• jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 5 months ago

    I tried AA, that actually worked for me. You have to do ALL 12 steps, including helping other gamblers. That is the only way to stay out of trouble. Resentment is the #1 offender. My freedom from gambling depends on my spiritual condition….I need to be free of fear, dishonest, and resentment and be of service or I will slip.

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 5 months ago

    Video poker is brutal. I found out I have ADHD so it is like crack to me. At least $100 an hour goes down the tubes when I gamble on those. The 12 steps work if you work them. I like the AA version better than GA. My spiritual condition determines if I gamble today or not. I must be free of fear, dishonesty, resentment and help other compulsive…[Read more]

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 5 months ago

    banning won’t stop you, it will just slow you down. Maybe reconsider vegas

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 5 months ago

    and big resentments in your life? Deal with that, it is usually the #1 offender. And stay out of the gambling places, lets be honest

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 5 months ago

    For me, I used the 12 steps to beat it, one day at a time. I have to be free of fear, dishonesty, resentment or I will have a slip. Also have to help others and be of service.

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    As long as you are hiding something, it will be a trigger. We must be free of fear, resentment, and be honest and be of service. I was hopeless, since I started doing that, I have 3+ years of being clean. Urges have left, but I know the moment I stop going to meetings to look for other gamblers to help, I will be right back in the misery.

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    I have been homeless and did prison time because of gambling. Only thing that worked for me was the 12 steps. Use the AA big book as a example. I learned to deal with resentment, and today I must be free of fear, selfishness, dishonesty and resentment and be of service to other addicts and gamblers to keep away. That is what meetings are for, to…[Read more]

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Nothing would stop me from gambling when the thought popped into my head. Just thinking about gambling and I am already on my way to a slip. Only thing that worked for me was dealing with resentments, fear, got honest and help other gamblers. That is the only way. You have to do all 12 steps to stay away.

    • I am not in a position to argue with that. I know that for myself being in crisis mode after gambling Monday, I needed and still need deterrances. I’m hoping to soon find the strength in GA where I would no longer need them. I know I needed family intervention with control over my finances as a deterrent presently. To stay away, yes. I am putting…[Read more]

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    give me a email jonwpg77 @ gmail dot com

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Feel free to message me jonwpg77 @ gmail dot com and I will help

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    I am in the same boat. I seem to stop for a while, and them BAM, the slip comes out of nowhere and it is terrible. I only have one thing that has worked, and that is helping other gamblers. In GA they don’t focus on this as much as they should. AA in their big book says resentment is the #1 offender, and that I need to be free of fear,…[Read more]

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Most of us gamblers can not get honest with ourselves. It is a terrible sickness. Only thing that works for me, is going to meetings and helping other addicts. You have to do all 12 steps to stay clean

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Been there done that, welcome, it gets better.

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Hi, welcome, glad you are here!

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    The only thing that works, and has ever worked for me, is going to meetings and HELPING other gamblers. That is the only thing that has stopped me from gambling in the past and kept me clean. When I stop doing that, a slip comes eventually. After 20 years of trial and error, rehabs, and trying every trick to stop gambling, I accept that is the…[Read more]

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Sorry about your slip. Every time I stop going to meetings and helping other gamblers, I eventually slip too. My only insurance from a slip is meetings and 12 step work and making sure I don’t have any resentments…if I do, I use the AA method to deal with them, looking at those people as spiritually sick, and I can’t be mad at someone who is sick

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    Hi, I was the same way. The ONLY thing that has worked for me is meetings. I used the AA big book to rid myself of fear, dishonest, resentment and I MUST be of service to other gamblers, or I slip. Which is why I am reaching out here, because this keeps me away from the next bet. I have 20 years of trial and error to know this is the only thing…[Read more]

  • jona posted a new activity comment 5 years, 6 months ago

    I was the same way. only thing that works for me is helping other gamblers and doing the 12 steps.

  • jona posted an update 5 years, 6 months ago

    I just want to share that I could not stop gambling until I did the 12 steps. I used the AA version, dealt with my resentments and try to be free of fear, dishonesty, resentment and be of service. If I don’t help other gamblers, I gamble again, it is that simple. 12 step work is my medicine.

  • jona became a registered member 5 years, 6 months ago