In case it wasn’t blatantly obvious, all these things: gambling, drinking, smoking, drugs they all work hand in hand. If you realllllly want a shot at a normal life, you’ve got to quit all of them. They feed off each other, and kicking one while still indulging in another can drag you back down. Those dopamine hits get wired in your brain and your monkey brain comes out and takes over. That’s why when you’re in the midst of an addiction session it’s almost like you’re out of body.
For me, it was alcohol and gambling. I realized every time I hit the bottle, I ended up at the casino or even online slots. It’s like they were a toxic tag team, wrecking my life together. I had to cut them both out to start seeing real progress.
Trust me, if you keep one vice while trying to quit another, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.
At the very least, quit the ones you do in pairs.
If you smoke while you gamble, quit smoking too. If you drink and bet, stop both. These habits are interlinked, and breaking free from one can help weaken the hold of the other.
It’s tough, no doubt about it. But the freedom you’ll feel once you’re not tied down by any of these vices is worth the struggle.
Keep pushing, we believe in you!