Girlfriend says I have major gambling problem and need help.

[bankrobber42]

About six months ago I was introduced to the game of limit holdem at one of the local card rooms. I ordered several books and tried to learn as much about the game as possible. In order to really learn the game you need to play a lot. I started playing online and occasionally at the local card room. Since she worked until 9:00 at night I had time to play from 5:00 – 9:00. One night she game home from work early and busted me playing cards online and flipped out. She asked me how long I have been doing this and I told her that I played almost every night which made her even angrier. I got the silent treatment for about 5 days and then she leaves me a note that says unless I get help for my problem we are through.

My ex girlfriend is an alcohol and drug counselor and thinks she is an expert on other peoples problems. I really did not know if she was right and I was wrong so I went to a clinic that deals with people who have gambling problems and had an assessment. I was completely honest with the gambling that I had been doing during my assessment. In the end he said that I really did not have any problem at all. He said it becomes a problem when you borrow money and get in to deep, steal, miss work, cant make payments all of which I had never done. The only thing wrong that I did according to him was to sneak out and play. In which my reply was if I asked her if I could go the answer was going to be NO. So with my new clean bill of heath I go home and tell her that the counselor said that I did not have a gambling problem. She again went nuts and said the guy sucks and was going to call him the next day and that I was sick and in denial about my gambling problem. We got to arguing about it and I got so pissed that I booted a 90 yard field goal with the plastic garbage bin directly into the oven putting a small dent into it and let a few f in himers slip out.

The next she comes back from work with a list of gambling clinics that I can pick anyone from and go see. In addition is a list of anger management clinics that I also need to pick out one and go see. My dad said that she was very controlling and that I had to put my foot down at sometime and not let her push me around. I told her that not only was I not going to any of those clinics that I would be playing cards 2-3 times a month and if she did not like the door was over there.

She decide that she could not live with a person as sick as me and moved out. Cost me $4600 to refinance to a higher interest rate in which my house payment went from $1100 to $1900. The funny thing is that now with the bills taking up so much of my monthly income I can no longer afford to play cards.