COVID-19

On gambling, four years later

I considered, for the first time in four years, not to write this annual blog on slot machine gambling.

However, if this helps even one person out there get away from the grip of the slots, it’ll be well worth it to continue with this yearly ritual.

One of the things that helped solidify my anti-slots stance in the past year – as if I needed more convincing after wasting countless time and money on the one-armed bandits up to several years past, when I self-excluded myself from Ontario’s casinos four years ago almost to the day – was reading Addiction by Design. The book, by Natasha Dow Schüll (an associate professor from the United States) is a blueprint for why people should steer clear of the slots.

It isn’t only just the machines – the biggest money maker on casino floors – that lure you in. The author notes that everything from the design of the carpeting (which prompts people to head to machines) to the lack of windows (to make you lose track of time) in casinos is aimed at parting you with your money.

It’s insidious. And it’s a major-league cash grab.

Due to COVID-19, that financial grab has been slowed in Ontario and other locales in recent times as casinos have either been shut outright or reduced in their capacity. It’s one of the few good things about the pandemic.

But there are still gamblers out there just waiting to play the slots again. And that’s a shame.

But there is hope.

ConnexOntario is a 24-hour, year-round way to access such hope for those with a gambling or mental health problem. It’s toll-free and anonymous – call 1-866-531-2600 to take your first step against the slots.

Holiday ups and downs

It’s a time of highs and lows, in more ways than one.

The coronavirus continues to run rampant in Canada as we head into the holidays. And today, the first of the vaccine against the virus became available in parts of the country, although in limited supplies – more, we’re told, of the vaccine is one the way.

And with Christmas coming, it’s also a time of holiday ups and downs. There is the joy we associate with the season, while on the down side, people can’t be with their loved ones and friends as we have become accustomed to in years past.

For people like me who are living with bipolar disorder, Christmas can be tough at the best of times. The holidays can play havoc with emotions, sending people into manic or depressive episodes. At this time, with COVID-19 ever present, this is all the truer.

In the past, when volunteering with charitable organization Operation Sharing’s Christmas Day Event, I felt an elation that, in one year in particular, put me over the top. It was well worth it, though, as many people in need were put into the holiday spirit with food, games, gifts and fellowship. Unfortunately, due to the virus, the event had to be cancelled this year, leaving many without a place to go on Christmas Day in Woodstock and surrounding Oxford County, Ontario.

If any of the people at past Christmas Day Events suffer from mental illnesses – and I’m sure at least some of them do – I can only say keep in contact with loved ones this season, even if it’s only over the phone. It’ll do you a world of good.

Health update of Sept. 28, 2020

Bit by bit, my weight has been creeping up in recent months. And although I have to take full responsibility for that (who else is going to?) I blame, in part, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since March, my efforts to keep my weight in check have admittedly gone downhill. Part of that is due to the temporary closure of the local Y at that time … I had just started getting into a routine of going to the gym, but big bad COVID put the brakes on that.

The downhill spiral worsened with time. I got more into the beer as the days went on and staying indoors became the norm … indeed, I’ve drank more in the past six months than I have in a long time. And, along with the beer consumption, my eating habits have taken a turn for the worse. Intermittent fasting, by and large, went out the window and, with that, late-night snacking has become usual.

But, enough is enough.

For the past week, I’ve foregone drinking alcohol, with an eye on keeping sober for an extended period of time And, with that, I’ve bumped up my walking regimen to a daily routine. Weightlifting is also back, as is intermittent fasting. As part of that, the late-night snacking is a thing of the past.

For the first time in a long time, I was eager to see what the scales would say at my biweekly weigh-in and bipolar medication shot at Ontario’s Woodstock Hospital. And today, even though I’m still up compared to earlier weigh-ins, I weighed in at 316.1 pounds, which is down 4.3 pounds from two weeks prior (and down from my all-time high of about 400). As for my blood pressure, it was 117/78, which pleased my medication clinic nurse.

With the support of my wife, I aim to continue my re-found healthy ways. Wish me luck.