| I have been addicted to one or many things over my | | | | club, but did not just stay the hour that I had for |
| life time, but the most insidious was gambling. I | | | | lunch. That hour turned into many. I would call my |
| became addicted to gambling for no other reason | | | | work with a feeble excuse as to why I was late |
| than one weekend, I became bored while waiting to | | | | returning to work. |
| meet someone. | | | | As you can see, little by little, I stupidly believed I |
| I went over to an interesting-looking poker machine | | | | would beat the machines, but all of the time I was |
| with the all of those attention getting lights and | | | | depleting my savings and lying to my husband about |
| whistles and tunes and I put through $50 into the | | | | missing cash in our account. It had to stop. I had to |
| machine without even thinking about it. For me | | | | get off the merry-go-round that had turned me from |
| though, after playing it for sometime thinking that it | | | | a decent sort of a person, to that of a liar and |
| was going through a dry cycle and would come good | | | | possibly a thief. I had taken money from a joint |
| soon, I lost another $50 and I didn't look any closer | | | | account to spend selfishly on a poker machine. |
| to winning the jackpot. Not to worry -- I went to the | | | | It got down to a stage where there was little money |
| ATM and withdrew another $100 and this time, it | | | | for food, and this is when I decided that it had to |
| paid out, because I won the jackpot of $1,300. I | | | | stop. What I did was a few things: |
| couldn't believe it. This to me was so very exciting | | | | · I left all of my debit cards at home and I stopped |
| and it was at this time that I became hooked. | | | | carrying them with me. |
| This is when I became a little secretive with my | | | | · Gathering my family around, I confessed that I |
| family. I would tell them that I was going to the | | | | had a problem with gambling. |
| shops and then head directly to the club. Hours went | | | | · I then self-excluded myself from all clubs in my |
| by, with my pumping many dollars into the machines, | | | | area. All this means is that you go and register |
| even ignoring my cell phone that went off in my bag. | | | | yourself at gamblers anonymous, who will, on your |
| I knew that if I answered it, this would give away | | | | behalf, send notifications to the clubs you nominate. |
| where I was. The trouble with my theory of trying | | | | · I never carry more than $5 cash on me at any |
| to win all of the jackpots was failing. It got so bad | | | | one time. |
| that I was going to lunch and making my way to the | | | | |