Abstain and maintain.Stepping forward never back.

Morning Dunc's

Your diary inspires and helps me. Just wanted to say. Regards... S.A

Hey Duncs,

Inspiring post as always 🙂 thank you for sharing, your words always sums simple things in life as the best things to hold on to tight. Real inspiration, keep making the right choice, sharing ur good vibes, and gifting urself and ur lovely family all the best things in life : love, peace, happiness and belief.

Take care dear soldier

S x

Hi Duncan

As always your still going strong, I'm still reading a lot all over the forum and have to say read some reall inspiring posts from yourself

Well worthy of been top of the tree in my opinion and still set that example to us all

Best wishes to you and your lovely family

Castle2

evening diary

Castle,always good to see your name down the right hand margin of the forum fella, so good to read that your destructive gambling is still being arrested, long may it continue.

So our daughter turns 18 tomorrow, my Ma and ed are coming down and a few more folk coming round for supper and to celebrate Lily's milestone, I am doing a variety of curries to keep everyone fed and it seems a pancake eating contest is in the making between our youngest and Sarah's brother which could be fun on top of a curry!! lol.

for me a day to enjoy and be thankfull that even through my best efforts to f**k up my kids life through my addiction, they have all turned out great kids, they ask for nothing and do it with such humility, our lily wishes to teach, something I am sure she would be very good at and is on course to start uni later this year, as you may know our oldest is already at uni and turns 20 later in the month, he too seems to be leaning towards teaching, he has been running poetry workshops in schools for free this week, helping children with learning difficulties, lovely he did an assembly this morning at a local primary school and the kids he helped last week had made him a card, from the rainbow class, really touching and humbling.

On to youngest he is currently shouting at the tv, pompey have made the line up for the monday night football, his number 1 passion in life, he spent the best part of friday and saturday pleading with his mum to be able to go tonight!! to derby on a coach when they are on tv at 15 is commitment!!the answer Not on a school night!!!

to each of them their own commitment to life and dealing with what comes there way is testament to each of them, they are my driving force to try to make the best decisions in my own life too today, that without doubt does not involve wasting a minute gambling, the act which I know cause damage to not only my financial and mental well being but that of the three kids I am so proud of.

So today I have put the meats into various marinades and the cake is all but done, preparation for hopefully a day to remember for all the right reasons.One not to be stolen away by the selfish actions of my addiction.

Today I did not waste my time, on the act which is a waste of time

Gambling.

I did win because I did stop

My name is Duncs

stepping forward never back.

Hey Duncs

Just wanted to say, hope you and your family have a wonderful time celebrating your daughter's 18th Birthday. It sounds like you will all have a great time with lots of lovely food on hand!!

Theses are the best times I think - celebrating/being with family. Worth more than winning any amounts of money (then of course losing it all)!!

Take care and enjoy.

Lady Feb.

Yo,

You see I suppose it's all about priorities

Me well I recon ( not that I am the worlds expect) that you've NOW got yours right!

For that to use your own term I salute you 🙂

Shiny xxxxx

Why is it your posts always make me feel hungry Duncs? I've managed to put on half a stone just by reading about your wonderful food alone. Hope you all have a lovely day, I'm sure that amidst the joyous sounds of this forthcoming evening you'll take a quiet moment to reflect that 'you won,' and you are surrounded by the trophies of your victory. You stopped gambling before it destroyed everything of real worth. Enjoy it all Duncs, I'm off to marinade my frosties in some milk for a short spell.

Laz

"I did win because I did stop"

d**n right brother! Whether we win or lose, gambling is just extended losing at the end of the day, at least for us CGs.

Hope you had a wonderful family celebration, teaching is a good profession, but I hope they know its not a 9-3.30 job. I lived with my mate who's a teacher for a while, and I once found him on the sofa at 2am laminating stuff for his lesson the next day. It's almost a lifestyle, not just a job.

Shame Pompey couldn't deliver a win, but it was a decent result. Each point further away from the relegation zone is something I know all about with West Ham this season.

All the best mate,

Ryan

evening diary

I thank you all for the kind words.

they really do mean a great deal.

Today I would point all the readers of the forum to in my mind a true hero, GAZZA515

my friend today you quietly celebrate 2 years continued recovery, you have gone about recovery in such a truly humbling way and have in my mind led the way where others have stumbled, myself included.

Fella I salute your continued efforts

I read a great deal of this forum, some of it really is not worth thinking about,other parts are worth reading,taking upon board, that is the beautiful thing about this forum, it evokes thoughts and whether they are threads that raise a smile or posts which seem to insight they can all be used to my benefit.

To hammer home the fact that

Gambling is a waste of time.

nothing more nothing less.

it has and will continue to have no purpose in my life, the reminder of what an ar#se gambling makes you shines through

Gamcare I thankyou for the constant reminder.

Great medicine

My name is duncs I ama compulsive gambler No bet today

Embracing the opportunities my addiction robbed from me, would I swap it for the so called thrill of a punt

Would I f**k!!!!!!!!!!!

Stepping forward never back

Morning my friend.

Many thanks for your kind words.

2 years ago, you, Ade and NT reached out and offered me help. You have been instrumental in my recovery and i thank you so much for that.

Thanks again my Gamcare friend,

Best wishes,

gazza

Evening diary

gazza thanks for the kind words fella, truly humbling and great to see that recovery, continued abstinence can be done, fantastic!!

So had a great deal of thought about the posts on the overcoming gambling thread, regarding whether this is an addiction/illness or as the author stated just a behaviour.

For me what does it matter, the huge thing, the bigger picture for me is what we are doing about the destructive nature of what we are let gambling become.

Smiler posted something on a thread recently to a newcomer to the forum that sometimes the threads/authors that get under your skin the most are the ones which will help you the most.

For me that is without doubt true, my resolve to have the courage to stand by my own choice is massively strengthened by such posts, posts regarding the quality of recovery, possible cults,narrowmindedness all serve to make me question my own belief and review it were it needs reviewing and strengthening where it needs it.

Truthfully the rantings on the mentioned thread served to tell me that by making the choices I do in my own journey, my recovery will be served well by them.

I let go of the anger I had towards the 'gambling industry' it really is for me a wasted effort, that being said at one point in my journey that passion kept me from venturing back to a bookies so I see how this journey is evolving, time today is better spent sharing my ramblings with like minded folk who want the same thing.

To arrest and maintain the continued abstinence because it is the one guaranteed way for me to gift my life the maximum opportunities to enjoy myself.

Through recovery I stopped looking over the fence at what other folk had too, this for me always a driving force, to want what you had, today I relish what I have, life continues to present opportunities since I stopped living the 'what if' life gambling offered, today is about carrying out things rather than dreaming about them.

Qualifying my belief

Gambling is a waste of time

Darts tonight, the premier league is for me an outstanding spectacle 180's a plenty, hopefully a nine darter, me I live each and every dart, for the pure pleasure it brings, the outcome/results unimportant because any one can win, all in the name of sport.

Not a wasted punt in sight to steal that enjoyment from us either

My name is Duncs I am a compulsive gambler NO bet today

Stepping forward never back

Cheers Dunc for your post, it's funny because I too imagined investing in a penny farthing to accompany my Edwardian 'tache, I even went so far as to imagine myself dressed in tweeds peddling away with a shotgun bagging a brace of plump wood pigeons for supper. Yet that dream turned into a nightmare when I noticed a couple of red laser beams pointed at my chest accompanied with the orders of 'this is the police, put down your weapon.' Sometimes authority stands in the way of fun.

Never mind, I hope you enjoyed the darts. Glad to hear you've rejected materialism for as a hippy, I too think along those lines. My dream is to one day live like an aborigine but it's hard to do this in the heart of Livetpool, I just keep getting arrested because of the spear and told to put my shorts back on.

Yet what you do have, and I know you don't need reminding of this, is priceless. A great family, with a loving wife and kids who obviously have their heads screwed on right and must fill you with pride. Your posts always fill me with happiness because it's lovely to hear when someone won the jackpot. All the money in the world can't replace this. I'm probably going on too much here but to me that's where true value resides and when I see it, it fills me with joy. You deserve it all Duncs because you never threw it away.

Incidentally I'd batter you at darts, I'm sure, I was obsessed when I was younger, played for a pub team too, before the yips kicked in and I kept poking myself in the eye as I drew my arrow back. Us CG's, like a challenge, too competitive for our own good, and never, ever believe we can lose. I must tame my ego.

Have a good day Duncs

I'm definitely an 'ex' addict because I crave(d) dopamine which was given to me after adrenalin. In much the same way that dopamine is fired into the brain when you ingest C*****e and other drugs I could easily mention.

I missed the 'rush and feel good high' for ages when I abstained but that's not life. I prefer it now, steady and contentful without the nagging need for my fix.

Christ I've missed my bus!

Steve

Afternoon diary

thanks steve, fella you are truly a worthy adversary to this wonderful forum.

the question I have asked myself in the past week over and over is why did I not install the internet at home before?????????

It is fantastic, I can dip into the forum whenever I feel the need, no more being constrained to the hours of the library, no more listening to folk out trump each other!!

I feel like a kid in a sweet shop lol.

I am sat watching catch up on the sky, yukon men my programme of choice, it is truly amazing to see how those guys live -20c is a hot day!!

the whippets are layed out on the couch enjoying there afternoon nap after a run around when I got in from my days efforts.

My life really is full of some special things, today I can embrace them all without the distractions of my addiction getting in the way.

Tomorrow afternoon I hope to clear some time to throw some arrows, sounds like steve offered up a challenge lol, he is right about a 'competitive nature' I do enjoy winning.

Which is why today the choice comes easy.

My name is Duncan I am a compulsive gambler No bet today

I am very aware of the forthcoming racing meeting next week, I hope the forum is a safe haven for those who it is unacceptable to wage a single penny on it, that way we all remain Winners.

Stepping forward never back.

Hi duncs

Just want to say that each time I read your posts I feel a little bit stronger. You are such an inspiration and so positive which in turn helps anyone who reads your diary.

thanks

linda

Hi Dunc's... good to read your posts as always. Nothing to add today. Regards.. S.A 🙂