The Gambling Fix Can Be Fatal

Have you got the gambling fix? Do you have that magnetic attraction to gambling that arises every time you have money? Does this attraction drive you to spend all your extra money... and your bill money? Has your phone or hydro been cut off? Did you lose your house because you spent your mortgage money on gambling? Be careful... gambling can be fatal!

Gambling can lead to many unsavory things. People who gamble usually lie continuously. They lie to their spouses, their parents, their kids and their friends about how they spent their money. They will exaggerate about how much things cost. People who gamble will make every excuse to the phone company, hydro company, or even the bank as to why they can't pay their bill when it is due. They are really good at coming up with sob stories in hopes this will buy them some time. Time enough to gamble some more and hopefully win enough money back to cover their bills. If you're a gambler, eventually you will run out of excuses. People will no longer believe your sob stories. What will you do then?

The thought of never being able to gamble again can be depressing, because it is the only thing that seems to make you happy. You love gambling but you have to admit it's ruining your life. You miss time from work because you skip work to gamble. Maybe you even lose your job! What do you do now! With no job you can no longer gamble. Now the depression sets in because you can no longer enjoy the only thing that made you happy. What do you do now?

You begin to think about all the money you lost. You also begin to think about the friends you lost. Maybe you even lost your family! The reality begins to sink in. You have sunk to the bottom! The depression worsens. Now you're feeling suicidal. So now the question is: do you do it or not? Do you just end it? Maybe everyone would be better off without you! You feel like such a screw-up anyhow. This is how your gambling fix can become fatal!

At this point you can succumb to these feelings or you can turn your life around. You still have the choice. Don't end your life. Stay for awhile. There are many things you can do to overcome this depression and your gambling habit. You can go for counseling or join a 12 Steps program. Start to read Self-Help books. Learn how to meditate. Incorporate positive affirmations into your life. Journal every day. If you put as much energy into becoming well as you did into gambling, you will overcome this addiction.

Good luck with your journey to wellness! As I have succeeded, so can you!

Written by Cynthia Romero, author of the Smile More Today and Tomorrow website.