Day 1...of the rest of my life?

hopeful soul wrote: Hi hae hae ☺ Welcome to recovery! Some brave steps being made - admitting defeat to this addiction..ohh..it is strong, only cause it's in our own gambling heads, but don't forget that these heads can do a lot of positive things also..changing the mindset is really difficult but if you're commited to recovery and truly want to get better - anything is possible. Firstly - let go of the losses..that's it, money has gone and won't come back..I'm sure you don't want to loose more...so chasing is deffo out of the question..we simply cannot win because we cannot stop. I would advise to get blocks in place. K9 software is for free and truly does the trick. Urges are really annoying gremlins and I'm sure you will get them..self exclusion and blocks are really good starting point in staying protected... besides you can always take up some new hobbies..we have few runners here ☺..you can keep occupied by a lot of things..esp when urges strike, even light walk can work miracles. Counselling - yes, that could truly help especially when you mentioned something traumatic happening in your life. GC offers free 1 to 1 sessions! Get in touch with them, I'm sure they will guide you and help you on the way. As of telling parents or friends..i get what you're saying, however this addiction breeds on secrecy and to do it on your own is near enough impossible..i believe you want to be honest, you need support and truly hope that in time you will open up to your loved ones...it's an amazing feeling of weight dropping off your shoulders..trully is..they do care & just maybe you don't realise yourself that they already noticing some warning signs? Red flags about you?..while we in a mist of gambling, we tend to see nothing around us..nothing exists huh..addiction will take and keep taking..it won't stop.. Please stay close by this site..keep putting your thoughts down. There are a lot of inspiration on these pages, loads of support from people who are in the same boat...keep reading. You're not alone. Take it one day at a time and things will start looking a lot better i assure you. Be kind to yourself..abstain and maintain..recovery will gift you your life back..& even better than before ☺ Sandra

Sorry you are struggling but good news is your back!

I remember Sandra gave some pretty good advice and I may throw GA into the mix as a possible option as well. Don't be a stranger. Tri

Again drifted from here, but successfully! No gambling for over a month, even when there were funds in my account.

I didn't go with the debt management plan in the end, does anyone have any experiences of them they can share? As in do they actually help? It seems quite mixed from what I've read online.

I'm here because I had an unexpected expense this month and my thought this morning was if I just gamble a bit I may be able to cover it. It's the first time in a few weeks I've even thought it would be the answer but I'm happy to say I haven't succumbed and have paid a bill due next week in advance so the money isn't there tempting me.