My name is Bennie and I am a Gambling Addict. The road to recovery is always under construction .... Stop gambling is just the beginning of a painful journey .... Recovery is not about stopping gambling.Its about changing oneself to deal with life. Life on Life's term just Sucks !!!! The only thing I can do today is to change myself .... Accept the current stage of life I am in and deal with it with the best of my ability. One Day at A time. keep the faith , keep trying
Life On Life's Term
接受它 - - Accept it
処理它 - - Due With it (To the best of your ability)
放下它 - - Let go of it
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Not Good Enough ......
Monday, September 22, 2014
Do I have any achievements in Life ???
Good for nothing .... just gamble our life away .....
Really ????
Back in 2006, the year I surrender myself for treatment and punished for my gambling related crimes.....
I received this special medal from the Department Of Navy, US ...
And I am a Singaporean, then Serving my country Navy since 1991 ....
What is this medal all about ?? In Summary....
NAVY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL
The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces, including members of Reserve components on active or inactive duty, of the grade of lieutenant commander/major and below.
The award shall be presented for meritorious service or achievement in combat or non-combat circumstances based on sustained performance or specific achievement of a superlative nature, and shall be of such merit as to warrant more recognition than is possible by a fitness report or performance evaluation, but which is not significant enough to justify a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal or higher.
Professional achievement that merit the NA must:
(a) Clearly exceed that which is normally required or expected, considering the individual's grade or rate, training, and experience, and
(b) Be an important contribution of benefit to the United States and the Naval Service.
Leadership Achievement that merit the NA must:
(a) Be noteworthy
(b) Be sustained so as to demonstrate a high state of development or, if for a specific achievement, be of such merit as to earn singular recognition for the act, and
(c) Reflect most creditably on the efforts of the individual toward the accomplishment of the unit mission.
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SO .... Not a big deal to many, and also not many know about this.... it was given to me in simple ceremony in presence of a few big bosses ....
BUT it was something I am extremely proud of .... being recognised by other country professionals ....
My own country has taken away and taken back all my medals ...... discredited me from all the hard work and good work, the great achievements I have given to the Navy, especially in the SAF DAY PARADE 2002 ... taken away everything, all my achievements ..... BUT NOT THIS MEDAL ...
During my trials in court ..... all the bosses that I have served ...... no one dared to write even a character reference for me ... ONLY ONE KIND BOSS ... willing to pen down a good reference for me, which even today, I am extremely grateful for ....
THE REST OF THEM distanced away from me because all holding very very high posts .......
But now in my real life .... Who cares.....
no one would remember any of my achievements ...
I AM JUST A GAMBLING ADDICT ...... A SCUMBAG to MANY that has borrowed me money .......
So what is the purpose of writing this ......
what do I want to prove ????
8 years in recovery ..... tough and rough road ..... I really took a long time to pick myself up and find my feet again..... to kick start my life from point 0 ..... with no saving ... no help .... in a very unforgiving society in Singapore..... No matter what is my qualifications, what was my previous achievements , the medals that I have ....
No one will give me a chance .... if I don't give myself a chance ...
No one will bother after my past achievements .... but these achievements reminded me of my own strengths ... and what I am capable of doing ......
Keep Going ......
Keep Trying .....
ONE DAY ...... ONE DAY ...... IT WILL HAPPEN
SOMEONE WILL RECOGNIZE THIS MEDAL AND WILL BE OFFERING THIS GUY WITH THE MEDAL ANOTHER BIG BREAK IN LIFE .....
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Progress
Slow progress is better than no progress...
No matter how slow in recovery ....
Even if you are still gambling ...
Even if you cant stop completely ...
It is ok ....
As long as you are trying ...
Stop destructive gambling gambling and stop all illegal gambling activities and borrowing first .... that's important to preserve your life and keep your family ...
Then take it slowly.....
one step at a time ....
No matter what ...
Just keep on the path of recovery ...
Keep the faith
Keep going
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Pressure
Then it's time for you to learn to "Let Go" of the unnecessary ones ...
And Stop creating new ones with more gambling activities ....
At times, things will go even worst if you are trying to cope with the intense pressure of whatever one is facing ....
Let it all go for a while ....
Ignore what others got to say and all ego issues ....
For once, tell yourself ..
I am going to take good care of my own mental well being first then slowly resolve the "pressuring issues" one by one ...
Remember, regardless of what happened ...
Life goes ON!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
WHY GAMBLING ADDICT CAN'T STOP
I did a inventory of myself, in situations during my active and destructive gambling days ...
Why should I stop ?
I will follow strictly the rules I set for myself.
This music kept playing over and over again during my years of destructive gambling, especially after each bailout of my debts.
NOW THIS IS A REAL HAPPENING >>>
I kneel down infront of my Higher Power, get joss sticks burnt my own hands and swear infront of my higher power, if you help me overturn my losses tonight, I will never gamble again !!
But did I stop ...... Need to guess ??
Many gamblers would have said .... "I would have stop if I were in your shoes"
YES, i agreed. If you are not a gambling addict ...
There is alot of different , and in the field of addiction, there is many different type of gamblers
1) Professional Gamblers (which is one I aspired to be !!! HaHa)
2) Social Gamblers
3) Recreational Gamblers
4) Anti-Social Gamblers
5) Escape Gamblers
6) Problem Gamblers
7) Pathological Gamblers (Gambling Addict - - ME !!)
However, to many .... all these are bullshits ....
Gamblers are simply GREEDY and has no MORAL VALUES .....
(贪念,不脚踏实地, 想一步登天!!)
Now here is the list of inventory that I did back then .... "why I can't stop"
Stopping gambling is difficult,
Staying stop is extremely difficult
Facing Reality is painful and stressful
Meeting life on life's term just SUCKS
That's why we need all the help and support we can get ... and also to follow to a possible recovery recipe in our daily routine .....
Sunday, July 13, 2014
ARE YOU CONSIDERING "SEEKING HELP" ???
Those was has been living on lies after lies ...
No one has really shown what's there in recovery and what are the issues that we are struggling with ....
Here I am to share with you what actually happen when I decided to surrender and wanting the seek help ...
The actual reality in life I have to face then
look at it .... the spider web of nightmares once I decided to come clean and seek help...
Without proper understanding of gambling addiction and a proper support system in place during recovery, it is extremely depressing and even suicidal for the problem gamblers ....
How I felt then ..... this following slide summarized it all
How to continue life like this ..... ???
So what is the initial journey like for me ...
Now walking into the seventh year of my recovery, I am still learning to live life on life's term, changing myself and rebuilding my family ...
BUT trust me, you will definitely enjoy this new journey, with your love ones by your side, sharing with you the pain and also the JOY, the warmth, the laughter as well as the tears ....
CHASING LOSSES ????
Friday, July 11, 2014
“I didn't choose to be a Gambling Addict"
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Great prediction by Singapore Govt Agency -NCPG
After tonight semi final world cup 2014, between Brazil and Germany,
GERMANY WON 7-1 !!!!
So there is a happy boy with a happy dad .... And happy family??
And Our NCPG is a great soccer punter too!!
Good prediction right from the beginning and now they would have a lot of money to run more of such advertisements when EPL resume ..
To me, this is to teach NCPG and the Singapore Govt a good lesson....
Don't always see us, gambling addicts in such a manner ....
Right from the 1st campaign, "Just One More Bet"
then followed by "Know the Line"
they have been using the same SHAME tactics on us ...
Gambling addiction is a disease and illness and can be treated!!
It is not a moral weakness that you guys can use it to shame us!!
Do you its painful for the family seeing this ... and each time after seeing these ads, some painful, hurtful, remarks will be made to the addicts in recovery .....
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS VERY CLEARLY ..
We LOVE our kids and family too....
Gambling Addicts in recovery needs help ....
Those want to stop and want to try recovery needs encouragement
Family members need support and positive message that they are doing the right thing to support their love ones in recovery and getting proper help and treatment for this disease !!1
NOT SHAME !!!!!!
Monday, June 23, 2014
Tough love
And how many of us in recovery really understand what is the meaning of "TOUGH LOVE" ??
Initially I don't .....
When my parent refuse to bail me out during my rock bottom back in 2006 ....
It's Tough Love
When my family insisted that I go for treatment at IMH .....
It's Tough Love
When they told me to face trial and accept my punishment ....
It's Tough Love
When my wife is firm with me during the early recovery period ...
It's Tough Love
When I lost my job, my ego, my pride and was forced to start everything afresh ...
It's Tough Love
Despite not able to trust me fully again ..... Despite not able to forget what I did in the past ..
THEY STAND BY ME ..... ALL THESE WHILE ....
Allowing me time to change and grow up again .....
THIS IS TOUGH LOVE !!!!!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
World Cup 2014 - Bet Safely !
I love soccer betting .... Simply love it.
But when resource are tight, more important to feed the family and pay bills on time.
Now in 2006, the world cup that pushed me down to deep rock bottom (see my story on the right) ... The illegal bets with the Bookie ...
Extremely painful experience.
Illegal bets with the Bookie online started back in euro 1996 with singbet123, then crown888 .. So what's the diff now in 2014??
My dear friends, time has changed ....
Read the news today and you will know ....
Gambling can already mess up one's life ..
Betting with illegal bookie can make it worst ..
Borrowing to continue can be dramatic ..
Now with the police watching you, it can be fatal ......
Stop the spiral if you can ...
If not, at least keep yourself safe ....
And if resources you have are tight, do feed the family and pay the household bills first..
If you need to bet, have to bet and want to bet .......
Bet safely.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
In Trouble Times ........
"In times of adversity, stay calm, deep breath, and don't rush things. Use our limited resources carefully, if not it will turn our situation even worst."
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Keep going ...
It is never easy.....
Trust me.....
All things seems going well in the family, then one day .....
One similar situation, like one in the past, happened.....
I thought perhaps after seven years in recovery and making so much changes, they wld now trust me and have faith in me that I will not go back to my old ways.....
BUT I WAS WRONG......
THE SAME DOUBT.....
THE SAME NO FAITH....
THE SAME LACK OF TRUST....
I was upset initially...... Thinking why still no faith and trust in me..... Started to get angry..
Then I just kept quiet .... And walk away...
It took me a while .... One whole night in fact ... To change the negative to positive...
AT least ... THEY ARE STILL BY MY SIDE ... AND WALKING THE JOURNEY WITH ME...
THEY DIDN'T ABANDON ME....
so.....
Wake up... Maintain my silence....
But give them a hug....
And start our day all over again.
THe pain.....
Can be forgiven...
But won't be forgotten....
Keep going BENNIE.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Things Ain't Going My Way ...
There need to be changes ....
And There is ONLY one thing that need to be changed .....
That's ME !!!
and If I have made the extra effort to change .... and still changing and yet things still ain't going smoothly and not in place yet ...
Then
KEEP THE FAITH !!! That's all we can do ..
But I have to admit that ..... CHANGE IS NEVER EASY .....
WHY ??
So take it Easy in Recovery .....
One Step @ a Time, One Change @ a Time, & One Day @ a Time !!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
World’s "2nd Biggest" Gambling Nations in 2013 ????
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CNBC REPORT
ISN't SINGAPORE THE BIGGEST GAMBLING NATION !!!!!
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So 2 years down the road, with all the measures put in place by our Singapore Government, all the money pump in to educating the general public about Problem Gambling, set up clinics/centres to help problem gamblers, the daily airing of the Problem Gambling ads on Prime Time TV ....
and the results ...
SINGAPORE IS STILL THE 2nd BIGGEST GAMBLING NATION !!! with slight increased of the Gaming Losses Per Adult from an amt of $1,174 to $1,189.
Any surprise ???
Consider the following legalised betting in Singapore on a daily basis within our neighbourhood .....
- TOTO - MON, THUR
- 4D - WED, SAT, SUN
- HORSE RACING - WED, FRI, SAT, SUN
- FOOTBALL BETTING - EVERYDAY ......
- CASINO - EVERYDAY(24/7) .....
Broken family, recent suicide rate ...... and those related to debts and gambling ....
what abt the number of people in bad debts and those on DPS and Bankruptcy Order ....
Is OUR GOVT CONCERN ??
"Self-Destructions" ???
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Anger is Never a Good Response
Very angry... With people , places and things.
As I travel in this recovery journey, still I am angry.....
Why people , places and things still treated me like this even I have stop gambling....
A wise teacher , then ask me "have you change ??"
I responded strongly....
" I have stopped my compulsive gambling.... I have started working... I bring back money now.. I take care of things at home..... !! Are they blind to all these ...."
The wise teacher just smile at me and walk away......
Then I realised...... I am still the same old me............ full of anger and frustration....
and just one angry response...
It can just simply destroy everything that I have built in recovery....
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Rainbow of Hope
And Many Stormy Weather Too...
“There's always another storm. It's the way the world works. Snowstorms, rainstorms, windstorms, sandstorms, and firestorms. Some are fierce and others are small. In recovery, I have to deal with each one separately, and taking it One day @ a Time and not worry for the next storm.”
Sometimes in life, you just have to bow your head, say a prayer, keep the faith and weather the storm .....
"After every storm the sun will smile; for every Problem there is a Solution."
Keep Believing in the Rainbow of HOPE .....