• Gambling Has Taken Over My Life
• Gambling Took Over My Life

In recent years, gambling has spread across America, with gambling generating revenues of $2.9 billion in New England in 2006. The question of gambling is of particular relevance for Massachusetts. Coping with Dad's addiction. Hi everybody, A few months ago i found out that my dad is a gambling addict and has been for the last 6 years. He rang me up out of the blue admitting it to me and crying and saying how he is sorry how he hasnt been there for me and my younger brother.

Hi all
I thought I would post a story on how I managed to stop gambling, after becoming addicted to it through fixed odds betting terminals (playing roulette)
My father was always into horse racing. So I tried it, but when these roulette machines came along, I became addicted
Being addicted means that I was betting for the rush. There is a saying that someone told me, the more you gamble the more you lose. Needless to say I lost thousands
It took over my life.
It became the first thing i thought of when I woke up and the last i thought of when i went to bed.
I could not walk past a bookies, without desperately wanting to go in. Looking back, how could something like this totally control my life.
How did I overcome it. I found a job, where there were no bookies in the local area. I was working in a business park. When I finished work, i had to go straight home. As painful as it was I put a gambling block on my laptop. I took courses in IT and made a determined effort to earn money through work.
I also used some nlp stuff, whenever I felt tempted to gamble, which when I was not working was about every 5 mins. Basically, you take that thought of gambling, put it into a fire that you imagine in your mind and burn it. It helped deal with the constant desire to gamble. I think it is called the swish pattern.
I felt like a junkie coming off drugs, but eventually after a few months my desire to gamble became less and less.
About a year later I thought I could just look at horse racing. But once you are addicted to something, you are always addicted to it. The old desires came back. So I had to stopped looking at horse racing and guessing on which horse would win.
Now as soon as I think about gambling, which is probably about twice a week, I dismiss it from my mind.

Gambling Has Taken Over My Life

How has my life turn out? Well 4 years ago, I decided to only do things where everyone makes money, wanted to increase my income every year and I wanted to help people. Now I am nearly at the top of my profession and have a very good job.
The thing is if I can do it,so can you anyone.
What worked for me was,
getting a job
studying IT
avoiding the triggers that would tempt me to gamble
not making an excuse for gambling
using the swish pattern
dismissing thoughts about gambling immediately when they entered my mind

Gambling Took Over My Life

making a determined effort to improve myself