[treehead]

I don’t want to alarm anyone with my topic title, but I’m sure my words hit home to many of you. Imagine one day realizing that you had worked your entire life and had nothing to show for it, that you completely ruined the one life God gave you. Imagine the shame and the embarrassment that came with that realization and how, sooner or later, you would no longer be able to hide such a secret from family or friends. That’s where I am. I hate myself to the point I cannot even look at myself in the mirror. In six years, technically I’m supposed to retire, but I’ve nothing to show for all of my work because of my gambling addiction. Yep, completely fucked. I have nobody else to blame but myself. I cannot face my family. I want to believe I can fix this, but who am I trying to fool? Joining this forum is pretty well my only hope. I hope someone reads this just so that I can have a witness, someone to help hold me accountable to myself and my actions, and for the very, very last time, start “Day One” right now (it’s currently August 13, 9:10 PM EST). Please, someone, help me stay on track. I hope one day soon I can be a success story for others who, just like me, are very close to the “edge”. God bless you all and Thank you for listening!

[kin]

Hi Treehead,

I just like to say that I have read your post, thank you for sharing.

[Callmecrazy]

Hi Treehead,

I’m in the same boat. I lost 100 k in 4 months playing slots. I did not win anything, climbed up to 2000 euro three times which I eventually lost.

My entire life gone. Apart from loosing the money, I am even angrier of the injustice of it all. 100 k not even one hand over 2000 euros.

I’m in the process of ending my life, putting my affairs in order. I have no family, no job, no career, only an endless history of trauma and abuse.

I worked very hard all my life, for the company I worked for, for my parents -catering to their whims until their dying breaths (and they didn’t really care much about me, only what I could do for them), for my employer that overworked me to the point I couldn’t handle it anymore and quit.

As the last nail to my coffin , I gave 100 k to a casino that gave me absolutely nothing.

Everyday I wake up with disgust and wish not to be here and I won’t be much longer.

Today I’m taking my friend on a shopping spree for her birthday. I’ll buy her whatever she wants, it’ll be my goodbye to her but she won’t know.

[iamhere]

Callmecrazy,

My heart ached reading this. I really hope you don’t do this. Your life Is worth living. ❤️

[kellie28]

Hi Callmecrazy, I honestly sympathise with your story, I have spent so much money on gambling these past few months, whilst i think there are clearly other issues going on in your life, just remember that money comes and goes, you can make back the money and you can take back control in your life. Remember life is not a marathon, you are 35 and remember this moment in your life because this time next year your life could be totally different. There are support groups out there. I really really hope you can get the help you so deserve, it’s never too late

[kin]

Hi treehead,

I could stop but I could not stay stop in gambling
I keep on trying for 16 years in GT
I am going to turn 59 this year
This is the longest I have ever stay stop for 362 days.
There are many in here who have done more gamble free days than me.

looking forward to reading your updates.

[kin]

Chapter 1
I walk down the street, There is a deep hole in the sidewalk, I fall in. I am lost.I am hopeless, It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2
I walk down the same street, There is a deep hole in the sidewalk, I pretend I dun see it, I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place. But I believe it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street, There is a deep hole in the sidewalk, I see it is there I still fall in, it‘s a habit I know where I am It is my fault I get out immediately.

Chapter 4
I walk down the same street, There is a deep hole in the sidewalk, I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down another street.

Where are you now?

[kin]

A stone cutter may strike the rock 99 times with no apparent effect, not even a crack on the surface.
Yet with the hundredth blow, the rock splits in two.
It was not the final blow that did the trick, but all that had gone before.

I may pursue a goal for months and years without obvious results and become convinced that I was wasting my time.
But if I continue to share about my struggle in GT, taking it one day at a time, and being patient with myself.
I may awaken one day, to find that I have change, seemingly overnight.
I have a gut feel that all these months and years of faith and hard work will made the changes possible one day
and the results would reveal themselves abruptly one day.
It took me a long time to become a addict and it may take a long time for me to recover.

[kin]

In a faraway place, villagers capture monkeys using a banana and coconut trap.

A small hole is made in a coconut, just big enough to fit a monkey hand, and a banana is placed within.

A monkey then comes along, puts his hand inside the coconut, and grab the banana. The monkey tried to pull out his hand but it is far too big to fit through the hole, it is now trapped inside the hole but the monkey still refuses to surrender his banana.

His captor then approaches and capture the monkey.

Why didn’t the monkey just let go of the banana?

The monkey is a victim of habit. By refusing to change and sticking to an act that has served him well in the past (eating a banana), he allows himself to get captured.

The monkey was trapped by his refusal to admit that something that has previously been good for him has now become dangerous.

Don’t get trapped by unhelpful thoughts or actions. Just let go of the banana!

Gambling is the banana!
Don’t be the monkey!

[kin]

This story was about a mountain climber, who wanted to climb the highest mountain. He began his adventure after many years of preparation, but since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone. The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountains, and the man could not see anything.

All was black. Zero visibility, and the moon and the stars were covered by the clouds.
As he was climbing, only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at a great speed.
The climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by gravity.
He kept falling… and in those moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes of his life.
He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard.
His body was hanging in the air. Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice but scream, “HELP ME GOD!!”

All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered, “What do you want Me to do?”
“Save me God!!”
“Do you really think I can save you?”
“Of course I believe You can.”
“Then cut the rope tied to your waist.”

There was a moment of silence and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.
The rescue team found the climber dead and frozen on the next day.
His body hanging from a rope – His hands holding tight to the rope only 10 feet away from the ground.

When are you going to let go of the gambling?

[kin]

The fat cat is the casino, betting houses or bookies. The gambler keep losing and giving their hard earn money to them. This cat grows fat.

The skinny cat is the mother, wife and children The gambler is not giving them enough. This cat grow skinny.

The sleeping cat was the gambler The gambler does not have the awareness to know what is happening around them. This cat is sleeping. This cat really need to wake up!

[kin]

God created all things visible and invisible, like the visible tree and its invisible root.
If a recovering person is free from gambling but not deep rooted with spiritual principles. Any strong winds will uproot the tree.
Just like the person is waiting for some good or bad news to happen
and he/she will return to gambling.

Some things to think about
A recovering person can stop gambling
But the living problems is not going to stop

Everyone can stop gambling but the trick is staying stop

[kin]

This jay-walking story makes an excellent story for recovery from addictions.

“Our behaviors was unreasonable; unsound; and hard to understand with respect to the first bet.

It is like the man who likes to jay-walk. This person likes to rush across the road in front of fast-moving vehicles, instead of using the traffic light or zebra crossing.

He has been doing this for years despite warnings. Up to this point you would label him as a foolish person.

Luck then deserts him and he is slightly injured several times. You would expect him, if he were normal, to stop but he is hit again, this time he has a fractured skull.

Within a week after leaving the hospital a fast-moving car breaks his arm. He tells you he has decided to stop jay-walking for good, but in a few weeks’ time he breaks both legs.”

“Through the years this behavior continues, accompanied by his continual promises to be careful or not to do it again.

Finally, he can no longer work, and his wife gets a divorce. He tried to stop jaywalking and shut himself up in an asylum, hoping to mend his ways.

Once he recovers and comes out, he races across the road in front of a fire engine, which breaks his back.

Is this man crazy? But if we substitute gambling for jay-walking, this illustration would fit exactly.

[Author]

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