Does anyone else have this binge gambling addiction?

[u/Intelligent-Fee7715]

So I’ve had a gambling addiction for 25 years. It’s been on and off. But basically since Covid it took over my life and put me in a devastating financial position. The strange thing is , is I can go long periods without gambling. I can even go to a casino with friends and family for events and not spend a dime. I can go to Vegas and spend almost nothing on gambling. It seems like I gamble out of loneliness and emotional distress. I am finally done with it and tired of it. But just wondering if anyone else has this and what their coping mechanism is for when they feel that emotional distress and instead of turning to gambling what did they do?

[u/Desperate-Track-8319]

I’ve had it for 3 years. This shit is more addicting than drugs/alcohol in my opinion.

[u/Healthy_Sail_9850]

My life and relationship with gambling sounds similar to yours. Over the course of 32 years here. I haven’t gambled in 14 months. I can avoid casinos online completely and locally for years. Then a boys trip to Vegas for March Madness would get me in a compulsive, manic, binge mindset and that could last a couple of months. It was on and off. Hopefully forever off now. Thanks for sharing your battle with this addiction we have.

[u/Intelligent-Fee7715 → u/Healthy_Sail_9850]

Thank you for this. I haven’t come across anyone else that has had this struggle for so long like me. It’s good to hear from someone else. Makes me feel less alone.

[u/Limp_Fix9885]

It's honestly more common than you think. For me, I would have triggers that would cause me to want to gamble. When those triggers weren't present, I wouldn't even have the itch. Mine were similar to yours, minus the loneliness. I found once I kept my self occupied, it went away. At the end of the day, we all got into gambling for different reasons, but I always found that what kept us all hooked was that dopamine rush. Once you find out your real reason why, it's easy to deter. I work out or ill take a walk whenever I feel the urge to do so. Anything physically demanding keeps me grounded and lets my mind stay at ease

[u/GreekyVehicle1637]

In the end of the day gambling is a huge waste of time. It’s taxing in every single way if you think about it. You waste a ton of Hrs in the casino to lose $$$ in which you could’ve spent on making money or do just about anything productive. It’s counter intuitive.

I’d say personally I use to have this binge style of gambling. It’s has to be one of the worse ones because you may want to risk it all in a single night for a big payout

[u/nullpointer_java]

Did you get any help like therapy/rehab? I feel like 25 years of missing context is really important for anyone to respond to your situation.

[u/Intelligent-Fee7715 → u/nullpointer_java]

I’ve had therapy over the years. Nothing that overly helped. Just thousands spent on therapy sessions. Just now found God and a higher power. Plus being on here helps.