Give peace a chance

Hi Stephen I 2nd and 3rd and more all comments above on your amazing use of words!! At points your thoughtful posts have made my day especially on days when I have felt totally in the dark. Your journey here has been unique and it is an honour for us to be sharing it with you, have a great Sunday S:)

Thankyou for those kind words Sharon .

So full of respect for your 150 Days GF . It's plain to see how challenging that time has been . Hope your now seeing light at the end of the tunnel .

Someone once posted in your diary " what seems like a mountain now will one day look like a little bump " .

Wishing you happy days re(discovering) your life . A life of fun and contentment ...... stephen x

No problem regarding my diary Abstainer - hope you are well. Best wishes, Phil.

Thanks Phil , I sometimes get confused ! I blame it on the fobts .

Take care . Wishing you well . Stephen

Hi Stephen hope you-very had a good Monday, oh and only 5 days to go until triple figures!!!! Can't wait to see you pass this milestone and see what fab wordsmithing you create. Take care my friend S:)

Thankyou Sharon , hope your happy and well .

Great time yesterday visiting relatives I hadn't seen for over a year , went out for lunch than back to theirs for catch up and coffee .

Thursday I am visiting sister , her children and childrens children for a fortnights holiday . Love to see them all and 2 birthday parties while i'm their . My nephews & nieces children are 18 17 15 13 10 9 5 so I will let my hair down and have a lot of fun . They all live in Surrey which is really nice and my sisters a good cook .

Will make sure I keep logging on while I'm away .

Sounds silly but I have felt a bit of an anti climax since reaching 90 days gf . I was so focussed on it ! Don't know if I was expecting a choir of angels to greet me when I got their ! However nowhere near returning to the gambling although I have had daft urges . Crazy thoughts such as gambling could recoup for me monies I had just spent on something or other . In the past it would have had me running to the bookies but I feel stronger now and able to say no .

Felt sad as well reading some of the diaries . Just breaks my heart the suffering and hardship people are going through as a result of compulsive gambling .

Take care Sharon . Thank you so much for all the support you have given me over the last few months ..... stephen

Thank you Stephen.....you are nearly there too. This is just the beginning though..still hard work ahead. Best wishes. Helen.

Hi Abstainer ... and thank you for your kind words on Phil's thread that I've just read.

I'm no 'legend' I'm afraid; something truamatic happened and I basically fell off the wagon, I should've been stronger. Whilst I hope I did help people, in exactly the same way we all help each other here, it's obviously great to know, and I continue to just keep trying, like all of us on here, to get and then stay GF. Gotta keep trying!!!

I wish you all the very best in your continued recovery... you're going great guns mate and I find it an inspiration I have to say 🙂

Well Done Stephen 🙂 you deserve a choir of angels! You're doing so well, you have inspired me definitely. You really are a wise man which is strangely comforting knowing although it's a 'fools game', it still does take control of the most intelligent people. Keep doing what you're doing fighting those urges, it's definitely worth it. You mentioned the Humber which means we're not too far away... I cross the Humber daily which is mundane but on a nice day makes you feel good to be alive. Stay strong and you'll carry on helping others x

Thankyou for the post Desesperado , it was good of you to stop by and have a browse at my diary .

Great that your back amongst us with 18 days between you and the last bet . Recognise the addiction for what it is , it lured you in at a time when you were must vulnerable and it's been beating you mercilessly ever since ..... stephen

Stephen - Well done on your continuing abstinance. It sounds like you've really put the gambling behind you and have shut it up in a little box. Also you have a new lease of life with friendships and hobbies to boot.

I'm interested in how/why you gave up alcohol many years ago. Would you mind telling the story, if not too painful to recall.

I think you are a man of genuine warmth and compasion as others on this site have expressed.

I too live near the Humber Bridge (is it something in the water? lol), and have relatives 'down south'. Anyway - take care of yourself and have fun in the sun.

Many thanks Change , your posts are always a joy to read , uplifting and thought provoking .

Great to have dreams . If your ambitions and dreams will not have a negative impact on your loved ones than go for it . You don't want to be looking back thinking ' what if ' .

Still puzzled by how easy I found it stopping alcohol and 10 years later nicotine . I firmly believe their are opportune moments in life when the impossible can become possible , we have to grab it and hold on tightly . I stopped the alcohol 28th October 1990 to save money for christmas , come january and observing the benefits of abstaining I thought I'd continue it until easter , and so on and so on . Guess it's a variation of one day at a time .

Lifes ok now for me , pensions enough to slowly pay off my debts and live a contented life with a few jollies thrown in .

I'm not a deep thinker . Preoccupied at the moment with what I should call my friend , adviser and confidant . My Higher Power . Coach . Guardian Angel . Spirit Guide . Conscience . Will this helper be miffed if not addressed in a courteous way ? As you can see I'm not just wasting my time on meaningless day dreaming . Maybe I should be reuniting myself with my lost soul !

On many occasions in the past I've thought to myself ..... Ah soul what am I going to do now !

Hi Stephen

97 days ... well done such a brilliant acheivement and almost at your century mark.

Your honest and encouraging posts always make me smile , and what a lovely gesture the pen was at your recent meeting ,in the main for the recognition on this journey and im sure it was encouraging for others in your group to see that recognition given.

Annie x

So close to the magic 3 figures now Stephen,

Keep going we are all fully behind you.

Thanks Matt . I arrived yesterday at my sisters home in surrey to enjoy a 2 week holiday with family

Tomorrow will be helping my great nephew celebrate his 11th birthday . Fun and laughter to mark my 100 days GF .

I will be forever grateful to friends on the diaries , it's that love and support which has got me this far .

Wishing everyone a great GF weekend .

My thoughts go out to friends who are feeling sad and struggling with the addiction . It doesn't necessarily have to be this way . No matter how bleak things look gambling will only make it worse . Take one day at a time and never give up hope , who knows what tomorrow might bring along .