Abstain and maintain.Stepping forward never back.

Hi duncs good to hear from u again mate and also good to see you betfree! Am doing this with all my heart this time.thanks for your support on my page! Bring on tomorrow so scotty can rack up day 1 betfree 😉

Scottyboy

Morning Dunc.

Hope this finds you well.

Take care mate,

gazza

afternoon diary.

Gald to see you back scott, my hope is you find the forum again helpful,

Had another good chat with my Sarah yesterday about what abstinence brings and how recovery is going, for both of us, I am aware all to well this is a joint venture for us, a little away from the normal, but as I have stated many times before we have been together for pretty much all of our adult life and have come through a great deal in those 21 yrs. On the 6th of june we will have been married 10 years and that day coinsides with my 500th day of abstinence.

Through the last 481days I have learnt a great deal about my beloved wife, how strong she is, how vunerable I made her, how proud she is, how together we work so well, how much effort she puts into life, and often without reward.

I know there were many who would have happily seen our relationship sent to the gallows, but I take heart through all the adversity my addiction brought the one person whom I hurt the most is the one person who I am told gained the most through my recovery, we have balance, we each have opinions on life, they both count as equal, we have three great kids whom have brilliant futures ahead and scars which heal with each days abstinence, most of all we have honesty, a real honest approach to how to live our lives best to suit us, with irony we lived in the shadow of many things for a long time, recovery helped us deal with things on a level playing field. We used to live a material exsistence, today our lives seem more organic, but through that I mean natural to us, we do the things we enjoy and are not afraid to decline the things we dont.

Another gift abstinence has given, we took it with both hands, so I feel refreshed in my marriage and love the fact I can raise more smiles today and tears seem to come through joy, not a sadness born through my addiction, today I will celebrate this fact along with each breathe I am privelidged to take.

I know there will be challenges to face in our life, that's life, but I know I have a great partner to face them with,

I am unashamed to say, Sarah McQuilken I love you for who you are, my beautiful wife.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Hey Duncs,

A very special relationship indeed, made even more special by your hard work and dedication in abstinence. Much congrats to you and your wife for working through it.

Chicagoguy

Your posts always touch me Duncs but none more so than your last one. It's a joy to hear such happiness and appreciation in your life. Really pleased you're coming up to 500 days of abstinence and the fact it coincides with your loved ones anniversary makes it the more special.

I remember that Steptoe episode, it was funny, like all of them. Keep enjoying your recovery Duncs, you deserve it.

Steve

Morning diary.

No post yesterday as after a chat with a contractor at my work i have embarked on some extra work. I will earn well and my only outlay is my time, this fella wants a mail shot of 20000 leaflets dropped and after a few failed attempts to employ folk he was bemoaning his bad luck. Me i negotiated a good price and last night he dropped off the boxes . So i folded two thousand and will drop them this morning and do likewise for the next ten days.

Happy days.

Oh and i reckon i may shed further pounds in weight.

So no bet for me the streak continues.

No bet today

my name is Duncs i am a compulsive gambler no bet since 23/01/2012.

Stepping forward never back.

Morning Duncan

Can't say anything more than echo what Steve has said , ur the living proof that life can be turned around from the jaws of defeat , ur journey is enough to inspire everyone with their own recoveries

I av nothing but good to say bout u

Castle2

It's like getting paid to exercise in fresh air, what a stroke of luck Duncs. I don't know about you but I've relearned the value of money. When I gambled, money meant nothing, just numbers, fuel for my next bet. Now I appreciate the graft behind it. Enjoy your day Duncs, you'll be folding paper in your sleep but it's all good, this is living, free from the turmoil and misery of gambling.

Keep stepping forward Duncs not backwards.

Yo,

Beware paper cuts !

Hugs

Shiny xxxxx

Evening diary.

Well no paper cuts!! Lol. Stretched the old legs out nicely though and did my scheduled leaflet drop this morning. So nine more drops and a nice little bonus coming the mac way.

Today i was deeply humbled by a post on the family and friends thread i felt compelled to reply, gambling really is a tragic addiction that knows no bounds and will destruct far more than just our lives. If you want to feel humbled read Fairytales thread it struck a nerve. I hope the family find salvation and recovery.

Got home tonight and Sarah and i enjoyed an ambled with the dogs and saw the local fox and her two cubs playing, a wonderful sight, we enjoyed a delicious stir fry to boot, turning it in now to be fresh to repeat my day tomorrow.

I hope everyone is well and bettered there tomorrow by making a great choice today

no bet today

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Evening Sir,

I never fail to be amazed by your recovery. Every day you find the positives, every day you say how much better life is without that demon. I have used your diary a lot these last few days as a reference point. I read and it reminds me that first and foremost us not gambling is a gift we are giving each day to ourselves and those closest to us.

Enjoy that little bonus you have earned it a hundred times over!

Flagg

Evening diary.

Thanks flagg your words mean a great deal.

To be honest if you had caused as much sh#t in your life as i had through gambling then totally truthfully it don't matter a t#ss what life throws my way.

My glass will remain half full. I pledge to not spill a drop.

Everything in my gambling life was waged on an outcome out of my control, that is obscene but that is how i lived.

The destruction relentlessly wrecking havoc and killing my soul.

Today i did my leaflets, smiling, worked hard then enjoyed supper of some butchers faggots my mum got from somerset for me and Joe they were delicious!!! Thanks Ma. Xx

funny she is holidaying in cos and has teased me with some text pics, so tonight i text her a pic of dinner lol!!

I made Sarah some lemon and blueberry drizzle cake, scores and a choc fudge cake to take to school for her teaching collegues, made the kids a choc fudge too, made them smile, me i resisted the temptation to indulge maybe a sliver tomorrow, well that's if there is more than a crumb left. Lol.

Great to see such a good vibe here on the forum, the new members are making a great effort, for me great medicine.

Thankyou.

No bet today, not risking what i have at any odds

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Hey Duncs,

Thanks I appreciate that. Congrats on resisting eating all those goodies, great will power you have my friend!

Chicagoguy

Duncs,

Thanks so much for your post on my diary mate. I would be pleased to connect away from the forum / via email etc. Not sure how that's done though?

Cheers

D123

Hi thank you for the reply, I agree all the posts do help, I'm gaining in strength and confidence, mind set focused....

I've just been in touch with the daily mail their journalists very interested, cometh the hour cometh the man, I want this taken to the house I will stand before them... will inform you how my meeting goes, any guys you correspond with who have issues with the boxes in bookies rally them to tell their mps, trading standards to investigate how the random number generator pick is then interpreted as a next door miss, how random is random? We together can do this

Day4 here I go, have a great one