New here

Hi Fry,Hi and Welcome to the forum,I was starting to get a bit worried as i was reading through the second paragraph but then you realised what you are/were doing is very dangerous,You realise that you cannot ever gamble again and that is good,im sure you have read that alot of people whos vice was online gambling use blockers to block access to the sites,I have read of 2 which are called "K9" and "gamblock",for you i believe it is about blocking the temptation to look at odds more than blocking you from placing a bet.

Well done for about 8 months without placing a bet!

Thank you for this, I really think I needed someone to reinforce this point. My head is clearer this morning, and I'm aware of the blocking software and will look into it.

I hate that gambling ads are everywhere, it is being glamourised and it nearly destroyed my life. I just cannot go back to that place. Thanks again I appreciate it.

Hi Fry

I'm sure if you asked yourself 2/3rds of a year ago if you would have accepted abstinence for 2/3rds of a year but a creeping curiosity in odds, you would've gladly accepted it.

However, I see the 'holy grail' as completely breaking free from the gambling mindset - seeing it for the absolute waste of time that it is and moving forwards.

Perhaps consider why you're still being attracted to that world? Is it boredom - in which case consider opening up to your interests?

Hi Cardhue,

Many thanks for your thoughts.. Absolutely I am really happy it's been that length of time. It was only when I looked at my calendar the other day that I realised so much time had passed. Problem for me, and I'm sure a lot of people here have the same, is I went a similar period of time before, but slipped up, and, in terms of monetary loss, a lot worse than the first time, where I thought I was over it.

It was indeed a mixture of time on my hands, and not filling that time properly.. It is a bit of an eye opener to hear the two responses I have had here, basically to find barriers to the gambling, and to fill my time better, so I don't think about it as much!! Again, thank you for helping me to focus, the advice sounds simple but it wasn't coming from anywhere else.

Hi Fry, a good post and the most sincerest of congratulations for being two thirds of a year through your recovery; an excellent achievement.

I have stopped for over five years now after gambling for twenty; I was the same as you for a time - I still spent time in the Bookmakers and I still looked at odds and things; part of me felt I was "confronting my demons", but I know now that all I was doing was slowing down my own recovery. Like you, I didn't have a definitive reason for doing it.

I still see odds and things now; they mean absolutely nothing to me - I am so emotionally distant from any form of gambling that it feels like the acts I committed, and the lifestyle I had, was lived by another person. There is no doubt in my mind that you are headed in this direction and it is extremely positive that you realize that being complacent can be every bit as dangerous as experiencing a strong urge.

You know what you have been through to get to this stage my friend - don't allow yourself to "numb out" what you have been through; use your darkest days from your past to make sure you don't take a wrong turn.

Well done again my friend. You deserve enormous credit for what you have done - don't be too hard on yourself; this was a learning experience and nothing more - use it to your advantage.

JamesP

JamesP,

Thank you for these kind words. In my experience, friends and family have not really got how difficult this has been for me. Of course everyone has their own problems and have to focus on those first. This is, or was my biggest problem and it took over my life.. the urge to chase losses, the thrill of the win or near win, or loss.

I have been largely indifferent, repulsed even by gambling since I packed it in. I'm not going back to it, the impact it had on me is still clear in my head.

I will take the advice and words of people here and it will reinforce what I'm trying to achieve.

You are very welcome Fry, no worries at all,

It took me a while to accept and learn that you can't involve those who can't understand or appreciate what you are going through, no matter how close you are to them.

This is why GA helps a great deal - it is very liberating to speak and be surrounded by those that do appreciate what you are experiencing. This Forum is also the same - non-judgemental support and advice can be like gold dust at times; you just can't get that from those who haven't been through what we have.

Your words, and your state of mind are greatly encouraging my friend; I like your honest and analytical approach - there may be days ahead where that all goes out of the window, but you know how to handle it now, and that can only improve with time.

Well done again, all the very best to you,

JamesP

Cheers everyone.. going to continue dropping in here from time to time. And anyone new here, in trouble with gambling and reading this, I think there's a hell of a lot of experience and good will here, which I am really grateful for. All the best.