The Addiction Help .com

A good friend of mine is in trouble. He joined G.A. and makes it difficult for himself to get access to his cash but has been struggling with this for years, leading to bankruptcy 8 years ago.

He thought he was doing well and got a credit card last week. Access to cash advance on that card got the better of him this week and he gave me the card to hold on his behalf today. He has a substantial debt on it which he now must repay.

What distracts people from a gambling addiction? Therapy doesn't seem to be working.

Welcome to my world. I too, was like your friend. You never beat it. We have to be vigilant with our program, every single day or we are finished. This is a real hard addiction and a very deadly one. I am very grateful just to be alive today and your friend needs to find someway to feel gratitude as well. As long as he is gambling this will not happen. He has to continue with meetings until which time the triggers are no longer as strong. Distractions only work for so long. He has to make a complete life style change and I mean everything, because this disease is a killer and has taken more lives than we will ever know or be told. He has to want being clean more than he wants to gamble and for many this may never happen, for some they will slip time and again and for others who have it years behind them, like myself have to be careful but also have to live as well. You are a super great friend for helping him, but please take care of you too. There is a saying we have in the recovery world, " we never go down alone, we take hostages". Please don't become one. You can get help too, to know how to do this and I recommend it, if you haven't already.

2009-01-14 04:32:58 by Spanky G

LAS VEGAS TRIP WITH MY BUDDY JOHN. FUN TIME, EXCEPT WE GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY WITH THE GAMBLING LOL. THIS IS A VLOG FROM THE TRIP. LOSING SUCKS ...

I am spending to much time and MONEY gambling. I am going to try to go cold turkey and quit as of now. Has anyone got any genuine usefull tips that will help me to beat my gambling addiction. I gamble when I am bored or stressed or depressed. I am fed up of wasting money and having nothing at all to show for my money. You can lose money just so many times and it just stops being fun. Thank you all.

You know gambling like any addiction is a hard one to break because it's based on routine and repetitious behavior. What you are going to have to do is replace this bad habit with a good one. I commend you on wanting to go cold turkey but sometimes weaning oneself off a bad habit works better. Try that for a few weeks before you quit completely. Here are tools to help you be successful; When you get the urge to gamble....STOP yourself and ask yourself why do you what to gamble(don't stop questioning yourself until you get to the root of the answer), Next try DOING something else think of other fun things you can do to keep your mind busy, also get SUPPORT from friends or family or even support groups(no one has to go through an addiction alone. I commend you for being honest enough to admit you have a problem and being willing to do something to change. You are a winner in my book!!!! Best of luck!

2007-11-30 16:42:44 by jiltedjohn71

My brother is a compulsive gambler. He recently married a young woman whose father is a compulsive gambler. The cycle is very difficult to beat. So far, my brother has not sought help for his problem.

If you need help, you can go to GA meetings. They are specifically for people who have gamblers in their lives. They were very helpful to me and my father, even though my brother wouldn't go.

2007-02-25 17:13:38 by kitkat

The affirmations and suggestions are "buried" in the Ocean Waves Sound; all you hear is The Ocean Waves and The Nature Sound.
Final Track Silent, can be used anywhere. There is not sound to be heard by conscious mind.
Hundreds of positive affirmations recorded on the relaxing CD

This gambling addiction has turned him into a monster.
It affected my career, I dropped out of university. It's affecting our destiny, we're in dept. He beats my mother. His little dirty hobby is standing in the way of all our dreams and ambitions.
I haven't talked to him for a year now,although we live in the same house. I feel he's a stranger. Am I being wrong in not talking to him?

Hi there. My dad wasn't a gambler, but he was an alcoholic, and he did to my family pretty much what your dad is doing to yours. You cannot change him, he's the only one who can do that.

By dropping out of university you're allowing him to maintain power over your destiny. My advice to you is to move out, take out loans to cover your expenses, and graduate from school. Your mother is an adult, and is choosing to stay with her abuser. You can't change that either. The only thing *you* can control is what you do. You can't stop the gambling or make your mom leave, but you *can* call the cops when your dad hits your mom. He can't beat her from jail.

As far as not speaking goes--you do what you need to do. As harsh as this sounds, he probably doesn't care one way or the other, because he's too involved in his addiction to care about anybody but himself. The only way that will change is if *he* chooses to stop gambling, stop being abusive, and get professional help.

Looking back, I wish I had called the cops the night my dad hit my mom, or the night he broke down my bedroom door and threatened to beat me to death for asking him to stop stepping on the Christmas lights, but I was a little kid then, and I was too scared. I was also brain-washed into believing that no one would believe me, which is total BS.

Please don't be helpless, because you aren't. Do what's in your power to do, and please do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

Best of luck...

2007-06-05 05:45:35 by For Jesus Sake, Don't Report

http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2001/Gambling-in-America-CASINO-GAMBLING.html - QUOTE

"at least one major Las Vegas casino also pumps synthetic human pheromones into the air to increase business. The company claims its "Commercaire" pheromone instills a sense of comfort and security in humans, which makes them feel more at ease and increases the likelihood of repeat visits." UNQUOTE
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1276840/Major-Retailers-Casinos-Use-Enhanced.html#abstract QUOTE -

"In the face of a sluggish economy and decreased consumer spending, a growing number of retailers are beating the odds by infusing their establishments with a synthetic human pheromone designed to stimulate sales. Originally contracted to design a specialized pheromone compound for use by a major Las Vegas casino, Vancouver-based Enhanced Air Technologies (EAT) is pioneering the field...."

I never heard of having a sense of comfort and security turning anyone into a problem gambler. I would think just the opposite.

2008-03-13 03:56:39 by Hello