A thought a day...to keep me away.

I have decided to stop posting and reading for a while.

This has been an inspiration and saviour for me, but i feel i have reached a part of my recovery where reading about other peoples illness and crisis is not helping me....i now want to remove gambling from my thought and daily routine completely.

I will pop back intermittently, but for now wish you all the best on your recoveries.

Stay strong - the world can be a far better place by staying Gamble Free.

Sbb

Do what you need to do SBB. Thanks for everything. You know we will be here for you.

Markman

217 and not looking back !

Stay GF and happy all.

Sbb

Enjoying life and making plans.

How my world has changed since I decided to take responsibility for my actions.

Believe its possible, life is so much better without gambling.

Content.

Sbb

Hi sbb.

Lovely to read your last post and see everything is still going really well for you. Remain strong and happy going forward.

Take care.

Our Lady

Still going strong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp2qjshr-r4

Mind playing tricks with me today.

PPI cheque clears tomorrow and annual bonus due next week - life is good.....so why am i struggling today ?

Just re-read my diary and steeled up.

Strange how the mind works, im doing well so lets gamble - No I have this under control.

Dont even try Mr G - I have you exactly where i want you !

Sbb

Well into my eight month of being gamble free.

Debts falling nicely (if slowly), more importantly I am in control and not burying my head in the sand.

Family holiday in four weeks time - all paid for in advance.

And have dropped 45 pounds in weight in the last four months.

Still have urges to gamble but have become bloodyminded about making the most of things and wont be going back there.

Life is so much better, and it feels so good.

I hope you are all staying strong and focussed - I am still new to this side of the fence, but can report the grass IS greener.

Have a content and successful day all!

Sbb

Strange where the urges come from huh SBB? Good job in recognising them & finding a safe way to work through them 🙂

& WOW, 45 pounds :-0 That's something to be incredibly proud of!

Still here, still moving forward.

I think less and less about gambling with each week that passes, and with that inch by inch the old me is returning.

Finances getting better (slowly), weight falling (slowly), all in all life is far far better.

We are all a box of jigsaw pieces and its not until you lay them on the table and really work at them that the vision that you desire emerges.

Honesty with myself is where I began, and as my confidence continues to grow so will my desire to delve deeper into my dark places and be fully truthful to myself and family.

One step at a time is something I really understand now, but with each small step we take...we move away from the problem and closer to the goal.

Life is really good right now, and is in the large majority due to my abstention from my addiction.

Cured never, in control 100 percent !

Stay strong and believe everyone.

Sbb

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built;

not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,

but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories,

but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters

Day 280 - Mortgage arrears cleared....totally up to date - Stoked 🙂

Some beautiful posts.

Great news you are no longer in arrears, your hard work is starting to pay off, stay strong.

I wrote this on here eight months ago and have returned to it regulary over the 292 days gamble free since.

Its only my ramblings and thoughts but thought I would share it, in the hope someone somewhere might get something out of it.

Keep up the positivity and belief in yourselves folks, its great to read how others are progressing.

Life is good

Sbb

1. Time is the most valuable commodity on the planet, and we all have it in equal amounts. It’s how we spend it that matters. Spend it with people who make your heart sing, spend it with those people who would break your heart if they were not around.
2. Too much of one thing normally means not enough of another. If you are spending too long at work, too long on in the pub or too long on the golf course, it means that not enough of your time is being spent elsewhere. In the end you will miss wonderful moments you can never get back.
3. Really appreciate people, and savour every moment with them. One day sadly you will find they have gone.
4. We are all exactly the same, colour, religion, location, age, size and shape may label us, but we all came from the same place and will return there.
5. Empathy, Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, and Respect are paths to contentment. When we wander off these paths or someone blocks our way, we make bad decisions which hurt us deep inside.
6. School is really is the best time of your life. The ability to learn is a wonderful gift, as is the art of teaching and passing on knowledge. It’s a microcosm of evolution itself, it is the survival of the fittest so grab every piece of knowledge that you can.
7. Read a book every month. It takes you to places you have never been and may never go to. It introduces places that you may end up travelling to. It offers insight into different lives and thoughts, situations and cultures, people and times. It shows us what it is to be humans.
8. When you feel something is wrong, it almost every time is wrong…the sooner you understand and act on this the better.
9. When you feel something is right, it isn’t always the case…follow the feeling until it feels wrong.
10. It’s hard to walk away from trouble, but it really is less painful in the long run. Long term grudges or vendettas eat away at the soul. Lashing out may hurt you as much, or more than the other person, and tends to mean lawyer’s fees and fines.
11. Travel whenever possible, the places with the least to offer materialistically always offer far more spiritually.
12. Feel every emotion and learn to enjoy each one for what it is…..part of the wonder which is life.
13. Be brave! Tell that girl she is beautiful, ask for a pay rise (if you know you deserve it), …….Fortune does favour it!
14. Be wary of those who don’t drink. They remember the next day, and take great joy in reminding you and telling others about things you cannot.
15. Great Britain is the best little place in the world. We have a rich history of invention, we have four very different seasons, our scenery is up there with the best and our beer hits the spot.
16. Some people are needy and selfish, it’s not something they are necessarily aware of or can alter. If you have the energy give them your time, if you don’t have, walk away politely.
17. If someone enters your mind, take a moment to email, call, text, snapchat or what’s app them and ask them how they are! Knowing we are not alone is a fundamental need, and letting someone know you care costs nothing at all.
18. Make lists, have goals, prioritise them and do everything you can to achieve them however big or small. There are not many better feelings than a sense of purpose and a sense of achievement.
19. Aim high, think big, it is all possible…but you have to visualise it and believe it possible!
20. Dance – Dance even if no one else is, Dance in the rain, Dance in the light, it’s your song that’s playing right now.
21. All 7.5 billion of us exist on a speck of dust which is revolving around a slightly larger speck of dust at 67,000 miles an hour in an indefinable space without any control over our destiny. Your tiny little life is therefore not that important in the big scheme of things, however every single word you speak and action you take has an impact on others all around the globe, so choose what you say and do very carefully.
22. Friends and Colleagues are important, Family is all. Resolve issues, don’t let them fester. If you have let them fester, resolve them today…there may not be a tomorrow.
23. Eat what you like, when you like. Why would you eat what you don’t like, when you don’t want to?
24. Exercise is healthy but then again so is sleeping, do as you feel – it’s your life and no one can alter that fact.
25. We all make mistakes, and instead of learning from them, tend to repeat them despite the obvious pain they cause. The secret really is listening to yourself before you take action, consider options and probable outcomes wherever possible…..We tend to know how things will pan out.
26. Be good, if you have the time, the skill or the financial means help with no expectation of return…it feels amazing for the giver just as much as the receiver….try it!
27. On each of the 1500 times the average couple make love the man releases 500 million sperm, of which one will connect with one of the 2 million eggs that the woman was born with. That’s odds of 500,000,000 x 2,000,000 x 1,500 that you are here at all. You are very special – remember that!
28. For you to exist and produce a specific child has odds of 500,000,000 x 2,000,000 x 1,500 x 500,000,000 x 2,000,000 x 1,500. Children are the most amazing, wondrous things, treat them with love, awe and light them the paths.
29. Today is all that matters. Don’t forget the past, but don’t dwell on it, By all means make plans, but that’s all they are at this stage. Today is the day, today is your day!
30. Slow down and admire the view. A journey gets you from A to B, it is the journey itself that takes time and therefore provides an opportunity to reflect and take stock.
31. However you see yourself and whatever you think of yourself, it’s is a million light years away from how you portray yourself and how others see you. If you are brave enough ask!
32. Everyone has fears and failings, everyone! From the top CEO to mega-rich sportsmen/women and rock stars. They are no better than you, in fact you may well be a better person than they are.
33. Don’t have a dig at your boss, they may frustrate you, but they are generally trying their best in a difficult set of circumstances. Remember the emperor may be wearing new clothes, but the emperor is still the emperor, naked or not!
34. Television is designed to dumb us down. Watching actors and actresses playing out fictional lives in soaps is to stop us thinking about and challenging our own.
35. Break the rules wherever possible. If we all adhered and complied we as a race would not evolve. Challenge what you are told, break the mould, smash through the glass ceilings and if necessary kick down the statues.
36. It’s good to have faith but keep it personal. Organised religion can be divisive, dangerous and thrives on the insecurities of us humans. King Zog of Albania may well have had it right!
37. Karaoke’s should never be held in the same location more than once a year. The same people singing the same songs poorly each week is not what should be viewed as entertainment.
38. People are generally a disappointment, but when someone comes up trumps, it’s worth the wait. Keep believing.
39. One hour of glory may seem worth far more than a week of mediocrity but a week lasts 167 hours longer!.
40. Horror films are not good. They teach us that hatred and evil are acceptable and commonplace. If you need to stay in and watch a movie, choose Shawshank, Green Mile, Elf or It’s a Wonderful life.
41. Musically the 60s were where it all began, the 70s where it happened and the 80s where it ended.
42. Looks do attract, but it is what is inside that matters, go with the latter if you can’t have both.
43. Don’t marry young, play the field, but sensibly and with respect. Learn to understand yourself and what you like and dislike before jumping in. Marriage is costly emotionally and financially so choose well.
44. Believe. Believe in yourself, believe in your friends and family, believe in humanity, believe in something higher than all of us – they all exist and have limitless possibilities.
45. Look for the good. Everything is made of positive and negative energy, there is bound therefore to be some bad news, but if we all recognise, talk up and celebrate the positive, amazing things happen.
46. Be an agent for change. Everything happens with a first word, or first step be that person that initiates it, you have permission, there is nothing to stop you.
47. Document the moment. Take a picture, write it down…in the years and months to come these records will make you feel alive, whether tears or laughter they will take you right back to the place and time.
48. Tuck a little cash away every month and ensure you take family holidays while the kids are still young enough and still interested, these truly are golden moments.
49. Communicate. Listen as well as talk, question and try to understand….in everything you do!
50. Love. Love yourself, your parents, your children, your friends, your colleagues, even your enemies. John Lennon was right – Love really is all you need!

Hi, I don't come on here very often now but just wanted to say well done. I'm happy to say still gf, looking forward never back, take care x x