A break from the usual routine

I no there are posts on here about taking up a pastime or physical activity to divert your attention from gambling.

I've joined an arts an crafts group. Making stuff. I go twice a week and make stuff. That means I've had to start putting my mind to the project (s) I've got on the boil and when I'm at the class put the theory into practice. Now I've found that when I,ve started to immerse myself in designing something, I'm exactly that, immersed with very few outside thoughts intruding. I'm even more immersed when I'm making the item. I find a couple of hours passes very quickly.

Now I'm not saying this one thing will cure me from gambling absolutely. It's more than i couple of blocks though in my barrier defence agains the demon trying to get through to me.

I was in a hospital waiting area the other day and I had to wait about 30 minutes before I was seen. My mind went back to a rousing finish in a horse race when I should have won £800. There was a rule 4 on it and my expected winning were about £600 instead. i thought about when I got a yankee up a few years ago and the payout shoud have been about £850 and they screwed up the calc and when i went for the money they said £124. I had to ask them to call HQ to have the bet looked at and they agreed with my calc of £850. Then the staff member said they did,nt have enough on the premises to pay me and I actually nor did they have a cheque to pay me with either (It was one of the big High Street Bookmaker's). Then I thought of another big "winner" from years ago, whereby the horse I backed won this big race and was subsequently and controversially placed 2nd after a stewards enquiry.

i suppose what I'm trying to get across is the joy I experienced at "winning" was tempered by ther post racing frustration and anger I felt when things then went wrong.I turned the elation of the "win" thought (which could well set me off betting again) to a negative thought about what a waste of bloody time and money gambling can be. Not to mention to anger and frustration i experienced at the time. The above also illustrates what happens when spare time is available like the hospital wait i experienced the mind starts to wonder and that can lead as we know to more than just temptation.

Hope you see what I am getting at here. I've actually started to have negative thoughts about aspects of gambling. Thus helping to negate the horrible "joyous" feeling that positive thoughts and urges on the subject can have.

I'm not trying to sound like some "plaster" saint with this post. It's still extremely early days for me. I know it's a long and possibly painful road. I just thought i'd share some of the things that have been in my head. Hope all this makes some sought of sense to people.

Best Wishes