Gambling- the sure way of getting nothing from something! 11th May 2014

Thanks for your feedback captain,excellent review,you should do that professionally,I'm being serious.

You summed up the book perfectly.

I've taken bits out of the book that have benefitted my own recovery. It did give me a much needed new approach.

The true thought that gambling doidnt bring me pleasure,winniing may have,but the whole gambling,obsessing,borrowing,anxiety process didn't give me a pleasure has sunk in,its made me not want to repeat it.

More than anything I keep reminding myself I'm not missing anything good or positive,I'm not yearning for a gamble.

Past attempts to abstain have been built on the promise to myself that once I'm out of the s**t I will have a blow out,or I will just do a footy coupon at the wkd.

I felt like I was constantly waiting for something,life never moved on.

I think I liked the simplicity of the book,the way things are black and white,its no magic cure,but its pointed me in a different direction,the right direction for me.

Avoiding temptations is also a must,I'm really making an effort to avoid anything on tv that could tempt me.

Early days,but I've had the best weeks sleep for ages,my thoughts and focus have been on more imortant and practical things.

I've plenty to fill the void,just gota push myself now to proceed with the plan.

Off back to bed,will not be laying there thinking of todays footy odds,horse odds,or how much I need to win,just sleep.

Thanks again captain for your input,much appreciated.

Jst reading your thread brings back every memory of mine.being so happy I have won,to the next month lost it all and 3 times more.hope you are still doing well and staying away from the bet.its a totally horrible disease mate and together along with everyone on this site we can beat it. Take care

Scottyboy

Thanks for your kind words and taking time to post on my dairy.you are right mate there is only 1 winner in that game.it should be banned.cant walk 50 yards in any mainstreet without passing 1 of those s@@tholes.jst going to try and get some work done around my place today to help clear the mind away from that cr**. Have a good end to the weekend and stay bet free mate. 😉

Scottyboy

Said I wasn't gona count days but its double figures today,day 10,first time since end of jan since I've hit that.

Had a bit of a tough daay yesterday,had to battle through a couple of urges,no matter how I hard I try to avoid temptation there is always something that crops up.

Love me cricket,always preffered betting on that to football,20/20 games were always a buzz to bet on,was tempted y'day,but enjoyed the highlights that evening,went through the same emotions as if I'd had a bet,wanted the kiwis to win,but they lost.

Glad the urge was beaten,woke up in a better frame of mind today.

Keep battling it robby urges will always be there but learning to handle them is way forward your doing great mate.

The bear

I read your diary i love it in so many ways because i am exactly the same as you. I am about to start my own it's horrendous so many huge winning days and then the win = lose lose lose. I am excited because you hit 10 days gambling free. I am after 50 but i don't know if i can do it, im gonna try. I m following your story to the end. You inspire me sir.

Thanks for your support bear,and your kind words casino loser.

Another tough day yesterday,went through many thoughts,emotions.

It really is all in the mind,you get that wrong mindset and your mind drifts of back to a fantasy land.

Battled an urge to have a bet on the cricket,I wasn't thinking of gambling a fortune,but the thought was there.

It felt great once I saw sense and beat the urge,the bet would of lost which made it more satisfying.

I know to succeed I have to avoid fantasy bets,temptations,be happier when this cricket world cup is over!

No games today thank god.

A moment of madness today lead me to losing a grand.money I haven't got. I'm utterley distraught,more disappointed in myself for failing yet again.

Just feel completley helpless,

Robby

Fella you need to remember that loss, put it to the front of your mind, that feeling, the emotional head f**k and learn from it.

What happened to having limited funds available my friend, a grand is alot of wedge to be able to lose in a day, maybe time t oput some serous blocks in place??

It would gift you some thinking time, a time to let the rational side of your brain beat up the addicted side rather than you let addiction keep beating you.

You were so full of the joys of the book you read, it seems to have had a short lived affect.

Bottom line is the choice is yours, those blocks all blocks are only as strong as you make them, the mindset is yours to change, I feel for you fella, I have walked in those shoes, got weighed in for a months toils only to blow it the day it enters the bank, leading to survival rather than living for the month ahead.

Put the loss to bed, another lesson to learn, the mental one always bigger than the financial one.

My advice simple, get back to the mindset that gambling is a waste of your time,money and life.

The way to become a winner

Abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back

Been following your diary and challenge posts. Really sorry to hear you've had a slip. You are back on here immediately with honesty and, I hope, determination to jump back on the wagon and *** on.

Throughout my recovery and lapses, I have the constant voice in my head that tells me I want to gamble, just one race or a few spins. I can't tell you how to ignore that urge because I haven't got it beat but we have to keep trying.

Best of luck in your recovery.

Robby just read about your latest slip. I know I am just repeating myself here but I truly feel you are in the same place I was a couple of years ago. You need to stop and want to stop but you just can't.

You cannot face a life without gambling. You think about bets constantly. For the vast majority of problem and compulsive gamblers the best way is complete abstinence. For a small number including me the only way is cutting out problem areas of gambling one by one over a long period as you feel able to do so rather than attempting cold turkey on everything. Maybe you are in my category. Have you self analysed all gambling you do? Are there some areas you have already cut out completely? Breaking down all the types and frequencies and timings worked for me. Took years but I got there. Took snooker out of the equation. Took Tennis out of the equation. Took advance horse racing out of the equation gradually. Different techniques for all. Developed a new routine which meant when I got home from work each night I locked the door and didn't allow myself to go back out. That took evening betting out of the equation ( based on all of my activity being in bookmakers, never done phone and online).

Come up with a plan. Bit by bit. May help you. You can self exclude and put blocks in place all you want. We both know we will find a way past them if we want. Been there, done that. You can read books and get a lot of help from them but no book however good is a miracle cure for addiction. Probably only one in a thousand people can get some form of instant cure. Most have to work much harder and find their own way.

Said before your addiction is deep rooted like mine. Makes it harder. I'll keep supporting you.

I have hit a low I haven't experienced for a long long time.

Gambling has steam rolled me,it sucked me in yet again.

It has taken over my life from the age of 16,I've tried to abstain,had days when I've thought what was all the fuss about? Its easy to give up,who am I kidding.

I know its a cliche but its gota be 1 day at a time,I've fallen back down the wrong path,nearly to the point of no return.

Thought I was excluded from every bookie,but there was 1,I'm excluded now,cut my debit card up,done all I could on that front apart from tell me partner my latest escapades.

I'm sick of it,sick to the stomach,I'm not gona make any false promises,I dunno if coming on here actually helps or hinders,writing things down doesn't bring back what I've lost,it doesn't take away the self destructive mood.

I'm gona do anything that I don't normally do in the future,I'm gona change everything cos what I'm doing isint working.

Finacially I'm in the s**t,luckily couldn't touch the bills account,but maxed the overdraft,******** loan- what a d**k I am! I'm gona work,work ,work if I want more money not wish it to appear by magic.

I'm really P***** off,remember this feeling. Any one fancy a footy coupon at the wkd you've got no ****** chance,its impossible,don't bother,it aint fun and it could lead to ruining your life.

Its my girls 6th bday on mon,when she's 16 I won't to be 10 years clean,wish *** gave me 100/1 on that I would make it happen.

I don't want temptaions,urges,debts,mood swings I just want a normal life,I've had a gut full,it stops now Robby.

Thanks for the posts duncmac,no crisis and rainman.

You're right rainman,its all in the head I'm fighting myself.

Its like I want to make things difficult for myself or I enjoy gettin myself in the s**t.

I need the barriers rainman as a safety net,I went nearly a year gamble free without a debit.card,until I found other ways.

I've gota work on me,I've come to the conclusion boredom is a major problem for me. I gota throw myself into other things,I know when I do I will do to extremes.

when in a better frame of mind I will be reading other diaries and giving support,I know its a 2 way thing.

Been busy this morning,not letting myself think about debts,gambling.

I'm Mr.jekyll today,hope Mr.Hyde ******** off for good!

Hi Rob, you've got to go through all this Shiite to reach a point where you see gambling for what it is to an addict and be sick to the stomach of the thought of a bet. Don't give up this site and don't give up trying to beat this addiction. Too much to lose. Yes, it's not easy, the process is both painful and frustrating but to win you've got stay in there, soak up the blows and keep getting up again to take this challenge on. You can do it Rob, these lessons are invaluable.

Robby

You acknowledged other recent posts to you today but not mine, hopefully an oversight and you haven't fallen out with me!