If someone told me 27 years ago when I made my first wager that when you are 39 years old you will lose everything and be in place where there are no freedoms, I would have told them that they were crazy because I am an intelligent person and I can "control" my gambling. The fact of the matter is the gambling took over my life and ruined it and ruined the lives of my family. It is an insidious addiction; I did things that no rational person would do.

My name is Marilyn Lancelot and I am a recovering compulsive gambler. I visited my first casino in 1984 at the age of 53. For seven years, my boyfriend and I made the four-hour trek from Yuma, AZ to Laughlin, NV every weekend. I learned early on how to lie to my family and friends and how to sign my employers' name to company checks. I considered suicide and planned it so it would like an accident.

October, 1999. Phoenix, Arizona. Women Problem Gamblers on the Increase

“Whether it’s in a casino or online, poker and other games of chance are becoming increasingly popular. It’s not just men who are addicted, a growing number of women are becoming compulsive gamblers, too. Early Show correspondent Hattie Kauffman takes a closer look at the troubling trend,” news anchor.

I looked at the Gamblers Anonymous site today for the first time and read the 12 steps to recovery. Then I did some research. Here are my thoughts.

"A gambler with a system must be, to a greater or lesser extent, insane." - George Augusta Sala (1828-95), English Writer and journalist.