Today, November 7th, marks 6 months sober from gambling. Obviously, it’s not a lot of time but every day that passes without gambling should be celebrated. It means for the last 184 days; I have told myself daily " I will not gamble today". Not many people can say that, or they do say that, then do the opposite. Many people have more days than I do saying that, and I hope to reach that someday. But until then, I think saying " I will not gamble today" 184 times will do.
A standard college semester lasts 16 weeks which is 112 days, if we can learn a lot in that time, 184 days is plenty of time to learn about yourself and your issues. The last 6 months have been filled with plenty of personal ups and downs, but I guess that why they say life is a rollercoaster. I will always say this, life is better when were not tied down by this addiction. It takes so much from us that we lose out on so much more than money. But fret not! Recovery is possible! I am living proof you can recovery from this addiction and live a gamble free life.
What I learned the last 6 months:
Self-awareness and acceptance:
The first and perhaps most crucial lesson I've learned is the importance of self-awareness and self-acceptance. I had to confront the fact that my gambling habit had become destructive and was negatively impacting my life. When you were caught in the grips of a gambling addiction, it might feel like you were on autopilot, making impulsive decisions without thinking about the consequences. Acknowledging the problem is the first step in the recovery process. It was difficult, but it allowed me to start on a path toward positive change, and it can do the same for you.
Focus on mental and physical health:
Seeking out professional help was not really something I wanted to do until I told myself I had a problem and needed to stop. I would like to thank my previous partner for helping me seek out a therapist as she’s the one who mentioned I should investigate one. Once I sought the guidance of a therapist, it made a significant difference. He helped me understand the underlying reasons for my gambling addiction and we had gone over strategies to cope with triggers and stressors.
Focusing on my physical health was always a big priority in my life leading up to the last three years. The depression the last few years kind of took that away from me. Hiding how I felt from being denied by professional programs made me depressed and I hid that depression with watching sports and gambling. Being able to focus on my physical health more the last 3-4 months has crucial to not only recovery but life in general. Over the last 3-4 months I have lost nearly 30-35 pounds. So close to 200 again! My goal before 29 is to get back down to 180, so let’s see how the next 4 months play out.
Education is key:
Educating yourself about gambling addiction and how it affects you should be on your recovery lists. Education plays a pivotal role in addressing gambling addiction. It equips us with the knowledge and awareness to know what signs to watch for in ourselves and others. When we try to fully understand the psychological and behavioral aspects of addictions, as well as the consequences it can have on our lives and relationships, education empowers us to seek help and support when we need it most. When we educate ourselves and others, it provides us with access to resources and treatment options, ensuring others that those affected get the help they need to overcome this addiction. By promoting awareness, prevention and early intervention, education is critical.
Helping others:
This addiction has taken a lot from me. The last thing I ever want is for people who are in similar situations to go through what I went through with this addiction. And yeah, it happens but if I was as smart as I think I am, It would have never happened this way or even at all. A few months back when I started writing, I did not envision it to be as widespread as it has been to date. In just three months, my reach has gotten farther than I could imagine! I talk with compulsive gamblers daily: checking in with them, making sure they’re surviving, spending their time more productive. Of course, there will be the few that relapse, and that’s okay. Relapsing is a part of the recovery. If you get to the point of relapse, time to switch up your strategy and recovery. Talk with therapists, other compulsive gamblers, get to a GA meeting and get back on track! I have always said, if I can help just one, or my blogs positively affect one person and help them with recovery, I feel that as success.
I have talked about this in the past but over the last few months I started volunteering at a non-profit called “Feed My Starving Children” . Is a Christian non-profit, dedicated to seeing every child whole in body and spirit. They work with food distributing partners throughout 100 different third world countries. According to a recent data 1 in 9 children die daily from causes related to malnutrition. I started volunteering with this organization because it makes me feel grateful for all that I have: a roof over my head, access to food, clean water, clean clothes, and shoes on my feet daily. At the end they show how many boxes, meals, children fed and the cost to produce all those meals for a year. When they show that, I get that rush of dopamine that I once got from gambling. Only this time, it’s much healthier. If this seems to be something you are interested in, find a local soup kitchen or food pantry in your area, and start slow. For this non-profit there is only 8 locations through four states (Arizona- 1, Illinois 3, Minnesota- 3 and Texas -1).
Be present:
When you’re in the middle of an addiction, especially online gambling addiction, a lot of your time gets taken away due to constantly being on your phone, checking scores, playing slots, card games or even watching YouTube videos of others gambling. The addiction takes away not only money (which, as long as you’re working, will always come back later) but the most precious, time. I wish I could get those days back that I spent gambling. If I knew then what I do now, I would’ve spent it a lot more productive. While in the midst of the addiction I still spent time with loved ones but I know I could have been 1000% more present had I been aware at the time what I was doing.
Celebrating milestones:
Throughout my journey to being gamble-free, I celebrated milestones big and small. Each month that passed was a testament to my growing strength and determination. These celebrations served as a reminder of how far I had come and fueled my motivation to continue this path of recovery. Every day that passes without gambling is another milestone and another day to add under the belt living gamble free.
The last 6 months of recovery has been quite the ride. By learning all this, it shows that recovery from gambling IS possible. While the road to recovery has its challenges, the lessons learned along the way have and will have made it a worthwhile endeavor. If you’re reading this and you have a gambling addiction, remember, you’re not alone, and there is hope for a better life soon. One day at a time.
My advice for those who want to change:
- Delete the sportsbook apps.
- Forever, do not re-download
- Self-exclude yourself.
- Asking a gambling venue to exclude you from the venue or a gambling activity offered by the venue.
- Lifetime ban, if not the maximum years
- If you have a loved one, they will be affected by it in some way, come clean to them what you are doing. If it gets pushed back and not talked about, It could be worse in the future.
- Gambling addiction is one of the most secretive addictions out there, stop hiding from your loved one and tell them EVERYTHING
- Attend a GA meeting (online or in person)
- Find a therapist that specializes in addiction.
- Make better habits
- Hit the gym
- Watch what youre feeding your mind
- Nutrition
- Social media
- Books
- YT videos
- Read books
- Learn about the gambling addiction
- When you learn enough, you’ll eventually feel disgusted you started
- If sports gambling is the main culprit, STOP WATCHING SPORTS
- Watching sports for us compulsive sports bettors is the gateway drug.
- Delete all sports apps
- Unfollow all sports teams and fan pages from social media
- Give control of your finances to a trusted person
- For gamblers, seeing money in a bank account could increase the risk of gambling, thinking we could turn that $100 in the account to $1k is not the right mindset to have.
- If you have a line of credit, cut up your credit cards, close the accounts.
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