Cocaine, Gambling and Alcohol

There are a variety of options other than in-patient rehab.

Though many prefer rehab because of feeling they lack the self control to stay away from temptation.

But before that, many start slow with finding meetings to attend. . .

some might consider therapy, speak with a pastorial counselor or even talk to their GP about medication

others might look into alternative therapies, nutritional changes, supplements, nootropics, etc

a few might be able to do it all on their own and find ways to cope without any external support - of course, if you're at the chemical dependency stage. . . stopping suddenly can be a danger to your health and it is something you should speak to your GP or another medical professional about.

Stop gambling today. Get a part time job. Stop cocaine. Take a walk. Stop drinking alcohol. Drink water. Stay busy doing something good for yourself.

Your dopamine-fueled reward pathway in the brain is out of wack. Go see a psychiatrist who has experience with treating impulsive behaviors/addiction/gambling. They are all interrelated. Your brain chemistry is out of wack so get on some meds to control this, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy.

Do something that gets you locked up for a stretch.

Instant weaning.

OP, I'm reposting my response from the "How to get sober" thread, with an addendum: I stopped using coke about six months before I stopped drinking. It was easy, only in the sense that I wasn't making enough money to support my habit. I also distanced myself from the people I used with (and they were essentially my suppliers). I saw too many lives utterly destroyed by the stuff; as a wise eldergay told me, "Cocaine will eat you alive." Also, around this time, I was very lucky to be under the care of a psychologist -- not a counselor or social worker, but a PhD-holding, R1 university-tenured psychologist. Nothing against the others, but he had much more training than the run-of-the-mill addiction counselor. But the irony is, we never talked about addition. He was trained in Rogerian, person-centered psychotherapy, so we just talked. For two years. He was completely non-judgemental. Our sessions weren't goal-oriented. And yet, I credit him with helping me find the inner strength I needed to make major changes to my life. If you are lucky enough to have access to someone like this, use it.

And here's my other post:

I gave up drinking eleven years ago this May. I was drinking about two bottles of wine a day by the time I quit. Although I wasn't physically dependent, that fear was always in the back of my mind. (I had a grandfather die of cirrhosis of the liver.)

The last time I drank, I also took Adderall. I felt like shit the next day, per usual: complete self-loathing and out of control. I'm not sure why that time was the last time -- I hadn't planned to quit -- but I just looked in the mirror and said, "You need to stop doing this." I also noticed around this time that heavy drinking was making my anxiety much worse. I'm fucked up enough as it is -- bipolar disorder -- and I don't need alcohol to exacerbate my already-shitty mental health.

I substituted an interest in jazz with drinking for the first few months. I read about it, listened to it, and experienced it in a way I never had previously. Also, I made other major changes in my life. I applied to grad school. I planned a cross-country move. I quit smoking, lost weight, and became a vegetarian. I ended some unhealthy friendships.

I guess my advice, then, is to make other changes in your life too. I think if you view drinking as an isolated behavior, then it's harder to make quitting stick. Drinking affects everything, so change other things as well. Eventually drinking will seem like a relic from another period in your life.

I know everyone's experience is different. But this approach worked for me.

Good luck, OP. Do not despair. Reality is full of possibilities.

I think the best way would be to combine therapy with going cold turkey+adding a big change to your life, like finding an active new hobby, something you've always wanted to do, to keep your mind occupied. Good luck! Addiction is no laughing matter.

If you have insurance, see if you can get coverage for rehab.

Damm, gurl. You have an addictive personality.

Stay away from Krispy Kreme -- diabetes is next for you unless you clean up.

What R4 said; if you don't go to rehab on your own, chances are good you'll end up in jail detoxing involuntarily.

That's a bad way to go, OP. Make the right choice ASAP.

Try going to a 12-step meeting near you and see whether that’s your kind of vibe. If you live in a major city, there will be many meetings, including gay ones, which can be fun too.

That’s how I kicked my cocaine addiction.

Many addicts find another, less harmful, addiction to replace their harmful ones. I know ex-addicts who have become competitive marathoners, and others who have gotten really into religion. Personally, I'd rather talk to a cokehead than either of those sorts of people.

Hope you have a well-funded trust fund

Is it online gambling? If so 1) call your bank and get them to block gambling transactions 2) if your country has a scheme that offers it, sign up to be banned from using gambling companies for years. If not, there's software that blocks gambling websites and ads.

I feel bad for you OP. I was the same about six months ago, minus the gambling. The last time I did coke was June 16th, 2021. I have an addictive personality. At one point I was drinking, smoking and doing coke every day. I'd spend maybe $300-$400 a week on it. And interestingly enough it was always more the FEAR of being without it, that would make me buy more - I never let myself get to the point of physically needing or withdrawing from it because I probably didn't want to face the fact that I was addicted. I pretended I was being practical by always having it on hand. But if I had it on hand, I was always doing it. I enjoyed the secrecy of it, that it was something just for me, that I would be high right in front of people and they wouldn't know it. I was very good at functioning high, actually I think I functioned better. And unfortunately the coke got tied into going out, meeting new people, making friends, having a great time - so I became addicted to a more exciting version of myself. Coke was always tied to the excitement of meeting and the promise of hooking up (another addiction - sex) because so many people do coke and want it. And BTW, sex addiction doesn't mean you're constantly having sex. It just means you're constantly seeking it out, thinking about it. It becomes the lense through which you view other people and the world. At one point all my friends where people I had or would want to have sex with.

But ultimately I knew I wasn't happy in my life for various reasons and I was looking to escape into something more exciting. I too made a BIG change by making a big move. I had to separate myself from every supplier I knew. And fortunately coke isn't the easiest to find in a new place. You really have to seek it out, find the right people who know where the good (now safe) stuff is. It's work. So as long as I didn't put in that work looking for it, I could resist it. The drinking naturally fell away too because the stimulation of making a new life somewhere else filled the void of needing to drink to escape monotony for me.

To start, and the scary thing is - DELETE all your contacts for coke, if you bought it from someone. Then you have to go through all of your messages, and delete all those that reference those contacts. You have to make it hard for yourself to get it. That's not a solution. But at least it might give you time to catch your breathe to figure stuff out.

And I have a question about gambling? How does it affect the brain exactly? I understand that substances have a chemical reaction on the brain releasing endorphins. Physical activity too releases endorphins. But what does gambling do to the brain that people become addicted to it?

It seems once you know this, you have to look at gambling very very objectively. Gambling is about money as much as rape is about sex. Multi-millionaires who do not need the money at all get addicted to gambling. So you are chasing something that isn't money. You have to tell yourself that what am I chasing? And tell yourself that WINNING, the thing you think you are chasing, is the absolute worst possible outcome. Tell yourself you don't want to win because this is making my addiction worse. And if your objective becomes NOT to win, then why even gamble at all?

I thought this was going to be another Ben Affleck post. Although I guess it could be said the OP is a poor Ben Affleck.

R15 If you can view this clip, it talks about how gambling affects the brain.

OP, get professional help to assist you on your journey of recovery. You are simply overwhelmed and need a guide to sort things out, prioritize, deal with your issues bit by bit. There is no shame in asking for help, for real, professional help.

OP are your initials BA?

People get addicted to everything it seems. Food, booze, sex, gambling, exercise, Janet Jackson. Everything but kale.

defacto is on a bender again

Thanks everyone. I made an appointment next week with an addictions specialist. Today I stayed sober. Tomorrow I want to get back into working out and eating healthy.

I just keep thinking about the $1500 or so I lost yesterday playing poker. I've never lost that much and I feel so stupid and ashamed of myself. I could've done so much more with that money.

Both the poker and the cocaine are things I've only been doing for the past 6 months. It just suddenly got out of control. It's crazy how fast it all caught up to me. Started as fun, "social" things.

And yeah I know it's stupid to think of cocaine as social. Poker used to be social until I lost 1500-2000 in one day. I don't think I can do either in moderation anymore.

You can turn that $1500 into something valuable. If that $1500 is the impetus leading to a healthier you, then it can be considered money well "spent".

Gamble on me OP! I could certainly use $1500 now.