Day 1 of not going to the casino! But tommarrow is free slot play wednesday. Which will be hard not to justify or rationalize. :( I keep thinking "what if I only spend ten dollars"... I know its just my brain trying to get me to do something that I am addicted to. Much like a drug addiction. Just talking about it makes me antsy. This is going to be hard. Any suggestions on how to fight the urges? The advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Congratulations on completing your first day without going to the casino!! That's a huge accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. I know it can be hard to fight that voice in your head that is trying to rationalize your behavior-I struggled with an eating disorder myself which is very similar to an addiction, except you're addicted to those eating disorder behaviors instead of a drug. For me, when I had an urge to go back to my old habits, I would try to distract myself. Instead of saying, "No, I can't do this", which just leads to your brain rationalizing or obsessing over it, I would say to myself, "I really want to do this, but first, I'm going to (blank)" my blank here was filled with calling my sister or taking a hot shower or watching a movie. This allows the feelings that are prompting your urge to dissipate. And even if you end up going to the slots, you can know that you waited that amount of time and be proud for that. Also, keeping an 'emergency card' on hand can be helpful-on it can be written the phone numbers of the people you are closest to and maybe a quote on the other side that really speaks to you and to why you're trying to quit. Then when you feel that strong urge and are just about to go to the casino, call everyone on that paper and talk to them about what you're going through-or if you don't want to do that, talk to them about anything-just be distracted. I'd also suggest coming on here and posting about your feelings- it can help you figure out what emotions are triggering your behavior and again, distracts you from the behavior. Best of luck and remember that every moment you don't go to the casino is a big triumph and you should be so proud! We're here for you!