I had all of last week off on annual leave and this week aswell meaning alot of spare time on my hands and the a betting advert on about every single advert inbetween the world cup!!!!
Nothing against ray winstone but hes really starting to do my head iN.
The urges have been there but managed to resist so far. I get paid on saturday and the feeling of losing all my last months wages is still fresh in my mind. I really hope i can keep it up.
This month i want to treat myself to something, buy my mum a birthday present, and put some money away in savings.
I have also been running alot the past 2 weeks.. i would recommend it as it really does make you feel good about yourself when you get home and get out the shower. Gives you that feel good factor and makes you forget about gambling.
Thanks for listening again J x
Hi James - Glad you are feeling good, despite all those TV ads. I am quite fond of Ray Winstone ('s**y Beast' is one of my favourite films) but his disembodied head leering at me saying "You'll LUV IT!".... is really driving me up the wall. No, actually Ray, we won't love it - it destroys us very nearly, so SHUT UP!
OK, off my soapbox.... keep up the running James and anything else to keep your mind and body in a good state. Hope you can find something nice for your Mum.
Best wishes,
Joanna
Hi Jameshld11,
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for posting here.
Also, well done for the progress you are making with your recovery process. 23days into your recovery is a good achievement, and you should be proud of yourself. If you can stay 23days without, you can definitely do a 100 or 200, or even indefinite number of days too.
Just try and stay focused; taking it one day at a time. Eventually you’ll get to where you want to be with your recovery - ie: to stop completely.
I can fully understand why you say these tv adverts “are doing your head in” especially, when you’re trying your best to avoid gambling.
Since we’re all aware that these betting adverts are not going to stop, my advice is that you find something to distract yourself with during the duration of the break for adverts.
I’d also like to make you aware that you don’t have to respond to the urge; it stays for a while, and then it passes.
Once you find something to occupy you which has nothing to do with gambling, the urge would eventually pass, and you’ll be your normal self again.
If you realise you’re struggling with that, you can call our Helpline on 0808 8020 133, and an adviser would speak to you and hopefully, the urge would pass.
You’re doing well jameshld11, hold on to it, and look forward to a time when you’ll have a gamble free life. It’s doable, and you can do it!
Best regards,
Beatrice.
Thankyou Joanna for your kind words.
Beatrice can i just say what a fantastic job you are doing providing this service and passing on your advice to help people like me deal with this problem.
Like people have said before on here unless you know someone and their finances its difficult to spot a gambling addict unlike a drug or alcohol addict. I have been an addict for 9 years and at 25 i really want to move on and enjoy the rest of my life gamble free. And i have made a start because if i dont gamble today i will have gone the whole of june without a bet.
I dont blame the bookmakers or the government it is our own responsibility for how we act. However can i just say the FOBT in bookmakers are a disgrace to society in terms of how much you can wager in such a short space of time with no questions asked.. they are ruining lives.. i can honestly say i would of never become an addict if it wasnt for them as horses, football i can bet responsibly like alot of other people. I think the government need to do something about it.
Keep up the good work Beatrice x
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