My introduction - here goes

[JustMe86]

Hi Im new. I've never done anything like this before. I'm a 30 year old man and am suffering with sex addiction, alcoholism and gambling addiction. I'm holding on but am so scared. I can't seem to do this alone. I need help and I don't know where to start. I want my life back I want to be able to be free from all that is consuming me. Just reading this aloud is really confronting. I never thought this would be my life. I'm hoping to be able to talk with people who are supportive. I feel so alone I'm too ashamed to talk to any of my friends or family. I just want to live. Is there any hope for someone like me? Any advice much appreciated.

[Fairywings]

Hi there firstly i just want to say to u you have just made the very first step to recovery that is admitting you have a problem and your willing to get help for this. NONE of what you are experiencing is any of your fault so please don't blame yourself. It makes me happy to see such bravery in u to come out and ask for help.  Yes there is an incredible amount of help for you out there to aid ur recovery.  Firstly and for most i fpound it helpful to open my heart to god. I turned to god and he answered my prayers bc there were so many times i wanted to end my life but he stopped me bc i was meant to help others like itself who are batteling their own demon's everyday.  Depending on where u r located gamblers help line is a great place to start alcoholics anonymous is another great one to call not for the sex addiction but im pretty sure the other two agencies can refer you to a point of contact for this.  I hope this has helped you believe me ur not alone in any of this if ur open to getting help and it sounds like to me that ur are you are doing the right thing in order to get your life back.  Remember baby steps and ull be amazed at where u will end up in life. Xx god bless you 

[geoff]

dear JustMe, thank you so much for deciding to come to this site, as it must have been so hard for you to finally post
your comment, so I applaud you for your bravery.
Sometimes one addiction such as alcohol can then lead onto wanting to gamble which then leads onto wanting continual sex
so you have an unquenchable desire to fulfill which just one is not going to satisfy your needs.
In other words when one starts, then does the second and then the third, because you aren't getting 'what tickles your
fancy', so to speak, but I don't feel as though you could possibly stop all three at once, because to be able to do this
you would need to be extremely determined and so strong to achieve this.
There could be a tendancy for you that as your aren't getting the satisfaction from one of these addications, that you
need to move onto the next and so on, and I not sure which way you start all of this, by drinking first but it would be
nice to know, because there maybe ways to help you if we know.
One problem is that if you try and stop one of these is then leaves a void, where you have nothing else to do except
for replacing it with one of these addications.
Please don't feel confronted by coming to the site, because here there are so many different problems that we all talk
about, trying to help each other get through, and I say that because I really hope that you can reply back to us, as this
conversation has only just begun, such as which State you live in, plus there are many other questions which would help
us to know, and don't remember none of us know who you are, but again I really to thankyou for posting your comment.
Geoff.

[JustMe86]

Hi Geoff. Thank you for your post. I live in NSW, I am gay, I work full time. I think the drinking always comes first, except I will gamble when I'm sober. The sex is really always the last of these problems. I think I use it to punish myself for the guilt I have over my other addictions. I rarely use protection. It feels like a vicious cycle... Sometimes I can't sleep until all 3 of these things have been done. Then i spend the next few days living with guilt until it all happens again. I don't feel in control of my life, I feel consumed by these problems and often wonder if this was my lot in life and this was the way it was meant to be, but that scares me also because I feel like I am going to die early in life if I can't find a way to change. 

[Fairywings]

hi there hope your OK. Working full time, that is a huge positive you are showing yourself right there, that you are able to keep this together and maintain a job. For many people like yourself in the same situation holding down a job would be extremely hard to do, but the fact that you are doing it, you should be so proud of yourself. There is help for your addictions out there in terms of your drinking and your gambling you just have to be willing to take the help. You have done the right thing in acknowledging that you have these problems and you are struggling with these addictions on a daily basis, but life in general isn't easy and in my own experience life in all its glory and crappiness is meant to test us. We just need to learn how to fight it so we can maintain a positive perspective. This in itself takes time and takes a lot of practice but i know that if you allow yourself to get help for your gambling and your drinking, you will definitely see yourself in a better regard. I know you can find a way to change because like i said you have the strength to maintain a full time job and this in itself is very hard for people to do when addictions are present in their lives. Please don't feel guilty with what you are experiencing, with the extra help i know you will get through this. here for you if you need to chat more xx