DaveUK - New Diary

Thanks itsme - I appreciate your post.

You are right that we are all here for the same reason and all have different ways to try ad achieve what we need to.

No need to apologise at all - I know you have my interests at heart and I am glad you are on the forum and actively taking part.

Keep up your good work and thanks again.

Hi Dave,

Glad to hear that life is going well for you and long may this continue.

An interesting comparison with FOBTs not going to go away like booze in supermarkets and pubs not going away.

But surely we must be concerned as to how they are being much more easy to obtain?

In terms of booze, then the 3 for £20 offers for crates of lager/cider cannot be good for people trying to stay off them.

As for FOBTs, were they around a few years ago? Yes, they may have had just a roulette game or two on them but now they have around 30 different games on them which equates to around 100 £500 machines on just ONE of the premises. That does not sound right to me.

It's a bit like my fruit machine story. In 1980, the jackpot was £2. Then £5. Then £15/£25 for many years/ Suddenly, they shot up to £2 stake with a £500 jackpot. I seem to recall that inflation did not rise that much in that period.

Advertising and gambling in general really needs to be controlled otherwise it will create a huge problem for society.

Just my thoughts here.

Have a great gamble-free weekend.

Getting There

Other than a couple of hundred quid I have repaid the temporary loan !

Time to stop me thinks !

Glad I have kept my diary going.

Even though I am no worse off financially I am really disappointed with myself today.

Disappointed but not surprised.

No real financial damage has been done over the years but i am wondering how much emotional damage has been done.

Its the emotional side that has really worn me down this time. To many ups and downs to cope with. The great thing is it can stop anytime we choose.

There are already enough things in life which cause me stress and concern so why add to it!

Hi Dave,

I agree with your sentiment. Life is hard enough at the bets of times...why add to the strain?

If your bookies is anything like mine then most folk in their will look at least 10 years older than they actually are. It's no co-incidence.

I think you have reached the point where it's time to ditch it for good. You had a mindset that allowed you to think that you didn't want to 'stop it' but rather 'control it'. But I guess that's simply just too time consuming for you now and really...without the crazy ups and downs...it's no real fun either. You can't control something that you have no control over. Sound like I'm stating the obvious but it's true.

Remember your last spin...or even take £100 into the bookies and have one more go (don't shout at me everyone! :P) That way at least you get to do it on your terms. Cash the slip. Tell the cashier you won't be seeing them for awhile. That way, even if you want to, you'll end up feeling a bit daft if you went back!

That's if you have a slip to cash...lol.

Alternatively, as we talked about yesterday, give yourself till say April. No FOBT or bookies till then. Come April, re-evaluate your position...re-read your diary...I wouldn't mind *betting* that you won't see the point anyway.

Take it easy bud.

Matt

Day 45

Thanks so much Matt - you are right its all or nothing.

I was thinking about your diary as I popped out to lunch and now feel ready to write my farewell letter. Thanks for giving us the idea, here goes:-

Mr Roulette Machine

I have been meaning to write to you for sometime but have just not got round to it or maybe have not had the desire to truly do it.

What I have to tell you is going to hurt you as I am terminating our friendship and acquaintance with immediate effect - a polite way of saying f***k off!

I can't really say I have only just seen through you, I did this some time ago but suppose I have been trying to believe that what people said about you was not completely true - but boy are they spot on!

You were only ever happy to talk to me when I was giving you money but the second it dried up you just ditched me and started talking to someone who had money for you. As if that was not enough you just pretended to like me by giving me the odd gift but somehow always took it back and such was your influence, not only did I give the gifts back I gave you extra - and did you ever say thank you - did you f**k.

I have to hand it to you though - you have a wonderful ability to hold peoples attention and goodness knows how you do it, even though you take, take, take, people still seem to come back to see you again and again. Mind you most of your friends looked real losers so perhaps it’s not really a compliment!

Don't bother to call out to me or flash your lights at me when I wander past as I am not longer interested - I hate you. You have already taken far too much of my time and effort and will have no more of it.

I don't suppose you will be particularly bothered as you have plenty of other people to spend time with but just so you know, I will be doing everything in my power to tell as many people as possible what a total w*****r you are - particularly those who have got a little over friendly with you.

I would like to say it’s been good - but I can't, it’s been bloody awful. I wish you nothing but misfortune and unlikely as it is may be, hope that one day you will disappear completely.

Rot in hell !!

Dave

Just thought I would check in on my diary.

Tomorrow is 3 weeks since I last played the old roulette machine.

Posting regularly does not help me - it just gets me thinking about gambling. I know it works for others - in which case keep up the good work.

Will check back again sometime and am confident it will be with good news!

Keep strong folks.

Its over a year since I added to my diary so thought I would post an update.

Through the use of willpower and reading about how the mind works (particularly the sub-conscious) I have learned to hate the roulette machines soo much and programmed my mind to the fact I will always lose so never go near them now.

Part of the process was self-exclusion and although there have been a few minor slip-ups along the way I really feel as if I have made progress,

Although I know I will never get the money back I needed to do something to 'see' what I lost so here's what I am doing:-

I calculated over 9/10 years I lost £3-4K at the very most (which I now concede is no disaster as its about a tenner a week) but I am otherwise very thrifty (like many on here sensible until it comes to feeding machines) so it really niggled me, so I set up a standing order for £20 a week into an account and will keep it going . I have saved £1K so have made a decent start.

To many this will sound stupid as of course it’s not really getting the money back but at least I will feel better and it is a constant reminder of what can happen if I am not careful.

Make no mistake I have to cut other things out to enable me to do this which in my mind is payback for the stupidity and selfishness I have allowed in the past !

Love this Dave! Food for thought. Thx for the update.

Dave,

Can't believe I have just found your diary. We are surely twins seperated at birth. Either that or you are a private investigator and have written this diary based on my life. I have been involved in an ongoing battle with roulette for a number of years now. Today is my day 23 since my last devastating loss. I, like you, can stay away and recently went over one hundred days without gambling. I had a slip at Christmas quickly followed by another. I have put barriers in place now and don't leave the house with a bank card. It is so great for me to read that you have stayed away from roulette for so long now. I honestly believe that I will not play ever again but I have been here before and know that complacency has cost me in the past. Not this time.

Made me real happy to read your story.

Tomso.

Thanks Tomso and well done on your progress.

Definately not a private investigator so must have been seperated at birth 🙂

My battle with roulette was not a disaster but the losses just got me done and its so avoidable. The main thing is to stay off as the smallest win is the prompt to go back for more and it always always always ends up with any winnings going back plus more besides.

Anyone who thinks they will win are fooling themselves which is exactly what I was doing. The self-exclusion was a real move forward for me as self-will is all well and good but not enough so the more helpful barriers the better. I needed to break the win, lose, sulk, forget, win lose, sulk forget cycle.

I ran into someone the other lunchtime I used to see in the bookies and he told me someone lost £4.5K the other lunchtime !! It was not him although he has lost a fair bit himself.

For anyone reading you will never win but are merely paying rent for the time you are playing the machine - and its a pretty high rental rate !!

Its really good to be back on my diary because things have gone well rather than coming back due to relapses etc.

When I got the Saturday night chips tonight I had a little smile as I walked past the bookies as I remembered the time when I went out one Saturday for the tea and it ended up costing me £200 !! The amount of time I was out I would had had time to plant,grow, peel and fry the potatoes myself !!

How good it is to have those days as a thing of the past !

Went out lunchtime and as I headed for my destination glanced through the door of the bookies on the highstreet and saw an older man just slumped infront of a machine.

I was heading off to do something far better and thought 'I am so glad its not me anymore'.

Ever noticed why nobody sitting at the machines ever have a smile on their faces.

I do pity those who think they can win - absolute mugs !!

Funny thought entered my head when I read this, when I played I never sat down.just stood like a zombie in front of the machine,

I was a mug then but no longer.

Take care

Dusty