Any advice on how to quit video poker and slots?

Hey DL,

Haven't touched those evil things since Sunday's massacre.  Don't plan on it.  I have been betting sports, walked in, got my ticket, flipped off the camera and the guys upstairs, and walked out.  Got some fresh air.  Had this sick feeling of crying.  Thought to myself, what the fuck? 3 thousand dollars I handed over to some asshole in a casino.  NEVER again. Tell you the truth, I am thinking of quitting sports too.  It's just a gateway to other forms of gambling.  I'm good at it, but it takes A LOT of time.  I went on a date with this girl last night, it felt really good.  I spent 40 bucks on her, didn't hesitate.  It's funny.  I would spend hundreds on machines, not thinking twice, and be cheap with dates, clothes, etc.  Now, I don't care.  I hope she enjoyed the dinner and coffee.  I wouldn't care if it was 300 dollars. 

I am sad.  Not depressed.  Just huge sadness.  Thousands, thousands of dollars, time, gone to those casinos.  Sitting infront of those machines.  I could have been married, had kids, traveled the world.  Those machines took it all.  My fault, but I'm healing.  I really appreciate you guys.  Some of you live in other parts of the country where you don't have these machines, but for us over here, the devil is here.  Alive and well.  You would be amazed at how addicting they are.  I never want to touch them again.  They are everywhere.  Just went to the grocery store, and there they were.  Just can't wait to leave Nevada.  Hate it here.  I have 13 months to go. 

I probably have nothing that will help, but here is the reality: you lost some money on slots and video poker and it bothers you. 

What do you think is going to happen if you try to get that back from those machines?

 Eat crow. Learn from the experience. Stoicism is something that perhaps you should look into. 

When I get highly irritated by something, or downright angry, I tell myself, “It’s in the past. I might as well have been 20 years ago.”

Because initially you’re always the angriest immediately after the event, but with time, that anger fades. Eventually, it disappears completely. So just skip all that. Distract yourself. Make the money back with sports (you said you do well with that).

Your mind can be your worst enemy if you allow it. Problem is, I don’t believe in free will. You’re either gonna come out of this, or you won’t. 

Look into stoicism. Your mind is doing this to you. Can you beat it? I don’t know. Some do, and some don’t. 

I have my addictions too. Will I beat them? Do I even want to? I’m turning 57 in a few weeks and I’m battling a serious illness, so I don’t have any fucks left honestly. 

Stay the fuck away from those machines and focus on other things. Listen to YouTube videos on stoicism. I apologize, but that’s all I got. 

I’ve gotten better with some of my issues. I used to get upset while playing blackjack online, but I now realize that that doesn’t help. Who am I getting upset at? The computer? My phone? I’m fucking playing online blackjack! It’s going to be stressful IF I LET IT STRESS ME OUT.

Now I simply tell myself that I don’t care if I make money or not because I know I will in the long run. I base that off of what I’ve accomplished in the past. I’m going to lose money sometimes. That’s inevitable. But it literally doesn’t matter because I’ll make money later. So essentially, sometimes, I HAVE TO take a loss. If I keep playing, I know what’s going to happen.

I’ve been at this for at least 9 years now and I know that the only thing that gets me in trouble is when I get proud and think “I will not let you beat me”. Who am I talking to? It’s absurd. Now I just take a small loss and quit. I know I’ll get it back later.

Emotions like pride, anger, and frustration are what keep people in a loop of losing. Lose the emotions. 

I wish you the best.

Peace!

I just now noticed that this is 14 years old ??

sitting in ceremony with psilocybin will take care of an addiction .... also, depression, & anxiety .... 60+ peer reviewed papers published via Johns Hopkins University .... research it .... p*rn addiction, alcohol, etc., there's a massive amount of ancedotal evidence to its effect on trauma.  Good luck!

Acknowledge the craving. For gambling to happen, you need to make the decision to gamble. If you have an urge: stop what you are doing and call someone, think about the consequences to your actions, tell yourself to stop thinking about gambling, and find something else to do immediately. Avoid isolation.