Casey started gambling at the casino for fun, but she just kept on chasing her losses, started binge gambling and ended up thinking that if she “worked hard” at gambling then she would get ahead. Now Casey has been going to GA meetings and reads other people’s recovery stories to get inspired and stay away from gambling completely.
Arnie began gambling as a small child but his first big win at 14 was when it started to get out of hand. Later he got into a lot of debt and began stealing to gamble. Eventually, Arnie found out that he was not the only one with a gambling problem and with the help of some friends he gained hope and was able to stop. Arnie hasn’t gambled in 38 years.
Story summary: Lisajo, gambled to try and forget about the issues in her life. After six years of gambling she realised that she had to stop and so she started attending Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meetings. Lisajo managed to quit gambling for three years and eventually stopped going to GA. Then one day, after a big argument with her brother, she had a relapse and gambled. However, the next day Lisajo was able to pick herself up again, she listened to gambler’s stories, went for a long walk, chatted on gamtalk, made up with her brother and continued on her recovery journey.
Here at gamtalk, we decided to read through the Stories of Hope and summarise what they had in common so that it might help others on their own recovery journey. Not everyone experiences the same issues, but the boxes above show some of the stages and things that were linked to problem gambling and the…
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Story summary: Lonely lost control of her gambling after her divorce, when she began to gamble to escape. Now she realizes trying to escape is not a good a good feeling anymore.
Story summary: Matt is also a recovering alcoholic and began gambling with his family. When he wasn’t gambling, Matt was always thinking about gambling and when he gambled he got a real high from the experience. As the gambling got worse he stole from the people he loved. Finally, after contemplating suicide, Matt told his Father and discussed everything together with his Mother. He went to see a priest who took him to a GA meeting. Matt hasn’t gambled since September 2009.
Story summary: For Ryan, gambling was a thrill and when he wasn’t gambling it was all he could think about. He was convinced that he could stay ahead by winning, but the longer he stayed at the casino the more money he lost. He tried to cut down on his visits, but eventually realised that he had to quit completely. Also, the excitement of gambling faded except when he won. Ryan hasn’t gambled since January 2016.
Story summary: Both of Kens parents were compulsive gamblers and Ken began playing pinball at the age of ten, partly to escape from his Father’s alcoholic tendencies. Later he switched from playing pinball to slot machines. As an adult Ken’s problems with gambling started when he gambled to alleviate the stress from his job. Things got so bad, that in 2002 Ken contemplated suicide but was saved by a chance meeting with some Christians and after watching two movies about recovery. Ken called GA and attended a meeting where he was filled with hope. With the support of Gamblers Anonymous counseling and connections at sites like Gamtalk Ken hasn’t placed a bet One Day At A Time since June 13th 2002.
Story summary: Bob began gambling when he was seven years old. As an adult, Bob worked as an actor and tried to live the “high-life” of the rich and famous. He became a high-roller in Atlantic City casinos and played cards in underground gambling houses. Bob started borrowing money from loan sharks and realised that he could never stop gambling when he had money left in his pocket. He started doing drugs and ended up in a treatment centre where they told him he should try GA. He wept at his first meeting, discovering that he wasn’t the only one and found serenity through following the program.
