Had enough!

Hi Dmr,

Your post is very honest. It really makes me think of me in so many ways. I sincerely wish you every positive thought for the journey ahead. Keep the diary updated, and chat does be on in the evenings, great for support.

Juliex

Thanks for the reply Julie. Had a good Gf free day yesterday and sorted my finances out. Transferred all my money into an account that I can't get instant access to and going to just leave myself enough each month in my current account. Day 2 today, had a long lie and at the gym now, been slacking lately and put a few pounds on so losing that should get my current attention.

DMR

Practical steps like the ones you are taking are vital DMR. It's really important to stop ourselves from having access as we cannot be trusted at all.

You seem positive about the future. Keep updating the diary and best of luck with everything!

I found that taking 30 quid out, changing it into £5 notes and only taking £5 out with me, really helped. I left my bank card at home and also the remainder of the £30 of 5ers I had left. You can find that you really can stretch a £5er out if you need to lol.

Gym is a good distraction though, good job. The endorphines released when you go thte gym will give you a great feeling which means you can resist gambling urges a lot better than if you were down in the dumps.

You CAN do it! 😀

Thanks for the advise guys. I used to take money out at the start of the week and make it last till the weekend and his helped. I don't need money whilst am at work so can usually get by mon-fri okay just when I carry my wallet at the weekend tend to have a meltdown. Day 4 today and all going well. Just heard today I start my new job in 2 weeks and really looking forward to it, have to learn a lot at first so that should keep my busy.

Thanks again

Dmr

Hi Dmr..

Have a glance at my diary mate... I started yesterday however have gambled today.

I have very similar circumstances to yourself and i too am 25 years old.

Get in touch if you want to get a buddy thing going together and we can help one another pull through and eventually move out.

Thanks for the support HeroToZero. Hope you are still Gf will have a look through your diary.

Doing well so far 9 days and no temptations. Been working almost every day so keeping busy and my mind off gambling. Get paid on Friday and looking forward to removing the majority into a savings account and just leave enough to get by on. Will keep posted with my progress.

Dmr

Hi Dmr,

Nice to hear you are on 9 days, same as me. I also get paid on Friday and i'm slightly nervous about it although reassuringly I am no longer able to spend any of that money online even if I wanted to - that itself is quite a relief so make sure you are prepared - a lot of people get caught out on payday so make sure you have an action plan and ACT on it. My last payday I had a plan but in the space of 30 minutes of receiving the money I had already spent it on gambling. So make sure standing orders etc are set up so it automatically goes back out overnight, for example.

Good luck!

Hi dmr

Nice to read your positive posts and a great start to making some positive moves, regarding your finances. Great idea regarding your savings regime. It will no doubt, mean so much more to you watching it gradually mount up. We people on here, need to practice and master the art of patience I feel, in terms of gaining extra funds.

Keep up your positivity and well made plans. You have gone 108 days in the past, which demonstrates some self control.

Take care.

Our Lady.

Day 12 today and all is well. Got a day off work today so plan is to go to the gym then visit my brother. Start my new job training on Monday and can't wait, more money but more responsibility.

It amazes me that I can get by on say £50 a week for petrol and food ect but I can loose £500 in a single day! Really hope the fobt machines get banned or limits decreased again, it's causing a real problem for society.!

Thanks for the support Our Lady and Adam, hope your gamble free journey continues

Dmr

Well today is officially day 25 but I have to admit I did mess up big time this weekend. Had free time with ultimately led to roulette. I Managed to recover what I lost on Saturday the following day but I still feel guilty and annoyed. Winning money doesn't make me feel happy, I had enough to get by so there was no reason to gamble.

Other than that all is well, new job going well. Off this weekend so meeting up with friends for a few drinks and 2 weeks till payday.

Will try and update more often to stay focused.

Dmr

Currently sitting on the train home from work. Had money in my wallet to pay into the bank and I thought I could make a bit extra, boy was I wrong. Can't believe how stupid that decision was £800 lighter now! This really is disgusting. About an hour playing a stupid machine and that's the result. Really at the end here don't know how to stop. Always mange to go about 3 weeks then fall back into the trap.

Dmr

Hi - am parent of a young gambler like you

Have read your threads from the top of page. You have done the right thing by coming back on here with people who are sharing their recovery tips and support. You said you have achieved 108 days gfree so you are actually capable of doing that again, if not more than that. I have seen how difficult it is for someone to just break the habit immediately and have also witnessed some slipping back into old habits. But the slipping back to old habits with us has become less and less and we are now looking at a far brighter life. However, I think it is more difficult to recover if you are trying to do it on your own. I know you have Gamcare now, which is a brilliant way to start the ball rolling but it helps to get someone on your side at home or at work. I can see your problems is payday when you have spare money in your hand and too much time to spare - a lethal combination. The money you lost is now being enjoyed by someone else and you are sitting here feeling disgust and upset. If you could open up to someone who could help you moniter your finances it really would make all the difference. I don't want to sound like the "grim reaper" - but even though people have good jobs and can maybe scrape through without accumulating major debts initially there will come a time when so much money is going out the debts will come. You are right to mention that you are risking not being able to get a mortgage, etc because a few years down the line that will very possibly be the case. Good idea to write a plan of action for recovery including talking to the Gamcare counsellors, getting advice on finances, find other projects you can look forward to and spend on i.e. fitness, holidays. Treat your recovery as a project and that in itself will keep you busy. We as a family support system have tried and tested all of the above and I can tell you know that it does work.

What breaks my heart is that so many of you on here are so young and at the beginning of your adult lives and I get so angry that you are all being drawn into this supposedly easy way of trying to make a bit more money. I know for a fact that this can affect the nicest people, all age groups and all walks of life, and if you read the threads on this site you will see what I mean.

I hope you go over the 108 again - good luck and best wishes for a happy future.

Hi dmr.

Have you not excluded yourself yet? I found for me, that self exclusion was the best thing and even if I was to be tempted, I know I cannot. If you really want to have a good go at this, maybe this is something you now have to do.

Take care and don't give up "giving up"!

Our Lady