Everything was going perfect in my life -
thriving business, happily married, gorgeous
home, and three beautiful children, I was
truly living the, "American Dream."
I remember walking through the doors of the
Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas as if it
were yesterday. I had never been inside a
casino before, and literally fell in love at
first sight. Before checking into the room,
I decided to fulfill a promise that I made
to a friend back in Seattle. Per
instructions, I was to place a five-dollar
bet on Number 17 at the roulette table. By
pure chance or simply beginners luck, that
little white ball landed on black 17 three
times in a row! Hours later, I walked away
with over $4,500.00 in winnings, and the
belief that I had truly discovered the wheel
of fortune. During the remainder of our
vacation, I failed to convince my wife that
I was gifted with this new found ability to
pick winning numbers.
Immediately upon returning home, I began
boasting to everyone, (excluding the one
friend in Seattle) that I had successfully
formulated a unique strategy to beat the
odds at the roulette table. Night after
night, my thoughts would spin out of control
with the vision of that wheel and the
constant dream of someday returning to
Vegas. In my wildest dreams, I could have
never imagined that I was destined to live
this nightmare…
Through word of mouth, I discovered that
Washington's first tribal casino recently
opened in Marysville. I began making the
daily 120-mile roundtrip drive in the summer
of 1993. Completely blindfolded from
reality, I slowly chipped away the pieces
that held the "American Dream" together, and
by the time I opened my eyes two years
later, it was to late, my compulsive
gambling addiction had cost me everything
that I had achieved in life.
During the next nine years, I continued to
self-destruct. Every time my future seemed a
little brighter both financially and
emotionally, I could not control the
powerful urge to escape and gamble. I always
would say, "I'll never go back, I promise to
quit." Over time, those words and promises
no longer had a truthful meaning and no one,
including myself, listened anymore. While
dangling at the end of my rope after a
recent gambling binge, I asked myself, "Is
this my ultimate fate, am I really destined
to simply let go and drop so low that when
hitting bottom, I would wake-up homeless on
the streets of Seattle?" Hell No!!! I still
had the inner-strength to firmly grip that
rope and the will-power to take control of
my life. It was at this very moment when I
made the personal commitment to solve my
gambling problems forever. I immediately set
realistic goals and successfully achieved
each goal ... one day at a time.
I'm now journeying along a new path which I
named self-preservation, (The preservation
of yourself from harm; a natural or
instinctive tendency.) I've discovered true
serenity, (The restoration to good health or
a useful life, through support, therapy
and/or education.) I honestly believe that I
was pre-destined to live this nightmare in
order to one day wake up and inspire others
to say hello to the future and good-bye to
the past. That day is now…
I hope that in the near future, our
individual paths will cross and we can join
together in our quest for a better life. By
banning together, we can change the world
and make a difference in our lives and the
lives of others. The journey is just
beginning, and I hope you'll join along for
the adventure…
