I QUIT COLD TURKEY. Eventually, I knew I needed to make a change. My grandma had previously quit smoking cold turkey and I sold myself on the idea that I could do the same with gambling. For nine months, I was right. OLD HABITS DIE HARD. I was doing well and felt quite proud of myself. I was investing time into my business and felt like I was.
- How To Quit Gambling Cold Turkey
- How To Quit Smoking Cold Turkey Successfully
- Easiest Way To Quit Smoking Cold Turkey
I've been reading your posts over the last 24 hours and they've been really helpful. So thank you! I thought I would take a few minutes to share my own story.
I just turned 35 years old. Life is good. I've been in a great relationship for many years now, I own a beautiful house, and I'm finally just one year away from finishing my college degree and becoming a software engineer, a dream of mine for many years. Overall I'm a smart, responsible, happy guy.
It hasn't always been that way though. 7 years ago I hit rock bottom. I was anxious, depressed, alone, and had amassed over $80,000 in debt between gambling and overall general irresponsibility with my finances. Video poker was my game of choice. I could sit and play for hours and hours on end. I loved it. Even as I grew deeper and deeper into debt, I still loved the thrill of the game. When there finally wasn't any more money left to lose or credit to obtain, I reached out for help. I found a great psychologist and psychiatrist and got help for my anxiety, depression and OCD, and went to my first GA meeting. The GA meeting scared me to death. There was so much sadness in the room... so many horrific stories. I couldn't accept the fact at the time that my story was just as sad, and I didn't go back. I promised myself that night that I wasn't going to let myself be one of those sad stories, and that the gambling had to stop. I kept going to the psychologist every week, filed for bankruptcy, got a better job, and started to get my finances back in order. Ever since that GA meeting, I had become terrified of gambling and somehow I managed to quit cold turkey. As things continued to improve, I decided it was time to return to college and finally get my degree. Along the way I fell in love, and we started to build a life together. We bought our first house together and have been happy for many years. I've been very successful with my work, and for the first time in my life I'm debt free with a comfortable amount of money in the bank.Fast forward seven years. Six months ago... it finally happened. I don't even remember how or why it happened, but I ended up back in a casino for the first time in years with a group of friends and spent the evening playing craps. I loved every second of it. I brought $100 with me, turned it into $300, and went home with the biggest gambler's high. A few weeks later my partner and I returned and I won again. Then, of course, the visits became more frequent and the inevitable losses began. Then I started to go alone. At first I would bring $100 with me. Then it became $200... $300... $500... then $1000. I never bet more than $10-$20 at once, but I could easily spend the entire day at the craps table and not think anything of it. I considered myself a very smart player.. I would never make sucker bets... always just placing bets with an extremely low house edge. I'd win sometimes, but lose most of the time, as expected. But man I had fun every time played. It was an escape and a thrill for me. I couldn't get enough of throwing the dice. I had my favorite casinos, and the craps dealers all knew me by name. I knew their stories and considered them friends.
Last Thursday, I brought my partner with me to the Casino for the first time in about two months. I had probably been by myself at least a dozen times over those two months. I brought $1000 with me, we played for hours on end, and then finally headed home about $800 down for the night after a really long day. On the drive home, my partner looked me in the eyes and told me that it was clear that I had a gambling problem and I needed help. Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. I was furious. A fight ensued, and I denied denied denied the whole way home. After all, I didn't play until every last dollar was gone, at least not every time. I wasn't playing with money I needed for bills or necessary expenses, it was just savings. The justifications went on and on. I didn't sleep at all that night, because deep down inside I knew that he was right. Even though I wasn't completely out of control and at rock bottom yet, I was clearly starting down that path again. The same path I took with video poker years earlier. I was lucky to get a second chance at life after screwing things up so badly back then and I was well on my way to starting to completely blow it once again like I had done once before.
So, here I am. 3 days later. I haven't gambled in 3 days. I hate the idea of never being able to gamble again, as I genuinely do love it. I love it. I could play craps all day long. But it's clear as day to me now that I'm obviously a compulsive gambler and gambling 'normally' just isn't in the cards for me. I have to give it up, and give it up for good. So... it's Day 3. I didn't gamble today. I'm not going to gamble tomorrow. I may not be able to stop gambling, but I don't have to start. I've picked up those good tid-bits reading through your posts over the past 24 hours... so thanks for that. I discovered that there's a GA meeting just 5 blocks away from my house on Friday nights. I should go, but the last and only meeting I went to years ago scared me to death. But I should go. Maybe I'll work up to that. I bookmarked the form to self-exclude myself from casinos in my state earlier today, but that's as far as I've gotten with that. Doing so seems so drastic. I feel like I should be able to control myself without going to that extreme. But then again look at what that one innocent visit back to the casino 6 months ago led to. Yeah. So, maybe I'll work my way up to doing that too.
So yeah... that's my story. Reading through your stories has helped me tremendously over the last 24 hours, and I hope that maybe sharing my own story will help someone as well. For me... it's been 3 days since I last gambled. Tomorrow is Monday, and I know its not going to be an easy week ahead. I'm thankful to have found this forum and look forward to touching base with you all here in the journey that lies ahead.
How To Quit Gambling Cold Turkey
- Scooter303 Hi Everybody.I've been reading your posts over the last 24 hours and they've been really helpful. So thank you! I thought I would take a few minutes to share my own story.
I just turned 35 years old. Life is good. I've been in a great relationship for many years now, I own a beautiful house, and I'm finally just one year away from finishing my college degree and becoming a software engineer, a dream of mine for many years. Overall I'm a smart, responsible, happy guy.
It hasn't always been that way though. 7 years ago I hit rock bottom. I was anxious, depressed, alone, and had amassed over $80,000 in debt between gambling and overall general irresponsibility with my finances. Video poker was my game of choice. I could sit and play for hours and hours on end. I loved it. Even as I grew deeper and deeper into debt, I still loved the thrill of the game. When there finally wasn't any more money left to lose or credit to obtain, I reached out for help. I found a great psychologist and psychiatrist and got help for my anxiety, depression and OCD, and went to my first GA meeting. The GA meeting scared me to death. There was so much sadness in the room... so many horrific stories. I couldn't accept the fact at the time that my story was just as sad, and I didn't go back. I promised myself that night that I wasn't going to let myself be one of those sad stories, and that the gambling had to stop. I kept going to the psychologist every week, filed for bankruptcy, got a better job, and started to get my finances back in order. Ever since that GA meeting, I had become terrified of gambling and somehow I managed to quit cold turkey. As things continued to improve, I decided it was time to return to college and finally get my degree. Along the way I fell in love, and we started to build a life together. We bought our first house together and have been happy for many years. I've been very successful with my work, and for the first time in my life I'm debt free with a comfortable amount of money in the bank.Fast forward seven years. Six months ago... it finally happened. I don't even remember how or why it happened, but I ended up back in a casino for the first time in years with a group of friends and spent the evening playing craps. I loved every second of it. I brought $100 with me, turned it into $300, and went home with the biggest gambler's high. A few weeks later my partner and I returned and I won again. Then, of course, the visits became more frequent and the inevitable losses began. Then I started to go alone. At first I would bring $100 with me. Then it became $200... $300... $500... then $1000. I never bet more than $10-$20 at once, but I could easily spend the entire day at the craps table and not think anything of it. I considered myself a very smart player.. I would never make sucker bets... always just placing bets with an extremely low house edge. I'd win sometimes, but lose most of the time, as expected. But man I had fun every time played. It was an escape and a thrill for me. I couldn't get enough of throwing the dice. I had my favorite casinos, and the craps dealers all knew me by name. I knew their stories and considered them friends.
How To Quit Smoking Cold Turkey Successfully
Last Thursday, I brought my partner with me to the Casino for the first time in about two months. I had probably been by myself at least a dozen times over those two months. I brought $1000 with me, we played for hours on end, and then finally headed home about $800 down for the night after a really long day. On the drive home, my partner looked me in the eyes and told me that it was clear that I had a gambling problem and I needed help. Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. I was furious. A fight ensued, and I denied denied denied the whole way home. After all, I didn't play until every last dollar was gone, at least not every time. I wasn't playing with money I needed for bills or necessary expenses, it was just savings. The justifications went on and on. I didn't sleep at all that night, because deep down inside I knew that he was right. Even though I wasn't completely out of control and at rock bottom yet, I was clearly starting down that path again. The same path I took with video poker years earlier. I was lucky to get a second chance at life after screwing things up so badly back then and I was well on my way to starting to completely blow it once again like I had done once before.
So, here I am. 3 days later. I haven't gambled in 3 days. I hate the idea of never being able to gamble again, as I genuinely do love it. I love it. I could play craps all day long. But it's clear as day to me now that I'm obviously a compulsive gambler and gambling 'normally' just isn't in the cards for me. I have to give it up, and give it up for good. So... it's Day 3. I didn't gamble today. I'm not going to gamble tomorrow. I may not be able to stop gambling, but I don't have to start. I've picked up those good tid-bits reading through your posts over the past 24 hours... so thanks for that. I discovered that there's a GA meeting just 5 blocks away from my house on Friday nights. I should go, but the last and only meeting I went to years ago scared me to death. But I should go. Maybe I'll work up to that. I bookmarked the form to self-exclude myself from casinos in my state earlier today, but that's as far as I've gotten with that. Doing so seems so drastic. I feel like I should be able to control myself without going to that extreme. But then again look at what that one innocent visit back to the casino 6 months ago led to. Yeah. So, maybe I'll work my way up to doing that too.
So yeah... that's my story. Reading through your stories has helped me tremendously over the last 24 hours, and I hope that maybe sharing my own story will help someone as well. For me... it's been 3 days since I last gambled. Tomorrow is Monday, and I know its not going to be an easy week ahead. I'm thankful to have found this forum and look forward to touching base with you all here in the journey that lies ahead.
