Abstain and maintain.Stepping forward never back.

Jack russell eh....lol..your mum will never be bored again..that's for sure..they are fantastic dogs...bags of character and sooooo intelligent...

She will love her new addition..

I would not be without the lovebug ...your mum will have a talking point for life now with a russell....and a fantastic companion.

Hugs and counting down the days with you....

R and d xxx

Dunc,

Wishing you well mate.

The 3/100 stat is horrific.

i've had to put GA to the side at present, You still going regularly??

gazza

Hey Dunc.. a hearty congratulations on your gambling free time. I remember when i got my year pin several years ago... alas i had to give it back. Like what some wise Ga member said.. the one year pin is the hardest to get but also the hardest to keep! .. make sure you keep yours, am sure you will!

I also see the parrallels between the forum and Ga and the numbers that stick around and the numbers that disappear. Although one can't make a true comparison becuse the forum has not been around long enough, I reckon that the stats are pretty well matched.

Anyway great stuff Dunc's and thanks for your support. Ive had a fairly s**t day work wise but didn't eat any yellow snow, so thats good! lol regards... S.A 🙂

Evening diary

well the snow came and messed our day up.

Lily had an exam, rode the bus in did her exam and came out to find all buses cancelled!!! So after a bit of panic found a train running to get her half way home, i trekked to meet her and we walked the three miles home. Sarah walked to work and the school was shut!!nobody thought to phone !!

Callum did an hour in school before they sent him home.

Meanwhile the workman turned up to tile our bathroom but before lifting a tile went home on the grounds of health and safety!!!why!!!

Me i still ache like mad and have felt nausea all day to boot .

Still the dogs loved the snow so there is always a bright side.

The staff night out got cancelled So they all kept there money in there pockets!!

Work for me is suspended until the snow clears as it is five miles in the sticks and inaccessible.

Tomorrow i look forward to walking the paper round with our youngest as it looks like it Will all freeze leaving total carnage!! The grit lorry did not come within two miles of our house.

This country really is not great at dealing with adverse weather.lol

still 361 days without a bet,a streak not even this weather Will disrupt!!!

Roll on the summer i say lol.

Duncs skating forward never back maybe i Will stick a cushion down my trousers in the morning just in case!!!lol

Duncs Skating forward never back lol. I know mate, I used to work with this Polish guy about my age and he thought it was absolute joke how everything comes to a sudden halt at the first sight of even a flake of the white stuff. What a joke ha. What about Duncs Sledging forward never back lol. Or Skiing even. All the best. Not long now and you get that pin. You've earned it.

"Who lives in a house like thiiiiiis?...David ..its over to you"...lol

I love that show....hey ..do you think the agent will split commission if i flog my own house?...answers on a postcard please...lol

Duncs...on your pin day it will be....Duncs Congo-ing and Night Fever shuffling forward ...as we have a cybercelebration for you..lol xx

keep watching the skies...

r and d x

Afternoon diary.

Well it took two hrs this morning to do the paper round, I at times felt like Sir ralph Fiennes Lol

for the car driver this morning, well on the main drag life would have been a breeze,for us the pedestrian well I know how the skeleton bobsleigh feel lol shaken to the bone!!

Still no bones broken and home safe for a few slices of eggy bread!!

362 days gamble free for me today, had a fleeting thought formulating some football results i nmy head this morning, but it passed as quick as it came.

feel a bit better in myself today,the sick feeling has passed, just in library now,to order the ian rankin book and a quick gamcare fix and then off home to watch the £3 film we picked up in tesco, armed with a couple of rawhide bones to keep the dogs entertained.

No bet today,why would I.

Looking forward to the next band of snow!!

Oh and no doubt the paper round in the morning!!

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDD can you help me!! lol.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

hey Duncs....got your Greasman post there ...lol...and maybe gonna put him out of a job.

also been rolling rolling rolling and got some rawhide bones today ..had another "How much" moment over a new lead..her knotted up one willl do just fine.lol

Your right about cash....and value.I can't believe really how frivolous i have been in the past...going out for meals at the drop of a hat...No excuses for me but can track this habit to being a rep on company exes ..whacking it on the plastic and the company picking up the tab..

Never did major scmooze stuff like champagne but i was always first up buying coffees ,cakes ,etc ..by biggst crime I am ashamed to say now...parking fines.

I would be always pushing it on parking and staying longer knowing i would get a ticket..or using expensive multistorys rather than walking a few hundred yards more to get cheaper.

I got a parking ticket a few weeks ago..£25 a genuine mistake as didnt put enough in meter... but i nearly cried as that is like a weeks food shop for me now..

The value of things has really hit home and I now shop really frugally now.

always thrifting forwards......r and d xx

ps.... thought for the day......."look after the pennies...and the millions will look after themselves"...lol. : - ) xx

Hi Duncs,

I just wanted to say thanks for your words friend. They mean alot. My gc family gets where I am at right now and I draw so much strength and security from that. Thanks buddy!!

Afternoon diary.

363 days without a punt. Not even a coin flip with youngest to see who had to deliver the paper to the house in the iceiest road. No i just did it.

Yes i was again today Britains oldest paperboy. Lol.

The thaw appears to be on here, which i am glad about.

Hope to return to normal again. I have a couple of days off now, to see the new year in.

The thing i take today from this forum is i learnt to take the honesty we have hear and use it in everyday life.

Ok not everything is to everyones taste, but here like in life you take what you want and leave the rest.

In The past year my honesty about my addiction has served me extremely well.

With Sarah,the kids,my mum and her ed,my boss and work collegues and folk in general has served me well.

It served well from day one when i wrote to all the folk that i directly affected and continues today.

I used to at the start find myself telling everyone, i used my honesty as a crutch,a way to gain distance between me and my addiction. Some folk would tighten there grip on there handbag or wallet, a common misconception i found was folk seemed to think i may rob them to fund my gambling. I could see the fear in them, but through talking honestly they by and large would soften and my hope is a few folk understand us the compulsive gambler a bit more.

We are normal folk who have an addiction that we are here to address, our goal to abstain and maintain.

So today i take stock again, i have set out upon a journey one to ultimately better my life, my being, no more lying deceiving cheating those folk i love. The factor i need to address is my addiction.

Today i do that.

My name is Duncan i am a compulsive gambler No bet today. Just for today.

Stepping forward never back.

Inspired as always duncs. thank you !

My name is christine and im a compulsive gambler no bet today.

Blondie

Morning Diary.

Day 364 No bet.

A days rest today, a day to reflect on my journey which got me here.

I 365 days ago today set about putting the wheels in motion to end it all, to gift my family who through my compulsion to gamble had been long suffering to say the least. I had gambled everything and anything, I was so blinded by the fact I thought it would all be sorted through a bet that I was three days from having the family home repossed, our bank balance no excistant, bills,reminders, demand letters all hidden or binned. I was stopped in my tracks by a samaritan, who rationally told me that the act of suicide would be a very selfish one indeed. I will never know that fella's name but will never forget.

The following days I set about making a confession to my wife,kids,mum and anyone who through my addiction I had affected, I felt numb, useless, my power, the ability to punt my way out of a hole gone. that day I walked into Ga and what I saw was hope, the next day we went to court, my beloved wife by my side and won the right to stay,No more chances.

I found gamcare that day also, Smiler set me upon my diary journey a week later. My resolve grew each day, i started to see there is a life to be had, each day i choose to say the three magical words

NO BET TODAY, the words which give meaning to the other three magical words, the ones I don't tell my Sarah enough, well did'nt I LOVE YOU, and mean it wholeheartedly.

Through the year the debts I caused have decreased massively, we live in harmony in a house full of love.

Why??

Just for today.NO BET

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Duncan what a lovely emotional post mate, I am so pleased for you and tomorrow we'll celebrate mate, tomorrow will be a year of remaining gamble free and you've won, you've beaten it. Will be thinking of you tomorrow and can't wait to read your post tomorrow. Well done matey! 🙂

Hi Duncan,

Thank u 4 ur post on my diary. It means a lot 🙂

Ur last post was really touching and gr8 2 read 🙂

U have done brilliant and u have helped and supported so many others here.. Ur determination shines thru!

I will be back on 2moro....2 congratulate u on ur yr gamble free!

I am soooo proud of u 🙂

Have a gr8 nite 🙂

Dear Duncan.

Well it's a year today since you stopped that terrible addiction that nearly stole your life away.

What a year it has been.

Looking back all the clues were there I just didn't want to believe it. The lies, deceit, coming home to find out what had gone missing, what you had sold, pawned, lent to somebody. I dreaded walking through the door but still I didn't believe you were gambling again after you had promised you wouldn't.

Christmas came and with that more lies this time to our children Joe, Lily-may and callum.

You were a mere shadow of your former self, withdrawn, snappy, unpredictable it was like walking on eggshells.

It took a turn for the worse the postman came and dropped a bombshell through the letterbox, it was a Tuesday we were losing our home on the Friday.

You took off, I didn't know where you had gone. Two days later there was a knock at the door, it was 11.20pm. I opened the door and there you stood a broken man, a sight I never thought I would see. You had hit your rock bottom.

Everything came out, a part of me almost died I couldn't believe You had done it again. I could have walked away but I believed in you and I loved you too much.

Thankyou to the good samaritan that saved you from taking your own life.

We spent the night talking, yes there was lots of tears and shouting, I found it hard to even look at you.

You promised me you would seek help and that's what you did. You joined GA and found this wonderful forum. I know it has been a long tough journey but you have faced it with brutal honesty and sheer determination and a commitment to your family, friends,work collegues but most importantly to yourself and for that you should be very proud.

Here we are one year later and what a difference, there is smiles and laughter and a house full of love.

I would like to thank the many supporters 'to name a few' on this forum who have been there for 'Duncs' every step of the way. Smiler,Ian b,Shiny(wherever you are) dotty,flagg,Gazza,S.a,castle,tomso,womble,blonde,Lucy,steg,charlotte,gt,ade and jungle Pete your support has been immense.

I am so very very proud of you Duncan and love you dearly with all my heart.

Each day you step forward I will be there by your side.

Sarah Mcquilken, extremely proud wife of a compulsive gambler.

Stepping forward never back.!!