Success Story Two
The Background
After five or six years of gambling, one person’s gambling got really bad. At first gambling had been exciting, but then he got hooked. He always thought the next time could be his chance to win. Gambling became everything to him, but it caused him stress. He was spending everything he had, borrowing money, and selling stuff to fund his gambling. He stayed broke all the time. He felt he should be the “man of the house” and able to provide, and he felt bad that he couldn’t. Instead, he had to borrow money from his wife. When his extended family went out together, he couldn’t join them as he used to do because he didn’t have any money. He fell behind on bills and filed for bankruptcy. He was in his upper 50s, and he wiped himself out to zero. With stress from money problems and family problems, he couldn’t sleep.
When he realized he had to change his life, he went to his doctor. They did some research together and found The Gambling Clinic.
The Process
At first he was hesitant to go to The Gambling Clinic because he was embarrassed and didn’t want to discuss the problems related to his gambling. He was also afraid of failure. What if he tried to change his gambling and couldn’t? But he knew he had to do something and he wanted to get back to his old self, so he started treatment.
Immediately, he felt comfortable with his therapist and was able to be open with him. With his therapist he set goals of quitting gambling and getting control of his finances so that he could help provide for his family and be able to enjoy life again.
He talked with a peer recovery specialist, who had lived experience with addiction. She said she too had done things and made mistakes, and when we make mistakes, we learn from them and move on. She acknowledged that he had made mistakes, and said he seemed ready to move on. Treatment at The Gambling Clinic helped him to let go of the shame he felt and make changes in his life.
He put up some barriers to himself to prevent him from buying lottery tickets, which was how he liked to gamble. He gave his wife his debit card so that he couldn’t draw cash to buy lottery tickets. Gambling ads were all around him—on TV, on billboards, in stores—and he started changing the channel or tuning them out to avoid sparking the urge to gamble.
The Result
Now, he has stopped gambling, and he has started to get his life turned around. He’s looking forward and not backwards. He feels proud that he’s open and truthful with his family. He can help provide for his household financially now, and he doesn’t have to borrow money from his wife anymore. He can spend time with his extended family because he has money to do things now. He’s less stressed.
He offers compassion and hope to those struggling with gambling today. Don’t give up, he says.
He affirms that there is help out there and urges people not to be scared to ask for help. You are not alone, he says—many people have been in the same situation. He’s glad he asked for help, and wishes he had done it years ago.
