Abstain and maintain.Stepping forward never back.

Good Evening,

Tonight I wanted to wish you a very Merry Xmas. If I was to look up inspiration in the dictionary I would almost expect to see you there. Unfortunately, I have never seen a pictorial dictionary but to me you epitomise inspiration with your commitment and dedication to recovery.

Thank You Sir,

Flagg

Wishing you a Happy Christmas to you and your family Duncan.

Thanks again

Irene

x

Merry xmas and a happy new year duncan and 2 sarah try not 2 worry i think ur man has an amazing chance of arresting this disease indefinitely and im not just saying that 4 the sake of it.

I hope use have a great family xmas free from gambling and the first of many

Evening diary.

Well xmas is upon us.

Thank you so much for the support and kind words i am so humbled by them.

Been thinking alot today about absent friends,folk who helped me so much upon this journey.

Js123,jp,Keith iow,markman,steg and most of all smiler and getting there. You amongst many others have shown me my lights guide.

Rach you helped me to find balance and humour.

Dusty sprinkled the fairy dust, flagg made us unite.

A fellow in my ga room said only 3 out of a hundred see a gamble free year through, frightening but a great challenge,one i strive for 29 days until i see out my first gamble free year,the first of many.

My quest for 2013 is to up that anti. If i could up the figure by one i would be made up.

Most of all our house today was full of love and laughter.

My beautiful Sarah,my best friend, my soulmate my driving force seems at peace today,why??

Because my life simply does not exist on the result of a punt.

It feels great a feeling i will never tire of.

Today i won.

For you all i wish from the bottom of my heart the same.

Duncs compulsive gambler no bet today

stepping forward never back.

Womble i will post joes poem i promise.

Morning diary

xmas day,last year i had started drinking by now,to block the mess i was facing. Inside gutted that i could not escape to the bookies !!!how dare they close for a day!!!bas*tards !!

Today i cooked the breakfasts, the fantastic rib of beef sits roasting and along with that wonderful smell there is a wonderful feeling,why????

Because today we celebrate life.

With some truly amazing folk.

Today i raise my glass to recovery!!!!

Abstain and maintain my dear gamcare family.

Thanks to the staff,keep up the amazing work.

Merry xmas one and all.

Duncs stepping forward never back

Merry Christmas Duncan. Your support on here for people is amazing. Wishing you best wishes for 2013.

G

DMac,

Merry Christmas. I hope you and your family have had a wonderful day. You certainly deserve all the happiness in the world.

Tomso.

Morning diary.

Well i lay like a beached whale lol!! I over indulged on the festive bill of fare.

The beef tremendous.

Today i will cook turkey and cider baked gammon and yes repeat yesterdays over eating lol!!!

But today i get to eat turkey in its best form cold with pickles and mash!!!!!!!

Not a sprout in sight !!! Lol

today i topped up my resolve as boxing day last year was spent in the bookmakers chasing a way out of the massive hole i had dug through gambling.

Today i thank gamcare for batting away any urge to gamble from my brain and will let me if i can roll off the bed lol, walk hand in hand with Sarah and the boys for a few miles with my ma and ed to make room for that said turkey and if lucky a pickled egg or two.

Lily is off to work,callum to watch pompey well weather permitting!!and Joe off to catch up with a friend.

28 days on my countdown clock. To one year gamble free.

Enjoy gamble free the festivities.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Hi Duncan

Hope your day's panning out as planned and that you're enjoying every minute.

Again, thanks so much for your post in my diary. What you said is totally true, by choosing not to gamble we've freed ourselves to give our all to loved ones- what better gift?

Keep stepping forward!

Irene

x

Hi Duncs,

Hope you and your family are well?

Gonna stamp my big fat feet and have a paddy if you don't post that poem soon(sheesh...hope I havn't missed it in the cyber world)

My guess is you and your family are spending some quality time together.......nothing makes me happier sir!

Carry on inspiring Duns!

Sue xx

Hi mate.

Hope you and yours had a lovely christmas.

Best wishes,

gazza

"something Christmas for a festive time of year"

It has come to that time of year once more.

Kevin mc calister means my tears meet their happy ending.

Sending cards by stamp is no longer the method of measuring love,

Add a colon and a bracket to show that you care.

Sharing chocolate that all tastes the same.

Half a carrot and a glass of milk murdered in the night.

Behind the scene suffers the quality street,

All the other tins laugh at him

then who doesn't.

Ideally shane mcgowen would be father Christmas

so we could all drink Guinness and have a get together.

Waking early to find that not even the poet could bring the snow.

Stocking full of coal.

I'll keep the fire burning bright till next year

so you don't have to suprise me with that again.

Again...

Again those songs are sung

"last Christmas I Gave you my heart"

"Children playing having fun"

Each time I hear something so different

we all grow old but believing never ages.

Why can't this year poetry books be all the rage??

No kindles,i pods,i pads, sad

technology that was never needed

i'm talking tattered old bindings

the smell of burnt down book shops

finding the flavours of turkey

that for some reason mum put in yesterday.

We all pay the price of binge eating

step on the scales and the numbers fail you.

Realistic resolutions mean you vow to lose a few pounds,

Realism is shattered when your brother finds you eating the last of his selection box.

You know scrooge was one of the three wise men?

When was the last time you wished Jesus a happy birthday.

Nativity plays used to say so much about society

those moments between me and the star will die with me.

It has come to that time of year once more

dreams open at the seam of there pretty little ribbon.

I think of of all of you for the first time in my life because you are all giving.

Getting away from this

I stroll along a path and watch where i imagine

Childrens footsteps to be playing in the snow.

Sometimes saying nothing is blissful

across the road i see poetry made in the snowman

Outside the church her eyes meet mine

I stand completely still frozen in time.

The tears smear down the stained glass window.

An original poem by Joe the mac young poet laureate portsmouth.

Evening diary

Back to work today,had a wake to cater for.

Had a great couple of days off, enjoyed massively with those i love.

Coined yesterday when my mum said that laying in bed Ed had said he could hear me in the kitchen singing,something he had never experienced before.

Mum said because i today stand as the real me, the anguish and hiding gone.

Remaining a fella who's glass is simply half full.

Seems to rub off on all the family, a contented feeling throughout the house and not for material gain.

Now the charge toward the new year,a time to enjoy.

For the first time Sarah and i will enjoy new years eve together, no work,five days off through hard honest work for me and plenty to toast.

My resolve topped up today by the post of the year.

If you want to be inspired read Blondies post from today.

It captures recovery so well.

Blondie today i doff my cap to you.

Thankyou.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Love the poem and reading your diary.

Tonight my son told me I had drained all the joy from the room in the space of ten minutes after arriving with all my woes, hospital all day, can't get home as garden flooded hence staying with him moan, moan , moan.

I should have been singing too, maybe next week, next month, next year and he will understand why.

Hi Duncan,

That was a gr8 poem to read xx

Thank u 4 being there 4 me last night and 4 ur kind words... It helped me 2 know that I am not alone xx