But gambling didn't solve any problems, and pretty soon it was creating its own. Things were getting tight. I realized I had a problem when I was going through my bills one night. It occurred to me that my biggest concern was, "Where am I going to find the money to go to the casino tomorrow?"

Luckily for me, I saw a commercial about responsible gambling on TV one night. I went to this site, got some facts, and then called the help line number: 1-800-270-7117. It's for Michigan residents only — and it was probably the most important thing I've ever done. It's there for me 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even though I've wanted to, I haven't been to the casino since, and I feel very lucky that I caught things before they got out of hand.