Hoping i can become normal again

Hi ron,

Im new here and have just started a diary. Currently on day 42 which is excellent compared to my previous hundred odd attempts. If you make the decision now that you will not gamble what ever happens and stick to that decision you can look back in the future and see the date you decided to stop the misery that is gambling, i know its easier said than done but it is possible.

Ive started going to the gym in the last 42 days. Also got a flight simulator game with a joystick and am trying to become an armchair pilot (unsuccessfully!). I think that doing something when thinking about gambling is helpful and definitely more constructive.

Best of luck on many g free days to come.

Hi Lastchance,

thanks for your support. Its funny you mention the gym as i have just signed up to a local one today,hoping that will fill some of the spare time i have. I am sure i will notice a difference in my life as time goes by and have set the New Year as my 1st milestone as by then if i have managed to abstain from gambling i will have managed to keep some of my wages as opposed to blowing the lot on FOBT's. I know i need to take one day at a time but at the moment i have no diposable income so its not a problem to avoid gambling,the test will come as the money comes in from work!

good luck on your journey and may we both be successful in our struggle to beat this illness.

Ron. Welcome to the site. If it's ure first time have a good read of all the other diaries. Get a feel of the site. Whatever you do don't think you don't need any help. The fact u r here suggests u may of got rock bottom.

I was there 3 weeks ago. I was fkd with nowhere to go. I have scraped and scrimped and got to payday. I am still skint but I ain't given a penny to any books in that time. This is the first time in 4 years. I am chuffed with that. I need to keep going.

Like I say. Have a read of some diaries. It will open ure eyes.

Good luck in the rest of ure life.

A.n.d

Hey ron,

If you havent already self excluded from where you play the fobt's id recommend doing it before you get paid. Take passport photos to all the places in yr area. If you have a printer you can also print a load of small passport size pics on to a4 paper as its cheaper than going to photo booths. Doing this will make it more difficult to just 'pop in' one day when passing.

All the best.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Day 2 over and done after getting paid today. The issue is i know i have a lot to pay out for at the end of the month so its usually not too hard hanging onto the money until then,its when i have paid things and am left with some money that the issue arises. Dont get me wrong i am massively in debt and currently have payday loans to cover so its kind of a must that i pay things off or i truly will reach rock bottom with nowhere else to turn. I am hoping to turn this mess around before i reach rock bottom,if i can stay gamble free from now on i believe i can.

Day 3- no gambling today. Out with the missus and friends tonight. Feeling better already, not going to get complacent though i've gambled for too long and realise there are a lot of challenging times ahead. Good luck everyone

Day 4 and no gambling. I need to succeed at doing this for the sake of my family, they don't know the extent of the debt i'm in and i fear that telling them would mean the end of my relationship,losing my house and also valuable time i spend with my daughter. My debts (15k+) will take a long time to pay off and as i've said before not gambling is quite easy at the moment as all the money i have coming in is spoken for to pay off what i owe this month,if i can make it to the new year will be ecstatic but just for today i will not gamble....

Day 5. Still managing to avoid the dreaded lure of the bookies or online games. I'm finding this site really useful not only for this diary but also reading others posts to gain advice on how to cope. It's giving me an outlet, something to fill the time where I used to search for bets or be fixated with 'both teams scoring'. I am still feeling very down regarding all my debts and how/when they will ever be paid off but I dug myself into this hole so must keep fighting to climb out of it. One of my favorite things I used to do was to play blackjack/roulette to win £5 or £10 to place on my football bet,providing me with a free bet. The problem was even when I did get this 'free bet' it was never enough and when my football bet inevitably lost I'd play the fobt's more to try win what my football bet was worth as I felt I'd missed out winning big so could win it another way. Each time it lead to me chasing and chasing my losses, feeling ashamed, and vowing never to do it again. Well this time I sincerely hope I have had my last time

Hello ron. Strangely enough like another chap on this thread I'm at day 42 myself and trust me mate if you can get just a few days behind you and then a week and then a couple of weeks things don't half t**t looking better.

I'm 25 years a gambler, hundred of thousands of ££ and yet 42 days without a bet and that's all history, we can all turn this round. One day at a time pal but be assured that you'll feel a lot better pretty quickly if you make those days add up

Hi mate, fantastic work getting to day 5. Keep strong and dont give in! The main deterent for me at the moment is the feeling of dispair i know i will get if i give in, and i aint doing it to myself again this time! Keep it up mate!

Day 6- no Gambling today

Day 7 - no Gambling today. Just finished work early on my 7th day of abstaining from gambling. I do have some money in my account (only about £500 and need this to pay some bills Friday) and would usually be straight to the bookies to see what i might be able to turn this spare money into (experience tells me i have the ability to reduce this £500 to £0 within minutes!). However today i have come home to update my diary as i'm finding this a really good focus to get away from the lure of the bookies. I will then pick my daughter up early from nursery to spend some extra time with her as opposed to neglecting her like i have in the past because of my gambling. I start at a new gym in a week and should be really busy with work over christmas so im hoping all this going on will just keep me too occupied to even have time to think about a bet nevermind placing one. Its going to be a tough christmas as most of the money i earn will go towards paying off my debt but thats the way it has to be now. Its going to be hard to feel normal again until i have cleared this debt from around my neck. I imagine it will take me 2-3 years if i keep gamble free-that is motivating me to do so. Great to hear from people on my diary and keep fighting everyone. Ron

ron ive just added ya to the thread mate. Great to have you on board and well done for standing up against this gambling lark. Its a totally waste of time for anyone like us that just simply cant control ourselves. Ive had enough of the damage it causes and im glad to see you on here saying you have had enough to. Stay strong mate, take things slow and before you know it the days become weeks, weeks become months and beyond. Look forward to seeing you at the check in friday.

Hi Ron and well done on your battle to date. I read your thread with interest and have the same sentiment as yourself. If I can stay gamble free for a couple of years this will take a lot of heat out of my debt. I was doing ok until about 10 days ago but faltered because I thought I had cracked it. High mistake. Make sure you stayed focused on the diary as it will keep you on track. Good luck

Thanks for the support dave999 and last chance. Today is day 9 and still gamble free. Had a few thoughts about betting today as finished work at 2 and also got paid today. A lot of my money is going on keeping my head above water at thr moment and making sure all my payments are met. I should by the end of next week (I get paid weekly) have some money that isn't needed for minimun payments on CC's so the test will really begin then I think. Determind to beat this though after a lifetime of gambling and it feels good when I think of what life could be like in 2-3 years time. Its going to get harder before it gets better as I try to pay off my debts but I know its worth it in the long run. At a wedding tomorrow and can't wait to have my mind focussed on the day and enjoying time with family and friends as opposed to the usual Saturdays of keeping a constant eye on the football scores without a care for anything else. Life will get better,its just going to be a long road!