Fresh start

Hey deano, hope your doing well mate.

I fired up the laptop and self excluded from it. Can't do it on my phone due to the blocks. Would have done it at the start, but I was already on a break with them so couldn't log in.

Anyway, disaster averted!

RA

Been really difficult of late. Have opened so many accounts in my time it's hard to avoid all the promo and free bets they give you send you via email. Just have to delete and SE as and when. The honeymoon period has ended and it's getting tougher. Found another account I hadn't SE from and was on the verge of depositing just £5. What's £5?!?! We all know it wouldn't just be £5 so I left it.

Haven't been on chat recently so will pop on there tonight.

RA

Still GF on 39 days. Been a bit easier since my last post and haven't really had it on my mind as I've been busy, and doing things to occupy myself.

Closing in on 50.

RA

Still going strong. Not even given it a thought this week as i have been pretty busy.

Haven't managed to get on the chat as I haven't had the time, but might try and get back on soon. Miss chatting to people on there to talk about it all.

RA

50 days today since I last deposited and gave money to the bookmakers.

It's been a bit up and down, but so glad I've stayed GF. As said in my earlier posts it's not put me in hardly any debt, and the stakes I gambled was pretty small compared to a lot of the stories I have read on here, but it was enough for me to see it was a problem.

Coming on here and reading list the stories has really kept me focused and on track. The people on chat in the first few weeks especially have helped me massively.

It will be interesting next week when grand national rolls around. Horses have never been my thing, but it's always been a tradition of mine and my girlfriends to put a few £1 bets on. I'm confident if I do this, or just tell her a few horse names then I won't continue to gamble, especially with the other blocks I have in place.

RA

Well done on reaching your 50 day marker RA , keep doing what works for you !

Big respect .................Alan

A wee bit late to the party but huge congratulations on reaching 50 days gamble free. It's a bit of a struggle at times but the benefit outweighs the alternative. Keep up the good work xx

Well done on 50 days. Keep going and doing what you are doing.

Best wishes

Thanks for the comments guys much appreciated.

RA

Arghhhhh so annoyed with myself!!!

Been betting again last week. It started with £5 on the national with my girlfriend. All good didn't think anything of it. Monday I found an online account which I hadn't shut down as I forgot I had it. God knows why but I thought £10 deposit that will be fine, that won't hurt. Lost that, and then goes another £10. Was P****d off Monday and closed the account down. It was playing on my mind Tuesday and for some unknown reason I decided to open another account with a random bookie I have never heard of. £60 I've done this week betting on utter rubbish. Did have all the money back at one point, but we all know what happened to that.

SE from that account now. I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself and annoyed. I racked up over 50 days and had put a bit of money aside and all was looking good. Wasn't even thinking about betting.

Just goes to show you can never really take this whole giving up thing for granted.

Starting today I won't gamble. I know I can do it, and now I know what giving into temptations can do.

RA

Last weeks slip is still bugging me. All previous hard work has been undone.

Must forget it and move on.

RA

RA, I can understand you must be so frustrated that you had a lapse. You say all your hard work has been undone but not necessarily. You can learn from a lapse, and you are still in a better place after it than you were before you decided to stop.

Have a look at a recent post from Megan in success stories which explains how she feels in a much better place despite 11 relapses during her recovery journey:

http://www.gamcare.org.uk/forum/come-long-way

Take care and hope to see you again in the chat room.

Forum Admin.

Well that lasted long, why do I do it!!!

£40 of money I don't have wasted this weekend on an account that I hadn't closed. I've opened so many in the past it's hard to remember what I have. I had no will power at all, it's almost like I didn't care. now left myself short for next month. What an idiot!!!!

Blocks obviously not in place so will work on these again tonight. (Blocking the websites on my phone)

Urghhhh here we go again. Day zero.

RA

Hi RA

Just my opinion but don't you think the national was a bad idea? Just these small bets that you think won't harm usually do. You were doing so well but let your guard down at the national which lead you to slip back into the habit. I think the best way to beat this thing is to just stop it all completely but again that's my view. Wish you the best of luck

RA - had to comment - I used to give up several times a week but always dragged back and feeling cr8p about this lead to self pity and I'd give up giving up. I'd bet more, for longer before shocking myself into another campaign to stop.

I get how close I've come this time to caving in too but if I do, I want to be like you - you seem to have shown some constraint AND you're straight back on the wagon.

Getting our heads straight is the big thing to stopping so people say don't chase past losses and don't beat yourself up over relapses. Any idea why it happened when it did, if you had the action replay what would you do differently to keep the run of GF days going? I've certainly not succeeded first time and I suspect not many do - maybe you need to have relapses to learn more about the medium term triggers and you just might have learnt the secret to your own personal success!?

Honest and thoughtful diary - will be tuning back in to see you inch back up the mountain!