I should feel really good about it and proud of myself, but all I can focus on is lying to the teacher.īut I know this was an important step. So, as much as I wanted to gamble, I couldn’t. I knew I wouldn’t stop at $500, and probably not at $1,000. We gamblers never focus on the “after” we just want to play and play and play. I figured I would start with $500 (isn’t that sick?!)I just sat there in the bank parking lot thinking… thinking about the “after”, knowing that there would be an “after”. I was planning to get $1,000! So instead, I went to my online account on my phone and transferred $500 to a debit card so I could go to their ATM instead. When I got to the bank it was only 8:30 am so I had a half-hour to wait.

I kept telling myself that this is just what I need and no one will ever know. (I must admit I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline that comes with that gambling secrecy.)I drove to the bank. My husband was out back doing some yard work and didn’t see me come in. I made up a story and came home to get my credit cards. So I thought: If I make up a story and leave, I can go to the casino and no one would know. The teacher had a meeting to go to and would be back, and there was an assistant there too, so they really didn’t need me. I’ve been substitute teaching while looking for a job. Here is Cara’s experience in her own words: Her experience of ‘near-lapse’ which she ended up managing extremely well, will echo what many addicted gamblers face during their recovery journey. So, on behalf of many readers as well as myself, THANK YOU! I am sure this is a welcomed upgrade for many.Ĭara recently got into some trouble in her recovery process from gambling addiction and she was happy for me to share her recent challenge with other readers. She offered to proofread and correct my blogs before publication - A job that I am aware has been overdue for years. Let’s call her Cara to protect her identity. Of course, these techniques apply to any kind of urge, whether they are of the type you could have predicted or the ones that strike you as lightning on a clear blue day.įor a few months now, I have benefited from the kind help and support from one of my US-based blog readers. This time I want to explore in more detail how to counteract this phenomenon. That’s not to say that all is well so long as the urges are expected, but there is something particularly cruel about an urge that ‘arrives’ when everything is going well. One of the things that freak most addicted gamblers out at some point during recovery is the experience of an urge that seemingly hits them out of the left field.

How to resist gambling urges