I firmly believe it Monica – I believe everything in the bible because it is the Word of God – I am not so interested in the customs and opinions of various religions – but the bible doesn’t lie .
It is so much harder to go from a lot to such poverty. It is incredibly difficult and to be honest (I hope you don’t mind my saying this ), your journey has been a huge wake up call for me- Hearing about crimes and prison is not preventative for me – because like yourself I would rather hurt myself that others . Of course I am sure I have inadvertently hurt others through my gambling , but never made a conscious decision to steal.
Monica,- I appreciate it is easy for me to say – but this is a temporary situation . It has not been quite half a year – it might be the half year that changes the rest of your life – the half year that ensures the rest of your life is secure .
Gambling leads to isolation or perhaps isolation leads to gambling ?
I’m not sure – it’s impossible to be really open with people when we feel we must hide such a huge part of who we are ,- what we are. We have to hide our greatest struggle in life – and even if we are open about it others just don’t get it – there is more encouragement for people who are giving up smoking than those who simply cannot stop throwing their cash into a machine ! It just doesn’t make sense to most rational people .
I think perhaps (and yes I don’t really like GA) that trying a different group might be good – you will meet people who get it – maybe make friends instead of getting a sponsor – why not say that at a meeting – “I want friends to meet now and again for a coffee”. You are without doubt an interesting , learned lady – I would love if you lived nearby and we could meet for coffee – I would hang on to your every word..
I miss you in chat – I love the way you view the world – often when I read others’ posts I feel my thoughts and contribution are quite shallow – i like that you have deep insight but never in a boring or condescending way .
I feel the bright sunshine of spring will lift your spirits .
Regarding my reference to the bible – look at some of those in long term recovery – has God restored their lives? -absolutely- although many who wept to God when times were hard choose to credit themselves for the improvement in their life circumstances.
This also happened when Jesus walked the earth – you will remember many were healed but few returned to give Him thanks .
Good times will come again Monica – and you will never let them slip through your hands again .