If you live in the USA, the best treatment center in the US, even if your broke......

[thekidebomb]

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When I was 19 I had a joint credit card with my mother, and I racked up $10,000 playing online poker, granted I still gamble, but I rarely spend more than $40 a month, I usually make 1 20-40$ deposit a month that's it. The reason I recommend this place is when I went there in 2008, they had "scholarships" for people without any money, on top of that I have two years clean off of a pain killer prescribed for a back injury turned IV heroin addiction. The owner called me out of the blue one day, and I told him I was F'ing up bad. I actually had been arrested the day before, and he said if you want you can come down here for a few weeks and get away from all that and find a longer term facility after that. I had planned on "quitting" that weekend, I ended up getting arrested 3 times in 9 days, my parents kicked me out, I detoxed at my aunts for 3 days, then went to here. This was before they expanded to alcohol and substance abuse, and it probably saved my life, and I know for sure it kept me out of prison. He took me in out of the kindness of his heart, It's ideal because you are in an old mansion, out in the middle of no where, and you can concentrate on yourself, and not have the things that trigger you to gamble be rite in front of you. On top of that, all the counselors are recovering gambling addicts, and there stories, made my gambling habit (at the time 10k+ a month, I sold drugs when I was young and blew it all, and racked up that credit card and I had two options, be homeless or go to this place). At first I was reluctant, I was young, most of the people there where 2-3x or more my age. I started to learn that addiction isn't something that happens at a certain age. It's not contagious, there's no pill you can take to stop gambling, I even figured out how to get around gamblock within 2 hours lol (I regret not trying to get money out of them to tell them the flaw in their system, im sure it's fixed in the newer additions lol). I've dealt with many addictions, drug addiction, exercise and steroid addiction, I'm a workaholic, and I smoke. I have anxiety, ADD, Mild depression, Panic Disorder (its different than anxiety, I just learned), and I have addiction on both sides of my family, so unless I lived under a rock my entire life, there was almost no chance of me not becoming an addict. At the same time, I believe everything happens for a reason, going through what I've gone, made me much more mature, built character, and put me on the path to find what I really wanted to for a career. I understand the stigmas that go along with going to rehabs, I went to 9 detoxes/rehabs by the age of 22. I understand what it's like to steal, be broke, be numb, and cry at the smallest things as watching people live normal lives and wishing "Why can't I be Normal" or why do I keep going through this again. There is nothing wrong with going to rehabs, or detoxes, what they are, are places that give you tools. Its up to you how you use these tools, or even use them at all when it comes to confronting your addiction. If your on the edge of deciding to go to rehab or not, if you feel like you've hit rock bottom give this place a call. I've never been married but I've seen addiction in multiple forms, and if gambling is affecting your marriage get help asap, when I was there, there 5 people who where married, 4 ended up getting divorced while they where there because they waited to long. I notice this happens more with gambling addiction, than drugs, I still to this day have no idea why that is, but it seems to be the case. Anyways enough talking about me, if any of this hit home, or sounds familiar because you're going through it, call that place up, the worst that can happen is you spend 5-10 minutes on the phone you have nothing to lose...

-Ian

 

[conker]

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[Jasminebed]

Thank you for the information, and sharing your own story.

For those members that have difficulty reading posts that are not broken into paragraphs, this one is worth the read.

I find it interesting that you've moved to being able to gamble responsibly from gambling out-of-control. Not everyone can do that, but the idea of never again often keeps people from seeking help for their addictions.

 

[anniemac]

Thank you for your story. Wishing you many years of gambling free life.

 

[bb28]

Thank you for your story and I wish you continued success in fighting for your freedom.

I thought this story might be of interest as the DSM have officially declared gambling an addiction. This is the first time that something besides a substance can be viewed in this light by the powers that be. Hopefully it will mean more help for those inflicted.

The article is Link Removed ( Old/Invalid) .

 

[jod5413]

Good luck to you, Ian!!

 

[samoas]

A sincere Thank You for sharing your experience Ian. Wishing you well!

 

[Cleveland]

I'm sure someone probably scrolled down without reading so I edited for ya. Well and for myself because I was having trouble. I just picked random points to break out, so the paragraphs might not flow.

@ thekidebomb: Thanks for the read!

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When I was 19 I had a joint credit card with my mother, and I racked up $10,000 playing online poker, granted I still gamble, but I rarely spend more than $40 a month, I usually make 1 20-40$ deposit a month that's it. The reason I recommend this place is when I went there in 2008, they had "scholarships" for people without any money, on top of that I have two years clean off of a pain killer prescribed for a back injury turned IV heroin addiction.

The owner called me out of the blue one day, and I told him I was F'ing up bad. I actually had been arrested the day before, and he said if you want you can come down here for a few weeks and get away from all that and find a longer term facility after that. I had planned on "quitting" that weekend, I ended up getting arrested 3 times in 9 days, my parents kicked me out, I detoxed at my aunts for 3 days, then went to here. This was before they expanded to alcohol and substance abuse, and it probably saved my life, and I know for sure it kept me out of prison.

He took me in out of the kindness of his heart, It's ideal because you are in an old mansion, out in the middle of no where, and you can concentrate on yourself, and not have the things that trigger you to gamble be rite in front of you. On top of that, all the counselors are recovering gambling addicts, and there stories, made my gambling habit (at the time 10k+ a month, I sold drugs when I was young and blew it all, and racked up that credit card and I had two options, be homeless or go to this place). At first I was reluctant, I was young, most of the people there where 2-3x or more my age.

I started to learn that addiction isn't something that happens at a certain age. It's not contagious, there's no pill you can take to stop gambling, I even figured out how to get around gamblock within 2 hours lol (I regret not trying to get money out of them to tell them the flaw in their system, im sure it's fixed in the newer additions lol). I've dealt with many addictions, drug addiction, exercise and steroid addiction, I'm a workaholic, and I smoke. I have anxiety, ADD, Mild depression, Panic Disorder (its different than anxiety, I just learned), and I have addiction on both sides of my family, so unless I lived under a rock my entire life, there was almost no chance of me not becoming an addict. At the same time, I believe everything happens for a reason, going through what I've gone, made me much more mature, built character, and put me on the path to find what I really wanted to for a career. I understand the stigmas that go along with going to rehabs, I went to 9 detoxes/rehabs by the age of 22. I understand what it's like to steal, be broke, be numb, and cry at the smallest things as watching people live normal lives and wishing "Why can't I be Normal" or why do I keep going through this again.

There is nothing wrong with going to rehabs, or detoxes, what they are, are places that give you tools. Its up to you how you use these tools, or even use them at all when it comes to confronting your addiction. If your on the edge of deciding to go to rehab or not, if you feel like you've hit rock bottom give this place a call. I've never been married but I've seen addiction in multiple forms, and if gambling is affecting your marriage get help asap, when I was there, there 5 people who where married, 4 ended up getting divorced while they where there because they waited to long.

I notice this happens more with gambling addiction, than drugs, I still to this day have no idea why that is, but it seems to be the case. Anyways enough talking about me, if any of this hit home, or sounds familiar because you're going through it, call that place up, the worst that can happen is you spend 5-10 minutes on the phone you have nothing to lose...

-Ian

 

[thekidebomb]

Yea I do have a tendency to write long run on paragraphs without using proper grammar. My worst problem was always drugs by far, gambling was nothing compared to having a heroin addiction, sitting in your car withdrawing off of it, being hot then cold, puking in the middle of the parking lot and having to wait because most of my dealers 5 minutes were 45 minutes, then seeing his car pull up was honestly in addiction comparison was more of a rush than hitting a big win, to be honest for years the only gambling I did was if I had a dollar or 2 pray I hit 10-20 dollars to get a bag or 2. Thinking back on it now, I don't know why I did it for so long, when I first started doing it, it was "taboo" to a lot of the teenage white collar population, and it was much much stronger, as the years went on, not only did my tolerance increase but the heroin got weaker. The last day I ever got high, I stole my fathers debit card I was feeling really sick, I took out $100 and got right, an hour later this kid I was driving robbed a drug dealer from Harlem, and he threw me some, but I robbed most of it off him lol. I estimate my last 24 using I shot over 50 bags, in the last 36 hours about 80. I detoxed damn near a month, while living in a TC therapeutic community, don't let the title fool you, its meant to break you down mentally and build structure in your life, I worked the system their too, normally you can't escort people until 60 days into the program I started at 40-45ish day there, and everyday after. The thing about NY state funded programs it's called OASAS organization of alcohol and substance abuse services I think, and your not allowed to smoke. Everyone smoked, some got caught I never did, I was out most of the time, I started working 4 months in, but when I read that back 1000+ years ago, salt was worth more than gold, well A pack of Newport 100s was worth gold, I would have my bed made and roomed cleaned for 1 cigarette, my clothes ironed 6 days out of the week for 4 cigs, got special food from the people working the kitchen, and my pass approved every weekend, and put on the escort list (taking people to court, or parole etc, it was a place that was meant to save the state 50+grand per person per year by not sending them to prison). One counselor was an a**hole and he came in my room one day, smelled my closet and said I know you have cigs, you think you will out smart me, well keep trying. A few days later while I went to church ( I never had been to church more than 2x in my life, it was a way for me to get out twice on the weekends) it was like 4 hours long!! Creflo Dollar church, but anyways I overhear one of the female members saying they were looking in to him sleeping with a female client. One of my roommates was a gossip loving snitch, so I told him, by mid day the whole place knew about it, by the next day he never came back lol. I learned 3 well 4 things in that place and no offense to anyone but:

1. I saw people over 3x my age there, some who have lived in state run facilities longer than I have been on this earth, longer than I was even a thought. So I didn't want to end up like that.

2. I never ever want to go back to a place like that, it has 80% or more people mandated by the courts, and it had less than a 5% "graduation" rate, meaning over 75% of the people there would take the chance of spending 3-5 years in prison, than 1-2 in a program, which after 5-6 months is just a place to sleep basically. I don't blame some people though, it had no AC where people slept, it was made out of an old warehouse, so when it was 90 degrees at NIGHT it was 93-95 in our rooms, pure hell. During the day, well over 100. I was one of the few who "graduated"

3. I learned how to survive, well improvise, I even to this day do it, I do online surveys and stuff, in 3 weeks I have made now over 80$ a 15$ amazon gift card, and a prepaid 15$ and 30$ visa card, and should have another 10$ check in the mail. The best part is, unlike any other site, there is no minimum cash out, you can have .25cents and cash out, if you want to check it out you can use my "refer a friend link"

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, and I'm only 24 with no kids, you get even more surveys at 25 years old, and even more if you have kids, and if your bi-lingual, then you have an unlimited amount to do.

4. Most of all, I learned I'm not invincible and to appreciate life more, my roommate for 6 months, he slept in the bunk next to me, was in jail for 8 months and spent over a year and a half in the program, he was a "role model" you can say for other members, well he relapsed two weeks after leaving, got a bag with poison in it, and was on life support for 3 weeks, I saw him the day before he died, and I've never seen anyone on life support, it's scary as hell to watch a machine make your body jolt like you've just been electrocuted, and you look dead already, that was the icing on the cake for me, I have shot well over 10,000 bags and over 1000 pills, he died off 1, just one. When you see someone who is dead life support or not they look dead, and you know deep down how many times that could've or should've been you hooked up to a machine like that, that's something no rehab/detox, 12 step meeting sponsor, religion not anything can straighten you out. I am not a religious person at all, I do believe everything happens for a reason, getting arrested the same week the owner of the original rehab I listed called me, heroin getting weaker because pills got expensive, and UN-sniffable or Inject able on a bunch of types, so people went to heroin, and then having someone on life support for 20+ days, and he dies the day after I see him, it was like I was meant to see that before he died. But yeah that is the one thing that had the biggest impact on me.

 

[Silencio]

I'm a workaholic, and I smoke. I have anxiety, ADD, Mild depression, Panic Disorder

I have ADD, if it's untreated it usually leads to the other stated problems/disorders..
and yeah I know it's bad to say it out loud you have ADD, or ADHD..
cause most people think it's bs.. but ritalin saved my life, or at least made it a hell of a lot better..
did you ever try it? it's no fun but it's beats living without..

 

[thekidebomb]

I'm prescribed 60mg of adderall 20mg instant release, and 40mg XR and if I don't take it, I procrastinate, I have little motivation, scattered thoughts, and if I was to sit through a half hour lecture, or class I would space out after a few minutes and then look up and 15-20 minutes will have passed, and I also take Wellbutrin, my depression was drug induced, I still get winter depression, and random severe bouts, it could be in a 2 yr span when I was selling extacy, I would take about a 10-15 a night on Friday and Saturday nights, till it got to the point where I was depressed when I took them. My last time I ever took them was the night I graduated high school, I took just 2, they where strong when I ended up being arrested for the first time ever (I got caught with one, which is amazing because I had 1000s on me at times) but I'm sure it has had a an effect on me, even though it was 2 years of use, and usually 5-6 days out of the month, It zaps the serotonin from your brain, along with years of opiate abuse..... When I take adderall though my IQ is on steroids, and I can problem solve much much faster. The reason people think ADD is bs is because they diagnose hyper kids, that are hyper because they are kids, but the real issues of ADD is the lack of motivation, procrastination, when I took the ADD test I failed it miserably it was clear I had ADD.