2017 My Year

I know it's not easy Stephen , It's sooooo hard giving up something that's a huge daily part of our lives , I know I've been there mate and it was such a struggle to break free but you can do it mate , you really can .

Sounds like a good plan regards the money ," if you ain't got it , you can't spend it " can you ? :)) .

Just off to work now mate so take care and I'll catch up with you soon :))

Best wishes Al

Hi, so glad your making contact with a GP and going to sort the headaches out. With regards the gambling, its still early days for me (almost a week) but I am starting to sleep better now and feel better about myself. When I was gambling for long hours at a time staring at the screen I used to get what was called "cluster headaches" and they took days even weeks to clear up. I have not had a headache in 6 days. You can do this - read some of the success stories on here, its not impossible you just have to really work at it and stay positive.

Hi Stephen, sorry to hear you're having such a tough time at the moment. No one is here to tell you what you should/shouldn't do, we are all here to help each other through this difficult addiction. I can somewhat relate to the feeling so low, but only i could bring myself out of it and like a few people have said above taking care of yourself makes a huge difference. I went through a stage of not eating (think I was punishing myself) but after a while I realised that made absolutely no difference to my problem and just made me feel horrendous. By far this is the hardest thing I've ever had to battle against, but I consider myself lucky because i can and will battle against it. I thank my lucky stars everyday I wake up because I'm still here to battle against it all. Really hope you take some goodness from these posts as like I said we are here to support, help each other. I do hope your mood brightens a little and you start to feel a little more positive about life. Take Care Stephen C x

Thanks charley. It means a lot.

So day one tomorrow. Time to.take responsibility. People arent against me,im.against myself. One day ill learn about why that is but for the moment my priority is not to gamble.

Tomorrow I will dress as well I as can. Work hard. Get on with everyone. And not feel like the world is against me

This post has made my night Stephen! Good for you! You're right, the world isn't against you, you just fight to see the best if it. And what a good start this is! Wishing you a fabulous day tomorrow and hoping your spirit is lifted a little. Take Care. C x

I mirror Charley's comments Stephen , It's really nice to see a positive post like that coming from you :))

It's not easy for any of us to take responsibility for the thing's we have done but were the only one's that can buddy .

I'm also wishing you a great day tommorow Stephen , stay focused and positive and look to the things you want to achieve my friend .

Best wishes Al .

So pleased to read you've been to the doctors Stephen and your last post was a treat to read.
You're not going to be alone when you go to work tomorrow - you're taking the support of all of us on this site with you.
Sending you a bucketful of strength.
I look forward to reading your future posts.
LML

Stephen - pleased to see you made it to the doctors and have handed the cards to your Mum. We all know that none of this is easy but you have done well to put all this in to action over the past few days. I have probably offered all the advice that I can think of now and that is a lot from the perspective of a parent so will leave you to chat to others on here that are going through the same as you. Keep talking to them Stephen and - support from other people is so important and Gamcare has been a godsend to our family. Good luck to you and everything with the doctor and to your Mum. Take care.

Day 1

Feeling a little rough today, didnt set my alarm properly so got up in a rush.

Plan today is to work hard. The only good thing i did with Septembers wage was join a gym. So after work ill go to that. Im pretty good at the gym stuff, gambling just really derails any sort of plan/goals.

Hopefully the doctor rings me back today. Once i know im on a waiting list or something i dont mind once its all set up.

Trying not to think too far ahead.

Ill say something positive to help my mindset/mood a little. Im grateful that i have a group of lads to go for tea with in work. Good to have people to chat to if even for just 5 - 10 mins and they are nice lads too.

You've got the right idea, take it one day at a time Stephen....try to stick to that.
I am terrible at getting way ahead of myself, and in the end, I end up all stressed and worried about things I cant really do much about right now. Just need to remind myself of it every now and then.
Hope the doctor gets in touch with you soon

Damo

Good for you Stephen , great to see the positive outlook starting to shine through , you can do it buddy just take it one day at a time .

Have a great day mate :))

Hi Stephen, I haven't been on GC for a few days. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see the turnaround in your outlook! So relieved that you are on the case with the doctors, and finding the brightness in life. It's the small things that matter sometimes, like having a brew and a chinwag with your mates at work. Now that you're in a positive frame of mind (going to the gym and all, get you!) are you going to self exclude from the bookies?

Having a read back on the last few days this morning, I can see that you have so much support on here, we're all rooting for you. I kind of wish I lived nearby, I imagine you now walking to work with your head up, shoulders back and with a purpose that you didn't have last week - I'd like to see that. Instead, you'll have to keep posting to let us know your progress!

Big squeezy hug Stephen!

Twinks x

Thanks alan and damo, appreciate the messages. I never comment on other peoples pages so i appreciate it. Maybe its something i should try when i get a clear head.

Thanks Twinks im from Ireland so the self exclude thing is different. I actually filled out a form to self exclude from the bookies near my job before but the following week or two i went back in and put on bets no bother. I think someone from here did go to every bookie to self exclude though so its something to look into. I get paid in three weeks time again so the fact i have handed over the bank stuff is a big step

It's a huge step Stephen and shows that your thinking ahead and planning for next payday already :)) , I don't know how the exclusions work in Ireland but there must be something in place just as there is here with the national exclusion , maybe ask Gamcare if they know on the feedback page ? .

Ler us all know how your day goes later buddy ? Wish you well :)) Alan

Phew! So glad you went to the GP. And I'm doubley glad that you're feeling a bit more positive. Smart move joining the gym as that'll boost your mood and fill your time. And you're right about looking at the positives...not only have you got a job (yay!) but you've got good lads there to chat to (are there cake and biscuits with the tea?!) . Hope the rest of your day goes well. LB x