Going to keep this thread now!

Hi Freda

Great post- glad you are at peace with yourself and that your counselling is helping.

I also grew up in a small village with a sense of community where everyone knew each other, moved to a city for work and have lost something of myself.

'You can take the boy/girl out of the village but you cant take the village out of the boy/girl' is the saying.

Your diary helps provides the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel for you and for everyone despite setbacks. Keep it going.

Thanks for those posts guys 🙂

Captain, you are a night owl for sure! blimey.

Must catch up on diaries soon. Have been busier than usual, however this is a good thing.

Have had fleeting urges to go into arcades, but these are not too compelling and have been able to resist without too much bother.

Hi Freda

Great to read you have a good week.

Thanks for your support over the last fortnight. You gave me something to think about and I hope I put it into practice.

Have a great weekend.

Take care.

M

that is exciting to me mr t!

its lovely when we can inspire each other. We can all help each other, you are a very good member of this community.

I am going on a posting frenzy now! watch out, fredas about!

Hi Freda

That was a lovely msg to get on my diary. Knowing we can help each other on this road is often more rewarding than even helping ourselves!

You too are a great supporter of others on this forum and although we dont msg on a frequent basis, I often dip in to check on how you are doing.

You seem like a lovely person and I just know you deserve to be happy Freda.

Warmest wishes

Eyes X

Hi Freda, I was reading through every1s recovery Diaries 2day and I couldn't help noticing you have shown lots of support to every1 from the chatroom last night apart from me. I was also in the chat last night and I also have a gambling problem. (not that im bothered) Im just curious u don't like me for sum reason!

However I wish u all the best

Hi Freda

thanks for messages of support, glad to hear you think I am a good guy with something to offer 🙂

Keep the recovery going. Speak soon.

Hi Freda.

Thank you very much for your post on my diary. I've found chat to be really helpful and also a good laugh on the 5 or 6 occasions i have been in previously. Last night was horrible though and truth be told i think i will give it a swerve in future.

Everybody seems to have a different way of dealing with their addiction and tackling their recovery and i suppose that is bound to create conflict occasionally.

For what it is worth i have decided that total abstinence is the only way for me. I will be continuing to update my diary and to post support to others.

Thank you again for your message it was very kind of you to take the time.

Keep up the good work with your own continued recovery.

Hi Freda

Thanks for your post on my diary, I believe there are many ways to beat this addiction, but discussing odds and encouraging vunerable people to gamble is not one of them.

good luck on your jouney and once again thanks for your support.

Jim (last bet 22/04/06)

Hi Freda,

Thanks for your support, it really does mean a lot. Sorry i have not been posting that much, but I still read your diary most days and really hope that you can continue to progress in your recovery.

You are doing great, it is difficult. Just keep battling and you will get where you want to be, I am sure of it.

Take care,

DT.

Have been really tempted a few times today. Have managed to resist, but just feeling lonely and a bit frustrated I think.

R and I sat down and did our finances on Saturday, and we wont have much left over once the bills are paid. I know this is the same for many people. I guess Im just struggling with reality! Feels like Ive had such a rubbish few years, I feel like things should be nice now and I should be able to treat myself.

Important to remind myself, this is probably only for the next year or so, until I am feeling stronger and more confident and can work more hours. I really want to get started with this new job, I feel like the council have me in limbo waiting around for them to give the the nod to start - arrrgghh!

Thats better. Nice to have a good rant 🙂

Hi Freda,

Well done on resisting your urges today. I came to have a look at your diary after chatting in the chat room tonight (haven't read all yet, just from Feb1 1st) and find it interesting that you are using mediation and counselling to help you in your recovery. To be honest it is not something I feel I could do right now but if I can stop gambling for a while then I have a feeling that whatever I was using the gambling to numb will come to the fore. I will be interested to follow others journeys into that as it makes it a little less scary going there yourself.

I can relate to what you say about sorting out finances too. I did that last night with my hubby and lo and behold today was in a really low mood. Well my husband said last night that bills depress him too. But (I didn't say this to him) he doesn't feel the need to gamble ot make himself feel better!

Onwards and upwards for us all I hope,

4D (pencil hehe)

thank you pencil!

i feel good tonight.

do you know what? you just need to spend some time with a buddhist monk, it is class!

they have an answer for everything! Its one that makes you feel happy in your heart too - ah bless.

Hi Freda

Yup, ranting is good....and it's the perfect example why I find this site and the diary such a useful, additional tool to my recovery. Sometimes it is easier to just write thoughts down then try and explain them to someone else face to face.

Glad you resisted and talked it through with R.

I used to get like that. Once I had admitted I had a gambling problem and I stopped, I wanted to have everything to be ok, life to be normal, the debts to be gone etc....

trouble was..I caused the debts over a period of time, the lies , the deceipt..all that needed three things I was reluctant to invest at the beginning. Time, Patience nad hard work...

Then I changed my outlook on it and realised that, hey..the debt is not getting any bigger...great...and hey...my man is beginning to leave his wallet on the table again...he is beginning to trust me again..woophee....

Almost 3 years later(will be in June) I find that the debt is gone, my man is happy and trusts me again(although not 100% and that is good) and I am working on finding the real me, who has been hiding somewhere deep inside of me.

Things will get better, they already did the day you stopped gambling.

Love and Hugs

God Bless

Charly/Sabine

This morning I feel a lot of sadness and fear. It was always there, floating about, but its at the fore today.

Im going to have a quiet morning and let it out if it needs to come.

Today I wont gamble.