1st steps

Yep nice to see good positive threads , gives us all a lift. With us all at different stages of recovery it is heartening to read this thread.

Hi and thank you for your continued support on my diary.

Lovely to read a "normal" post!! like I have always believed in life, every day is going to be different. This has kept me going in my darkest days in the past. Without this way of thinking I am not sure what I would have done. And it is so true.

Enjoy today and what it brings. (wish it was the sunshine but hey shows how positive you are despite the ruddy weather!!) Lv Min x

Where I live I think it is known as the rainy city ha ha so I am quite used to the weather. Payday Fri and I still have pennies in my acct. Have also worked out that I have a fair bit of spare cash after everything is paid out. Never heard of before. It goes to show that without gambling and in the short space of 6 and a bit weeks how far you can actually come. Dont get me wrong money is not a good measurement but bills paid on time no cancelled dd money still in my acct etc etc just proves that this road I am on is much better. Stay strong everybody and for today I'm gonna smile and not gamble.....

Hey PSOWM

Wow what a great feeling you must have to actually have money in your account and its payday on friday!!!! And youl have money left over and get all them bills paid off. Definatelty think you should reward yourself for doing so well. Maybe buy yourself a presents like clothes or a computer game (sorry i dont know you so dont know what to suggest but the thoughts there). Just shows how far you have come! I hope to be in the same position 6 weeks from now.

Have a good day

J

So if you self exclude yourself from the bookys what does that mean then they wont let you back in or what if you try and go in there?

Well get into work and laptop is not working.. Fuming as the IT guys turn it off and turn it back on again method just isn't cutting it with me today. After 2 hours of messing they decide it needs rebuilding. Nice so I get put on this dinosaur of a machine they call a computer... Then to top it off more one of the lads said you fancy a flutter I'v been given a tip in the 2.15 at Goodwood. I explained I don't gamble and he said sorry. I said ot your fault it's just that I was doing hundreds of pounds everyday. Told him I had self excluded and he said he's really chuffed. So overcoming a hurdle after a hard day makes me realise how much I don't want to gamble. It could win it could lose but I really feeling I am beating this as I really couldnt give a flying f**k. Excuse the french. SMiling to myself typing thinking. I getpaid on Fri again still have money in the bank and am not worried about even being tempted although I am still cautious. Onwards and upwaerds for me. Once again for today I won't gamble.

Hey PSOWM

Good for you for able to be so upfront and honest with your mate... I haven't found myself in that situation and doubt I will (I pretty much always gambled alone) BUT if I was I probably wouldn't have had the guts to just fess up so honestly like that. I still carry around a lot of shame about my gambling..I don't know how to get over that...

Work sounds pretty frustrating at the moment... I hate it out IT techs do the most inane things as if we hadn't already thought of it! We're not retards people! lol

It is a nice feeling to have money in the bank still just before pay day... I actually got asked in the bank if I wanted to open a savings account! (I didn't bother explaining she didn't need to tell me the details because I used to have one but it got closed because there was nothing in it) .. Anyway these are the rewards we get from not gambling..and its certainly a good feeling..much better than knowing you've blown all your pay days before your next pay day that's for sure!

Have a good day

nwn.

hey read all ure diary sounds like u will never gamble again. One question though have u downloaded gamblock for online gambling and what have u done about casino's is there any near where u live. Its just u mention you have self excluded from all the bookys. If you have these barriers blocked theres little you could do to gamble except travel out of town which would be desperate and you would know before you had to travel that it was the wrong choice. You have a lot of support as with people watching your finances you know you would get caught and let people down so i think now you have cracked it. I just hope i can count the weeks liek you are. 1 week for me!

I always thought admitting to friends, colleagues , family and even strangers that I had self excluded would be shameful. Almost admittimg my problem. But almost everyone has said 'Good on ya' , the peolpe who are most pleased are Fellow Gamblers still caught in the whirlwind. Absolutely every single one has said 'I WISH I COULD'.

Speaks volumes.

Hey

That was a big step telling the guy in your work you dont gamble - well done - must have felt great.

Thanks for your remarks on my diary and I do wonder if I am giving up too easily on resuming my old teaching career but then I miss racing so badly. I have never been blessed with patience and Im the kind of person who needs company and friends around me other wise i sort of self destruct if Im alone too long!!! That why Ive been crubling a bit lately.

Alas 4 weeks today and we are still fighting the good fight!

All the best

EyesX

Hi it is surprising how understanding others can be. One of my girlfriends knows I am on a CCS debt plan and her attitude is "Well you are sorting it out so its not as if you arent facing up to it. Good on you girl." I think she has an inkling I liked to gamble but I have never confirmed it so perhaps I should as I think she would be supportive.

So pleased to read you are showing an aggressive attitude to beating this and heres to another gamble free day. Min x

Hello All

I too was pleased when I read that my son had amitted to a friend in work that he has given up gambling. For such a long time, he hid behind being a cool, "jack the lad" who could afford to gamble silly money - when the truth was he was in the biggest financial hell hole! I know there are times when he has bought me things or paid for things with money that wasn't his or he really couldn;t afford. The new honest approach, where we go for lunch and I know I am paying because he only has enough in his account to last the month, is much better! He appears to be very positive and very determined but (there is always a "but" isn't there?) he did such an excellent job of getting me to believe his lies for 10 years that I am still cautious about being too optimistic - nevertheless I am very proud and relieved!

7 weeks today. Boy what a ride and I dont want to get off. Enjoying my life so much and the support on here has been great. Thanks to everyone and all stay strong.

Marcus aka Kumar as for Casinos and online I never gambled with either to be fair. I have no debit card to set up online but when I do eventually get it back I would install gamblock immediately. As for casinos once again I have never really been into them but would be more than happy to self exclude however having no funds without somebody knowing again restricts me but if I'm completely honest I never want a bet ever again. Hope at 17 you catch your problem early before you end up in a mess. Today I will smile be happy but definately not gamble 🙂

WELL DONE ON THE 7 WEEKS MATE

KEEP IT UP 🙂

WERE ALL BEHIND YOU

7 weeks - great going.

Appreciate your wee posts friend, everyones support on here fairly gives you something to lean on eh!

I am now back in 'happy mode' again after the recent insanity - im such a fruitcake!

Still - cant say my life is dull!

Alas Im not returning to racing just yet - gotta give this 'new life' some time to settle in - Im a lot of things but nota quitter!!! Well except where gamblings concerned ;-P

Keep smiling, keep shining

Eyes X