no matter how your teeth are. Hang in there and try to make the best out of it.

Wish you all the best