Life with an Addict

Every Day life

Until you've lived with a compulsive gambler it all seems black and white. However, life with a gambling addict is anything but simple.
There are the obvious money problems which one would think was limited to simply going without the extras. In reality, the simplest things become a challenge. Disconnection notices are a way of life, buying a simple carton of milk sometimes seems impossible. I can't even count the times my husband would leave to go to the store only to return five or ten hours later without the groceries he left for. Sometimes he wouldn't return at all.
I recall once when my son was in elementary school not having anything to pack a lunch with. I had things I could make him here but nothing to send to school. He had to stay home from school that day.
My husband would sometimes leave in the morning and by that evening he may have gone through as much as 2000 dollars. After fifteen years of living like this you learn that most things you can live without. My sofa is falling apart to the point that it's no longer safe for anyone to sit on and as much as I'd like a new one I content myself with the knowledge that someday I'll get one, for now I can do without.
Most people think that money makes the world go around, I've learned that the only thing it can do is buy peace. If your lucky enough to have your bills paid you no longer have to worry when your phone rings. That's worth more than anything money can buy.
My friends often ask me where I find the strength to get through this, but when I'm really at a low I have no desire to go on, so I guess the strength finds me. Otherwise, I simply wouldn't be....