Story summary: Dissy started gambling 28 years ago whilst in the navy. He gambled at the casino to hide feelings of inadequacy and convinced himself that he was gambling to give his family a better life. Dissy eventually went to a GA meeting and realised he was not alone. He kept on going to GA, learned to like himself again and how to be truthful with himself.
Story summary: Dave62 considered himself an expert on international soccer betting. Forty five years after his first bet, he walked out of the betting shop with the thought that it was a losers club and he was a loser. Gambling had destroyed all his important relationships and he was gambling to escape. There were no GA meetings nearby but he did use a GA chatroom. Finally, he attended a GA meeting 80 miles away, broke down and opened up about everything.
Story summary: Writer went on trips with her Mother to Las Vegas and California to gamble. She always had to bet max on the machines. She went to GA for 75 days and didn’t gamble, but didn’t seem to resolve issues. Her mother died and she gambled away her inheritance money. She attended a residential treatment program, but it was mostly about drugs and alcohol. She still went to the casino after leaving the program. Finally, she decided to start writing instead of gambling and has not gambled in 79 days.
Story summary: Puddsley suffered emotional and physical abuse as a teenager. She began gambling after the birth of her son, first Bingo then on VLTs after which began to lose control rapidly. She hid her problem from family and friends as her problem got worse. She worked as a dealer in a casino. She attended counselling for six or seven moths but then relapsed. Eventually, she hit rock bottom and attended her first GA meeting and received three weeks of in-patient treatment. She hasn’t gambled for 473 days.
Story summary: Elijah gambled compulsively for 20 years. He lost his marriage, family and possessions. He went to GA for year, then AA whilst stationed in Iceland. He had low self-esteem, cheated, lied and womanised. He met and married a woman who was more accepting of who he was and attended counselling as part of a gambling study, then attended GA meetings. After six months gambling free, he had a breakthrough that recovery was possible. He got a sponsor and took part in Gamtalk and another online support site. He recovered from cancer and was supported through it by GA members.
Story summary: Aaron lost control of gambling on VLTs and he lost his job and his family. He borrowed money everywhere and lied to family and friends. He tried GA several times but eventually quit gambling after spending 26 days at a residential treatment facility for addictions. He now attends regular GA meetings and has a sponsor he can call or go see at any time.
Story summary: Fading away experienced stress and some traumatic events prior to developing a gambling problem. She first went to a casino with husband for fun. She ended up going before work, during lunch break, after work and spending her whole pay cheque. Her gamblimg problems lasted ten years. Eventually, she went to counselling and gets online support at Gamtalk.
Story summary: My story’s husband and son had addiction problems with alcohol and drugs. Her son died of an overdose and she began going to the casino more and more often. Gambling was on her mind all the time. She started going to GA and hasn’t gambled since July 10th 2012.
Story summary: Shelmar gambled to feel connected to his Mother and Brother who passed away. He also gambled to escape from the stress of his work and personal life. As his gambling debts grew, Shelmar started to steal money from his employer. After getting caught, Shelmar was diagnosed as a Pathological Gambler and began a treatment program as well as attending GA meetings. Shelmar self-excluded from his local casino and hasn’t gambled in more than 19 months.
