Struggling....I feel like a gamble

Hey stranger long time no hear! From what I have read the urges you are experiencing @ the moment are nothing compared to how strong they will be if you cave in! They are just urges & they will pass & as a result of beating them, you will be stronger so that next time they come around you can just shrug them off!

For what it's worth, I don't have a bet on!

Don't undo all your hard work now! Keep fighting - ODAAT

Hi mate

There's always gonna be triggers,just keep being strong as you clearly have this last four months.

You WILL be this

Hi both

i pop on now and then but have been so busy at work it's been hard to post (it's not you it's me etc etc)

I had to decline a offer from friends to go out drinking tonight which has annoyed me, but I know, I can just feel it, that I will gamble, and alcohol really doesn't help me.

i just feel I have been steaming along so well and it's like I have hit a wall, I am pleased with how I have dealt with it, just maybe surprised how strong the urge was, to be totally honest I hadn't even told my wife a job I was due to price up this evening had been postponed, I was seriously contemplating using that time to go out of town to gamble (to get around self exclusion) I am just so so gutted these thoughts have crept in.......I've eaten 6 f*****g twixes fighting these urges (two finger ones).

Hope everyone is well!!!

Is it wrong that I'm laughing 🙁 SIX?!? That's 12 fingers :-0 That's hardcore man! I actually wanna doff my hat to you!

All joking aside, you did AWESOME! They are gonna come but I know what you mean...It actually feels like a kick in the teeth sometimes but it's a reminder that we must not be complacent!

You can work a few extra calories off, you wouldn't be able to retract the feeling like s***e gambling would provide!

Great choices today! Keep making the right ones - ODAAT

Yeah twelve fingers.....the missus is going to go mental in the morning, haha, I once cracked open a new tub of celebrations on Christmas Eve and ate the entire tub.......everybody thought I was joking when they asked me to get them out on Christmas Day!! I don't do things by halves unfortunately!!

i am pleased, I just hope this is an off day and can remain focused and back on track from tomorrow, rocked me a bit

thanks for the message mate.....I'll continue to give the bookies two fingers each.

Must be something to do with being tall enough to play basketball...I regularly find whole packets of goodies missing from the treat cupboard! The Northern Monkey can continue trying to convince me that I'm going nuts & regularly leaving things behind in the supermarket but his midriff is all the evidence I need...The Fat Knacker - would have used the B word but Forum Admin don't like it 😉

P.s: Someone tell Ginge, I got the cryptic bit about the 2 fingers 🙂

Haha, the age old "are you sure you bought them" passed on through generations of tall/wide snackers!!

To be honest I was sceptical about the importance of self exclusion, naively believing that willpower and "time being a great healer" would be more than enough to keep me from there clutches......how wrong I was, can thank the advice to self exclude as the main reason I did not gamble today.....has been the first time I have had to rely on a barrier I put in place, but it worked!!

Must admit I feel like I have gambled, have that guilty feeling (not because of the twixes), and vulnerable, but I'm claiming it as a victory and sure will fel better in the morning.....and minus a hangover.

Cheers!!

Hey there

firstly don't knock yourself for getting an urge to gamble. Your still the one in control as your still not gambling.

Urge or no urge your still a gamble free person, and you need to take some time to stop being busy for a second and sit down and remind yourself how WELL you are actually doing.

You have been struggling to not gamble, you have had to keep yourself busy, you have posted on here, you have declined a drink with friends you have been stressed. But

you have taken control mate!

Your addiction tried to get you to gamble whilst it thought you was weak, over the past few days you have consciously told it NO and have took control.

thats what will ultimately break and weaken the hold that gambling has on you.

So don't beat yourself up for wanting to gamble, instead pat yourself on the back for working through a hard time and actively taking control. Be proud of yourself for suffering and yet working through it and not giving in.

well done, and please be proud of yourself not miserable and keep up the good fight

Also last bit, if you wanted to gamble last night you would have found a way, there are thousands of casino sites out there, it wouldn't have taken you long to find a new one to sign up too and gamble if you really wanted too. You diddnt. So don't knock yourself for hitting the "your excluded" reminder yday.

Last time now just to make sure you have to listen lol. Be proud of yourself for wanting to gamble and working hard to NOT gamble, and taking control. Don't feel weak feel strong, you are strong. You have already proved it.

Thanks Jay mate, that means a lot, only people on here truly understand the urges and struggles that it brings.

much appreciated!! I feel a lot better today thankfully, on the march again!!

How's it going PG? Too lazy to scroll up the thread (took me long enough to to find you) to find out if you mention it so assuming your original handle made reference to the place & not the mountain, we paid a visit down your way last week! To be fair, it matters not anyway really but kinda got me wondering how you are getting on?

Just trying to figure out what I said that was so bad...Seems I needed to use 31 too! I'm intrigued now, what's so wrong about P G that it is edited :-0

Hi ODAAT, how are you?? I had to change the username as i was worried i would be recognised by a friend I steered in this direction, I have no real problems with that but I find I can be a lot more open and honest with "strangers" than people in my life.

Apologies on the late reply I have been away on holiday for ten days, a much needed break, I am pleased to say I am still very much gamble free.....I felt a bit of a donut when a few new friends on holiday wanted to put just €5 each into a fruit machine....I simply said I do not have a clue how to play them in England let alone Spain.....they laughed, I laughed at the fact I could probably tell them the year it was built and every single outcome that machine has installed (yet i still played them)....but that aside it was nice to have literally no temptation. I still think about gambling a fair bit, but am definitely in a great position and manage to fear the outcome of what my gambling would do if I went back to it, been a lonnnng 4/5 months but am a better person for it (I think). Did you enjoy Portsmouth?? I hope you avoided the teddy machines.....i genuinely won't even play them these days, I have been known to throw £30 in them, and God forbid trying to win a £3 Mickey Mouse teddy being the reason for a relapse.....I hope you enjoyed it down here, and hope you are keeping well?

PG31....new name, same problems.