11 Days Of Cold Turkey
By Brian
@wolfie34 (26771)
United Kingdom
August 22, 2009 5:22am CST
You may remember me doing a discussion about Stopping Gambling! Well you will be happy to hear that today is my 11th day of cold turkey and I haven't gambled ONCE online! I thought it would be difficult and a struggle, but I've managed it, I've managed to keep my mind of any thoughts of wanting to gamble, I do find Tuesday nights the most difficult I guess it's a night where there's nothing on television to watch and for some reason Tuesdays are a 'bad' day for me.
But I've come through, my therapist was very pleased with me and said it was a great achievement to feel proud about, and that in actual fact I did it on my own, well of course I had my wonderful friends at Mylot to support me and help me when I needed it!
I now make a big effort to turn my computer off at midnight and no longer, when I gambled I used to stay up sometimes to 1am, 2am or even 3am in the morning! By turning the computer off at midnight it's helping even more, I have also started to read more as well, thank you Harry Potter LOL!
I just need to keep it up! And hopefully as time goes on the want to gamble will decrease even further but I never ever want to go back to the way I was before I stopped, it took over.
Even though I am going through a bad stage in my life, gambling was not the answer
So how have you coped with going cold turkey?
Does it get easier? Have you ever slipped back? Or have you continued with cold turkey?
7 responses
@guybrush (4658)
• Australia
22 Aug 09
Wolfie, you are an absolute legend - I'm SO proud and pleased for you. It takes enormous strength to be able to turn that computer off and resist the gambling urge - I'm sure your self-esteem is improving too, each time you stay strong and prove to yourself you can do anything and beat any temptation. It's wonderful you are reading - you can't do better than a good book for escapism - far better than drowning your sorrows in gambling or any of the other addictions which are easy to fall into when we're down on ourselves. Go, you good, good thing! xxx
2 people like this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
22 Aug 09
With wonderful friends like yourself egging me on and encouraging me and giving me praise that also gives me added determination. I will get through this. I used to read a great deal before I had the internet, I really need to get back into reading again, so the time I used to use for gambling I now spend reading! Thanks again xxx
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
23 Aug 09
Hi wolfie! I am so proud of you! I have gone cold turkey when
it came to kicking a few habits and it sure isn't a picnic!
I did it with pills, drinking, smoking and shopping online!
And yes, I did have quite a few slip ups and went back to
the shopping online and the smoking and a bit of the drinking
and had to start all over again, but I didn't give up!
Sometimes you have to just keep at it until you get it right!
Sometimes it works the first time or for awhile! Just keep
taking it "one day at a time" as they tell you in the
"12 Step Programs of AA and NA! And believe me those programs
do work with the help of others and sponsors! If you have
people that are in the programs to talk to it makes it so
much easier! I have my boyfriend living with me so he helps
me as much as he can when I feel an urge, but he can only do
so much! Right now my shopping online is still a bit of a
problem! I'm working on it! I stopped buying jewerlry and now
I'm buying CD's! I'm taking small steps to correct the problem!
Keep at it my friend and you too will have the problem beat!
Remember I am always here for you anytime you need me!
opal2626@yahoo.com Please don't hesitate! Love & Hugs, Opal
1 person likes this
@nannacroc (4049)
•
27 Aug 09
Very well done. I hope you're keeping up. The problem is that if you manage to stop gambling I've got to try and stop smoking.
@nannacroc (4049)
•
27 Aug 09
Enjoy your courses.
I did a GCSE in psychology a few years back. I wrote what I considered the biggest load of codswallop you can imagine, but I did remember the names of the psychologist, and I was very surprised to find I got an A. Just shows that the more rubbish you write the better the grade in that subject. It was very interesting though.
I know I should and you're right about the money it's just the willpower that's lacking.
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
27 Aug 09
Yes my dear friend, now up to 16 days of cold turkey and still going strong, I am using the money I would have gambled and lost to pay for college courses, to fill the void etc! I have signed up to an art class, pyschology class, meditation class and hopefully English GCSE! Now I wouldn't able to have afforded them had I been gambling, so there's a big incentive and I know you can stop smoking, just think of all that money you'd save by giving up the weed, you could put it buy and take Mr Croc on holiday now don't you both deserve that? xxxx
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
22 Aug 09
Hi wolfie, Although gambling has never been one of my vices, I can see that it could become that way very easy so I've avoided the temptation. I have a friend who has a very big problem with it and another who didn't give up until she had lost all her money as well as that of friends she'd borrowed from. They didn't know at the time that she was using the money to gamble. 11 days cold turkey has to be quite an accomplishment with any addiction, so keep up the good work. Blessings.
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
22 Aug 09
I do have my stubborn streak and my hidden strengths to help me, stubbornness in that I refuse to give those big gambling sites my hard earnt money and they don't give a damn if I lose, in fact I picture them rubbing their greedy little hands when I used to lose and that image alone makes me resolute not to give them another penny. But it can take over, I think for me it was desperation as well. I count on my friends and my therapist for support to get me through, I think the worst of the cold turkey is over, in that I've completed the first week and onto my second. I like to think that the money I have saved through NOT gambling I am now spending on college courses to occupy my time!
@kellyjeanne (1576)
• United States
30 Aug 09
Congratulations,wolfie! It's interesting because I just read an article online about the first Internet addiction clinic that opened up somewhere in Washington (D.C. or State? I can't remember.) Anyway, it talked about people who were addicted to gamhling or just simply playing games and other things. You'll never guess how much it costs for a 4 month stay? Over $14,000.........for 4 months? That's insane. If it were me needing help I think I would just stick to my therapist or maybe even start an Internet addiction group therapy.
I wish you well, my friend! Keep up the great work!
Purrs,
Catwoman=^..^= & Mija
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
30 Aug 09
Ouch! That is a cost, and I do think they are taking advantage of the weakness of an addict to succumb, and what about the success rate? Well I am now looking towards my first month of cold turkey and it's gotten easier and easier, but now I have every reason to save money, I am putting the money towards college courses which will also fill my time up to replace the time I had to gamble, smart eh!
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
23 Aug 09
Wolfie good on you for firstly being so open but also for going 11 days. I know how you feel when it comes to your addiction as I was addicted to the slot machines in a very serious way. But here's the good thing, it has been 4 years now since I last played a slot machine or gambled and the urge I use to get when walking past a bookies or amusement arcade to pop in for a few games has completely gone. I now realise that I was always on a loser when I played even though it felt like I was winning at the time.
What I can honestly say is that everyday you avoid gambling it becomes easier to the point where you no longer have to think about avoiding it as the lure will have gone and everyday the realisation that it's not the answer becomes so imprinted that even if you do feel a temptation you wont succumb because you know where it will lead.
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
23 Aug 09
Thank you for sharing, how did you stop in the end if you don't me being so bold as to ask, and how did you manage it? I need to fill the void that the gambling has left, so I have booked up several courses at my local college to fill the void and get me active. I was using gambling as an 'escape' mainly from depression and mainly from reality. The winning was a buzz and I would be on a high but with the losing I would get angry, angry with myself and angry at the company who run the slots, I took it personally. I guess my stubborn streak has helped in that I no longer want to line their greedy little pockets with my hard earnt cash and now I am the one who is laughing, because my money is going elsewhere on more worthy causes like getting me out!
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
27 Aug 09
Thank you for taking the time to tell me how you stopped, appreciate that, I am doing much the same thing and I am now enrolled on several courses, courses paid by what I would have lost through gambling and that for me is a great incentive. My mind is overly active and needs to be kept busy so I need things to occupy myself. I don't work currently which because of the terrible unemployment etc I have a lot of time on my hands and there's only so many hours and days you can fill up by going to the gym and even that can get a little monotonous. It's now been 16 days without gambling, I think once I can get a full month under my belt I will feel much prouder and stronger but I am so glad that I stopped when I did, even in 16 days with my depression being so unmanageable at the moment I dread to think what I would have spent and lost through gambling.
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
23 Aug 09
No worries as I know the first few weeks are the hardest. Well the first thing I did was to avoid all my usual haunts, often this meant I would work overtime for free just so that when I left work the bookies would be shut. I also hooked up with some old friends I hadn't seen for years and would go and spend evenings with them to fill up the time. What I also did was to find those things I use to enjoy before I became addicted. In my case that was movies and I would watch countless movies late into the night as a form of escapism from the real world. I also took up writing which is something I still do today.
One thing I did learn is not to hook up with any of your old friends you met through gambling, even if they are reformed as often you end up discussing the old times together and the temptation gets stronger as you often reminisce about the big wins.
What it really does boil down to is to find things to fill the void and enrolling in college courses sounds perfect. If you are anything like me you probably get addicted to things and throw yourself into them, so finding those worthwhile things to become addicted to such as learning is a great way of tackling things.
Something which may help is to put by what you would usually have gone gambing with and watch it build up over just a few weeks. It's a good way of inspiring yourself to keep going when you see a nice sum of money buiding up.
1 person likes this
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
23 Aug 09
Hi wolfie! Cold turkey is the best way but by no means the easiest. There is a higher rate of "falling of the wagon" with this way BUT once you've stopped, the success rate is greater. Hang in there! You can do it. Maybe you can find something new about yourself to take the place of the gambling. A new hobby or something like that.
