Gambling can be an enjoyable activity if done in moderation, but is a terrifying addiction for many people. My marriage was nearly destroyed by this addiction, but we fought through the ordeal and are a stronger couple because of it. Here is a list of some of the things we did to survive.
My husband was lying to me about his gambling. He would take vacation from work so I would not notice that he was gone and would take cash advances from the credit cards and pay day loan establishments so I would not miss the money. When I finally caught on, I let him know that I knew. I told him how bad it made me feel to be lied to. A couple of days later, when he was ready, we sat down and he admitted the problem to me.
We had to get our finances squared away first. We took out a loan to pay off the pay day loans and pay back the cash advances. This loan was worth it because the interest rates on the other two loans were so high and revolving.
After we had the finances taken care of and could breathe a little, we had to decide on an action to take. I was hurt because he lied to me and wasted an awful lot of money. He was mad because I was mad, and he was ashamed, too. We decided to look to our church for support, and prayed together more and began to mend our marriage through Christ.
I really wanted for my husband to get some additional help for his addiction. He was against this idea at first, as he claimed he was done. However, one month after his revelation, he drained our checking and savings accounts at the casino. He says this was his rock-bottom point and went to group therapy shortly after. By calling 1-800-BETS-OFF, he was banned from casinos in our state. That put a stop to his gambling.While healing is an on-going process, we remain a strong couple, several years later.
We still deal with trust issues, but we understand the cause and are able to work through them together. Nowadays, there are casino websites like Poker Online that brings casino and gambling closer to players without leaving the comfort of their homes. This has become both a challenge and a support in a sense that casino websites provide both advantages and disadvantages.
