Every Day Is A Second Chance

Hi LB

Wow!! Singing in French while cooking? ☺ sounds like a plan to me 😀
Good to see you looking for the ways to fill the void, this is really important in recovery.

40 days is absolutely great platform to keep building that concrete bridge so ya get to the other side safely. Brick by brick girl, keep making the right choice, and reap the benefits abstinence gifts!
Future is in your hands and by making the right choice today you're already a step closer to peace, harmony and happiness in your life!

Be kind to you and have a lovely fulfilling weekend. Don't forget to visit coo coo friends of course, we are always close by on good and bad days!

Sandra x

Rester en sГ©curitГ©, rester heureux 😉

How appropriately timed was Ginge's reappearance :-0

Maybe we could get together & cast a gamble free spell over the entire forum...Now that would be worth a Ripple (or several) of applause 😉

Everything's going well on the no gambling front. Feeling calm, productive and relatively at peace.

Had a lightbulb moment last night and wanted to get it down on here.

Acceptance, letting go, coming to terms with....but how? I feel like I've been searching for the answer for years. In my mind, once I'd fully accepted things, come to terms with them, I would no longer be upset by them. I'd imagined that acceptance equalled not feeling sad or tearful or unhappy any more. I wouldn't need to run away anymore because they'd be nothing to run from. But late last night I realised that that's not what acceptance means. It doesn't mean an absence of sadness and it doesn't mean that I won't feel all those feelings anymore. It means being able to acknowledge them, feel them, sit with them and wait for them to pass. Then move on once calm has returned.

LifeBegins x

Great post LB,

Keep pushing through those light bulb moments, they will keep coming, but we do get stronger and wiser, and we can just go with them, and then with more positivity move on in calm waters. They soon very much outweigh the odd rough waves.

You are doing fine,

Suzanne xxx

Hi LB,

I was just checking back in to see if Sandra was still about and posting, when I noticed your post on her diary and your 'kind' words about my post on her diary. Not sure about the lady type comments!! But I got the jist that you were agreeing with me!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being in touch with ones feminine side.......just ask my boyfriend!! Lol

Just read your last post on your diary too and can relate to it a lot.....I too had a light bulb moment back in November 2014. And my light is still well and truly on!

Keep strong

All the best

Ade

Now then lady on the bog lol (excuse me if i misinterpreted you from the other day!)

Thank you very much for your kind and supportive post. You sound like you went through fair bit in ur life...am so proud of you for coming through the other side! Look at you! You are doing it my friend..
Vollunteering is not an easy task is it..i remember applying for Samaritans once..only cause i felt i owe my life to them, but i didn't have guts to follow through the selection..:-(..i do support them financially now..every little helps huh..
This "job" is well & truly more hardcore but hey, if i feel I'm ready i shall give my all to help others!..if they tk me on of course....tick tock..i will get there (maybe)

Love, hugs
((((LB)))))

Well done on your continued journey..keep winning

S x

Day 50!! Well I never 🙂

I haven't been on here posting much lately as life has been really busy. I have still been reading lots of diarys which helps to keep me motivated and I am keeping up with the 90 day challenge...thanks Sandra 🙂 I've gone weeks without really having anything other than passing thoughts about gambling and it has really felt as though my focus has changed.However, I've had a couple of really big urges in the last couple of days. I'm really not sure why. I've tried to assess what the triggers were. It doesn't seem related to my mood. I haven't been feeling down, unhappy or stressed. If anything, I've been experiencing a fairly sustained period of feeling good about life. Nothing's happened to make me want to gamble, but then bam....there's been a sudden, almost unshakeable, thought of "f**k it. I'm doing it" followed by my mind whirring trying to work out how I could make it happen. Luckily, I still don't have my bank card and so my triangle remains broken. At the time, this pee'd me off big time, but now I'm so,so glad. I really don't want to go back down that road again as I know well enough where it will lead me. The thoughts eventually passed, I just had to ride them out. In the past, I don't think I ever gave myself the time to see if I could ride them out...the thoughts came and I acted on them instantly. I'm glad I managed to stick with it. It's a good reminder for me not to get complacent.

In other news....I've booked myself onto a Psychology course "An introduction to influential psychologists and their theories". I'm fascinated by how the mind works and am really interested in learning more about what makes me tick so I thought I'd give it a go. There's a follow up course which I might join if I like this one.I couldn't find a day which suited for the beginner's French so I might have to save that for next year...Zut Alors 🙂

Onwards and upwards. Here's to the next 50 days

LifeBegins x

Great work riding out those urges & reaching the 1st half century LB 🙂

Methinks the addiction is trying hard not to lose you so keep showing it who is in charge & bring on the classes! No room for complacency in recovery, life means too much!

Keep living - ODAAT

Hey there LB,

Thank you very much for your post and well done on 51 days of winning! Sozz i didn't mention your lovely milestone on the challenge :-/..but I'm here now 😉

o*g you must be kidding! Psychology is something I'm fascinated about also! ☺ i think we, as human beings are really worth to be "looked into" lol and the power in these "boxes" is unbreakable! It has no bounds for continued progress and the ability we carry to keep developing is something unexplainable ☺ continuous growth with ourselves as human beings is what makes us tick.

As of the voices you have mentioned...hmmmm...i guess we all have voices in our heads but the important bit is to keep that balance and don't let it take over if you get what i mean. Changing negative into positive is an ongoing process for me and you're right, it's not easy, but once again - we are human beings so anything is possible!

Thank you again for your thoughts and sorry if i went "off the course" a little..me is no Eenglish after all ☺

So you have a pony? Nice one girl!

Keep winning, keep claiming your life back

Sandra x

When I woke up this morning I had that wretched, anxious, sickening feeling in my stomach. In my half awake-half asleep state, I couldn't remember whether I'd gambled last night and it really felt like I had (I had got very close to it). Then I realised that I hadn't and the relief that I felt was enormous. To think that I was regularly waking up like that, and living with those feelings throughout the day, but still carrying on gambling...how mad (sad) was that. It seems like I needed a reminder of those times. I really don't want to go back there. Lesson learned.

LifeBegins x

Hi LB,

Thanks for your kind, supportive and very funny post on my diary....it did actually make me laugh out loud! ;0)

Here's to hoping that these mind games that the addiction is playing on you at the moment fade away back under whatever stone they popped out from...

Well done on those 50+ days....it's a great foundation to now keep moving forward and maintaining your focus on getting through each day....One at a time....thats enough. And if necessary....One hour at a time, if those d**n urges keep eating at you.

You don't want to go back to all that despair that gambling brings do you? Don't let the f*cker back in. It's a cunning addiction.

Keep strong LB, and keep posting

All the best

Ade

Hi LB,

51 days, well done you, it's a lovely solid milestone to reach.

The relief when we wake up and realise we haven't actually gambled is great isn't it.

Keep going, you are doing fine,

Suzanne xx

Hi ya,

Thank you for your kind thoughtful message, xx

This recovery journey is a rollercoaster ride but I am riding up again lol.

Keep strong and determined and keep winning,

Suzanne xxx

Good afternoon

Thanks for popoing by my diary. Everything you said was spot on and thankfully the urges are away for now.

Like yourself I've woke up many times thinking I've gambled and the horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. The moment I realise its a dream puts me in a good mood for the day ahead.

This addiction is dangerous. When you're feeling low or stressed that's when it tries to come back into our life's. Thankfully where not letting it back in.

Hi LB,

Thanks for coming by ☺
..lol...not sure if i want to admit it publicly but i guess i comit a crime this morning :-0 ...i left the glass on the floor 🙁 ...it was still there when i got up :-/ (steamed up a little).. but it's ok, i forgave myself. The thing is, "Boris", "Meg", and more memebers of the "family" was freaking me out with their unexpected appearances 🙁
I suppose you have no scooby doo what I'm on about lol, but you can always ask Juuunie for more details cause she had a earache listening to my stories about creepy crawlies 😀

Anyway, good to see you around and fighting the good fight! Way to go girl, keep claiming your life back - one day at a time

Keep behaving
Sandra x