Dawn,
I invite you to consider the following:
a) Find a certified addictions counselor on your insurance plan (call the 800# on your card); if you do not have insurance like 46 million Americans in this country, locate and call the local community mental health center in your area-- most work on a sliding fee scale or see people for no cost if they are subsidized by grants
b) Identify your triggers
c) Attend several meetings of Gamblers Anonymous [GA], learn about those wonderful 12 spiritual principles called the 12 Steps and invite others to suggest ways to minimize or handle your triggers when they arise
d) Look for any history of depression and/or chemical dependency or addiction of any kind on both sides of the family (your parents') so you know about genetic predisposition and vulnerablity
e) With your counselor, identify and practice strategies to combat boredom when it arises
f) Work on developing self-esteem from within and not root it in externals like gambling/money won/money lost, etc. (I'm not implying you have no self-esteem!); An excellent resource for this can be found in your local library in the chapter on Self-Esteem in a book called The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook (no need to buy it!)
g) With your counselor identify the empty spots in your marital relationship and how you can fill that emptiness with real connectedness, real emotional and social intimacy
h) Develop a support system (you might find some of the people at GA with long sobriety time to be very helpful)
i) You have a mission in life that you can uncover by identifying your true passions, talents, and abilities; your counselor can help you with that once you get anchored in your recovery
j) Do something creative every day
God bless you, Dawn, and good luck to you. You are not alone, and others stand ready to assist you.
Greg