Hi Tina,
popping in to see how you are doing.
Why me? From my time in GA and here and other places, and reading, I would say there are probably as many reasons as people. But, there are some things I’ve noticed drive gamblers into Compulsive gamblers. I’d say we are more suceptible right from the start because of how we are wired. Add to that the Billions of dollars that goes into research and development on how to make games more addicting. Gambling addiction lights up the same place in the brain as drug addiction. http://www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2017/01/03/gambling-triggers-same-brain-region-as-drug-addiction.html and that sets the backdrop.
Now sometimes it’s triggered by past child abuse or sex assault, death of a loved one, break up of a marriage, illness, disability, physical pain, emotional pain, trauma, or betrayal. Some of us it is a combination of so many of the above and or something else yet unmentioned.
The good thing is that even if we aren’t sure why we started gambling, the steps we can take to stop are the same. We can find a financial support person who helps us by keeping our money safe. In the beginning it’s like leaving an addict in possession of their poison when we want to handle our own money. A small amount of spending money is best in the beginning. We can find emotional support in the form of counseling, GA meetings or other fellowship group such as a church addictions group. Being able to be truthful with those in our life about what is going on with our recovery also helps. Places like this forum is invaluable. It’s good that you’ve taken a couple days from work to regroup. Mental health days. Admitting we have a problem is the first step in dealing with it. Take care,
Laura