Hi everyone, I'm in my early 30s and have dealt with addictions all my life... from cigarettes to drugs and now to gambling. I've been able to stop the cigarettes and drugs with exercising and currently in the best shape of my life... unfortunately mentally I am dealing with this gambling problem which I've had for most of my life since my teenage years. I've had stints of stopping but recently the past year I randomly picked it back up and last month I lost a large amount of money that has set me back for months. I should be back on my feet after December if I don't gamble any more but the temptation to chase my loses is just too great... as many of you know, once you get the opportunity to chase, it's not easy to turn down. This last loss has been the biggest ever and it has caused some of my dreams to be delayed... I was working on a project/venture and now it has to be put on hold because of my addiction as I'm currently all maxed out on credit as well. With lots of juggling and borrowing, I'm luckily to just barely able to stay on time with bills the past 2 months but I'm walking a VERY thin line. It's depressing that at my age I've put myself into this position with this self induced set back. I need to keep reminding myself to be patient and to take one day at a time... sometimes it's hard because I've yet again gone back 5 steps after moving 2 steps forward. These set backs are hurting my personal growth and I need to stop it before it gets too late.
I've looked into various groups like smart recovery and gamblers anonymous but not sure which would suit me better? I do enjoy having a beer or glass of wine at times and I do not want to give that up... as it helps with my anxiety, I am afraid of having to give that up if I go through an anonymous program. I tried the therapist route and unfortunately that isn't working and I'm in the process of looking for a new therapist and maybe that's the answer?
Thanks for listening to my problem... glad I found this site as I got to read many other postings and it has helped me get the courage to take the first step of writing this post.