Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate Halloween. Tonight my children and my wife will go trick or treating while I stay home and dole out the candy to the treat or treaters. My daughter is going as a half devil and half angel which is appropriate for her. Actually she really is an angel but like most of us she has her moments. My son is going as the Red Power Ranger. Now I thought the Power Rangers went out of fashion a few years ago but they seem to have resurrected themselves. In typical four year old boy fashion he loves the Power Rangers because they get to beat up people.

It is unusually warm for Halloween but so goes the weather in Southern California. Today the temperature will top out at 90 degrees with the warm winds blowing from the east. These winds really dry things out and have a tendency to spark some wild fires. Hopefully, Halloween will be a safe day.

On Saturday we had a celebration Gamblers Anonymous meeting with two birthdays. One member was celebrating 3 years of abstinence from gambling and another member 2 years. Both of these members have had a big influence on my recovery and it is wonderful to see people having a successful recovery the Program certainly works if you work it. As always the meeting was very nice and because these two members are so well liked all of the comments were extremely positive. We really have a special group of people in our Gamblers Anonymous fellowship and I am honored to be a part of it.

As you can see over the past few days I have been posting stories relating to gambling and compulsive gambling. These stories really help in my recovery because there is always hope. The amazing issue regarding yesterday's article was at 61 years old the lady decided to change her life. It really doesn't matter how old your are or what type of situation compulsive gambling has gotten you into, you can always recover by taking the necessary steps. This lady has been gamble free for 15 years and at the young age of 75 she is looking forward in her life one day at a time.

One line in the article read; "the stories of the same", I would have to disagree because the stories maybe different but the cause is always the same; "compulsive gamblers simply cannot stop gambling". It really wasn't simple for me because I could not stop gambling even though I had numerous wake up calls along the way I continued to gamble. Not until I was face with utter devastation did I finally admit I am a compulsive gambler and I need help. These two things are the keys in my recovery; number one I am a compulsive gambler and will be one the rest of my life but it doesn't mean I have to continue reliving those past mistakes and number two; I need help because I cannot do this myself. I tried to do it myself and failed miserably. Through my Higher Power, the Gamblers Anonymous Program, my family and my friends I am not alone in battling this disease. I can arrest this disease but it must be arrested one day at a time.