[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”STORY OF A GAMBLER (CHAPTER 13: THERAPY)” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Our first day of couple’s therapy was both very whole-heartening and intense, a lot of things came out that I wasn’t entirely ready for, but I knew they had to be said finally. Annie was ready to talk about everything, and I wasn’t. I felt a bit forced into it but our therapist Dr. Jarald was very open-minded and understanding especially when I told him the truth about my addiction.
He told Annie and myself that we needed to take these sessions one step at a time. He said that if I wasn’t ready to discuss a particular topic to tell him and we would take a break. I appreciated his kindness and understanding and I started with telling Annie the truth about why I first started gambling, she wanted to know what was so hard about quitting. She didn’t quite understand and I think she took it as a personal jab at her, she thought that if I loved her and Andrew as much as I said I did then that would have been enough to get me to stop my habit. I don’t think she really understood what it’s like to be a gambler and how hard it is to stop. She wanted to know how much money I spent over the years, so I told her that it was well over $500,000. She looked like she was going to pass out but she retaliated with “either you’re a brilliant liar or I’m a complete idiot for being so clueless.” It was just the beginning of the healing process in terms of our marriage but either way therapy was helpful for us both.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
