My husband caught me online gambling again and did something I thought at the time was extreme.. He took the laptop and smashed it. Broke it all to pieces. Guess that's the end of the online gambling which is the major problem for me. Now I am grateful to him for his actions. I have no self control when it comes to online gambling and now the option is no longer available to me. I guess he could have given the computer to someone but in some ways It was therapeutic for him. Now I only have my iPad that has no flash drive so I can't online gamble with it. I probably will never be able to have a regular computer again.
Welcome Kim. I too had a problem with online gambling and gaming. I tried many methods of limiting and stopping (except smashing my computer.) None of them worked for me. If it works for you, that's great.
What has worked for me is getting honest with myself about my gaming and its effects on my life, relationships, health, mood, sleep, job, etc and then sharing it with a fellow gaming addict in recovery. I take a one-day-at-a-time approach to life and keep abstinence from gaming as my #1 priority. I deal with the underlying issues by getting & giving support here at OLGA, sharing at meetings, and working the 12 steps with a sponsor. My attitude has changed and my life has changed for the better. I use a computer all the time but do not have many urges to game, and when they do come they pass quickly as I remember where gaming will take me.
My mood is better and I spend much less time trying to escape life and numb out. I'm re-connecting with friends and my hobbies and passion in life. Life keeps getting better. I'm jogging and playing ultimate frisbee and feeling healthier and eating better. I never would have guessed it when I first got here, but gaming was affecting all parts of my life... and now recovery is affecting all parts of my life, for the better.
Hope you give yourself a shot at this thing. keep coming back.
What you feed grows, and what you starve withers away.
Thanks so much, I know that smashing the lap top won't fix the reasons I gamble... I still need to work on that but for now the temptation isn't sitting there. I like what you said about reconnecting and hobbies. Good advice. I already have started exercising and power walking every day. It already seems to be helping. One of my biggest issues is that I don't do well just sitting so I guess I need to find something to keep my hands busy while at home with nothing to do. To bad I suck at knitting. let me know if you have any advice for that.
Kim
Hi dogsworld, Have you tried crochet? It is a heck of a lot easier than knitting and goes a lot faster (more rewarding IMHO). Or you could take up smoking (just kidding!!!) Seriously I felt that crochet was very soothing.
"But if I ran the zoo," / Said young Gerald McGrew, "I'd make a few changes. / That's just what I'd do..."
Dr. Seuss