I cannot win because I cannot stop

Great stuff stu! Onwards and upwards!

Congrats on making your goal 🙂 Keep it up! You're doing great 🙂

Well done mate keep it going.

Each day at the time is the right way and without gambling you win every day 😉

Hi Stu - Have been reading your Diary and just wanted to say a big 'Well done' for the efforts you have made to rid yourself of this horrible affliction.

You mentioned somewhere seeing so many debits to gambling sites on your bank statement - I keep one particularly horrendous statement to hand so that if I am ever tempted I can see how stupid and pointless it all was - winning and then almost immediately losing it again.

Have a lovely Easter Monday with the family.

Joanna

yes well-done mate, hope all is going well.

Unfortunately I lost my nearest and dearest a long time ago to this truly awful addiction. Value the people around you and the time you spend with them as you can never get time back unfortunately.

Keep the thought of you and your kids in your mind the next time you feel tempted by the demons. This works for me, I have been in this place before, no money for almost a month due to gambling and chasing the win.

I hope you can stay strong mate, for both you and your family.

Good luck

thankyou so much everyone for your encouragments, I feel so much more determined. This is such a great site.

I've got a day off today- am looking after baby as my wife is at work. Have just done the school run for my other 3. Had a lovely last day of the holidays yesterday and now its back to normality- the school run routine starts again.

need to set another goal- want to be 14 days clear.

that's my main goal- other mini goals:

*exercise at least once this week

*write a snail mail letter to a friend. Just dont seem to have the time to keep in contact with friends but its so important and means so much to me, so will try and re-establish contact with a few over the coming weeks.

baby just gone asleep so might just watch a film.

take care everyone

Stux

Hi Stu - Many thanks for dropping by my Diary with kind words. Glad you are still feeling good and I hope baby is still asleep!

I note from your Diary that religion is important to you - did you see 'Rev' (BBC2) last night? Adam had messed up big time but the scene on the bit of waste ground with Liam Neeson as God was profoundly moving and a reminder that there is always hope for us.

Joanna

Hey Stu

Well done on getting through your first important mini goal. I have had mini and long term goals in place for a while now and they really help me to keep focused and committed in achieving what I want. They are also good to write them down in your diary and then be able to reflect back on them in the future, to see how far you have come and how well you have done in achieving them.

Good luck with your next goal - you can do it, I know you can.

Take care and remember, live in the present with your recovery - forget the past and don't worry about the future.

Your friend Feb.

Hi stu

Just over a year ago my husband started a diary the same day as you. He managed 180 days of keeping up his diary and a little longer gamble free before it sucked him back in. But good on you for returning and putting the brakes on such a damaging past time.

Something you said in your thread has stuck in. My head and wondered if you had your own answer.

You said you were going to write a snail mail to a friend time permitting.

Time is something every gambler affords themselves. It takes time to sit and lose after

The power of a letter is something I believe to be more hard hitting and something physical , not like an email.

Have you considered writing a letter and posting it to yourself. Write about the good things being an ex gambler affords you, write about your wonderful family write down all the reasons you should never have another bet.

Good luck to you shelly

Hi Stu,

Thanks for posting on my diary, beats replying to myself anyways.

still not gambled on day six. hope your feeling better bud.. keep it up.

Hi Stu,

Well done on getting to that first goal, and now its time to put that milestone behind you and head on towards the next one. If you stop on this journey, you know what happens, just keep ploughing forward and leave gambling in your past.

Good luck with the exercise, at the moment work is the time stealer for me, but hopefully I can start on that task as well soon.

All the best

Ryan

DAY 9

thanks everyone for your encouragement.

I know I can't change the past, but my actions have caused such a lot of misery. I think that is why I keep gambling, I want a big win that will make everything alright,.... but i do know that no win will ever be big enough. My only choice and the right thing to do is to face up to the consequences of what I have done- there is no magic pill, only the long road to recovery.

have a good day people, the sun is shining.

stay strong

Stuxx

Stu

Fella a light bulb moment for you today,a huge well done for seeing it.

Abstinence gifts an end game,the chase is over,the fact that you actually win without staking a single penny each day is an option which you choose to make

Double figures tomorrow

mighty oaks grow from acorns my friend

Duncs stepping forward never back

Stu

Fella I thought of you this morning, knowing payday looms on the horizon I hope the resolve you have gifted yourself since returning serves you well when the funds become available.

I DID WIN BECAUSE I DID STOP.

The mantra you gift yourself through arresting that first bet,the most dangerous one.

If it wins you pursue more 'good luck'

If it loses you chase the loss.

Or if you abstain you maintain the winning streak.

I hope your resolve holds strong.

The belief grows.

Duncs stepping forward never back

DAY 13

haven't posted for a few days- have been really busy with work and family stuff which is good.

Hope you are all well and keeping strong.

Thanks Duncs for your kind thoughts and words.

Stux