After sunking to the rock bottom, I decided to reach out and seek help. I research online and found out in Sydney Australia, there is a Gambling Treatment Clinic held at University of Sydney.
I attended one session a week for a period of 4-6 weeks. (I can't remember how long, sorry.)
I concluded that the sessions were helpful.
They helped me identify how I held false belief about the pokie machines. Even though I knew the machines operated at random, I believed that some machines were "more favourable" than others because they "were better aligned" hence greater chance of getting a better return.
They also pointed out how much money I would have lost in total and helped me to trace back what happened in the past that trigger the gambling problem.
They informed me that the gambling problem is a "learnt behaviour" and can therefore be "unlearnt"
They told me that pokie machine were set to return about 75-85% of the credits bet and how this is done. This was actually the first time I learnt about this rule. They shown me how even though machines operate randomly are set to return 75-85% of your credits bet, you will still end up loosing in the long run if you continue to bet and the house always have the "house edge".
One important message that come out of the sessions, "Winning is only temporary so, what's the point?"
The treatment sessions and counselling were helpful. Therefore I encourage you to reach out and seek help.
I can't say that the completely cure me and stop me from compulsive gambling, but I would say they do help to a certain extend in pointing out and straightening up some of my false beliefs. I did gamble a lot less often or rarely after. Every bit helps. I know I still have problems and I will touch on these problems some other time.
Updated: 14 July 2014
Found this article online: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-brain-gets-addicted-to-gambling/
It confirms what I believe ;) That gambling problem is an addiction, though my therapist said that it wasn't and it was a "learnt behaviour". Pathological gambling was used to be classified as impulse control disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and now moved to a more appropriate category: addiction.
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