i want to be free

Yeahy on the plus side i have got into college x

Congratulations! That's really positive!

Keep up the good work : - )

Hi, well done on keeping gamble free and congratulations getting into college. Stay strong Jaz x (also on Day 2)

ty jaz & sully x well done to both of you and good luck for tomorrow.

i am feeling positive this evening and havnt even really thought about gambling, heres to a more relaxed week x

Was going to lie and say i had been good but in only lying to myself, spent 20 on mobile site last night when i couldn't sleep.

am so disgusted and disappointed in myself

Sorry to hear that - I really feel for you.Please don't give up though.Part of recovery will involve relapses and the important thing is you are being honest to yourself and everyone else.Is it a site you can self exclude from?If you notice that you are gambling at night when you can't sleep,is it something you can talk to your doctor about?Or try some herbal teas that make you sleep better?Last year when I tried to quit,I had several relapses before being able to abstain for a few months and then I started again,because I relaxed too much and removed some of the barriers I had put in place.Also,I was in a bad relationship and gambled to escape the sadness I was experiencing - so the climate wasn't right for me quitting,if that makes sense?

You can do this and you will be able to do this...it just takes a while to get everything in place to enable us to abstain.Don't give up - I believe in you!x

Hi Laurak

Sorry to read about your blip and that is all it was

You stopped you were honest to yourself and you have learnt Turn these 3 actions in to a big positive to carry on

Never give up in giving up you can get there one day at a time

Put every barrier in place use the triangle money time and location take one of these away and it's impossible to play

Be kind to yourself and carry on

Best wishes

Suzanne x

ty sully & suzanne

i have now self excluded from the site i found. late night is my biggest problem because i rarely sleep well. i did see doctor about year or more ago who gave me sleeping pills but i never took them, after not hearing anything from a referal i was meant to have i have never been back. it took enough courage to go the first time and talk about stuff (unfortunately not just gambling) i cant go back.

i will think about the triangle though! i hadnt thought of things like that so ty for the advice x

laura

I gambled earlier too...so tomorrow will be day 1 for me too...

I thought I could just spend 5 pounds and stop after winning but being the compulsive gambler that I am I couldn't!

At least I know now that I have to stop completely, because I had been toying with the idea of just going in one arcade once a week and spending a fiver - well tonight I ended up spending 40!And at one point I was 60 pounds up...seriously, what goes on in my brain when I am playing a poker machine???

Feel ashamed of myself but am going to learn from it and try harder next time.

yep, i can honestly say i completely understand how you feel there!

my biggest problem i think is i gamble because its a great way to fill my mind, i need to find another time consuming hobby until im ready to tackle alllll the stuff i dont want to think about!

as i put on your thread hun, we can and will beat this x

have given myself a headache trying not to think about all the stuff i dont want to think about. i have isolated myself from everyone, i dont have any friends i can just call and chat to, i have intentionally kept away from people because i dont want to have to put the happy face on. what a sad person i am, i chose to fill my time gambling and hiding. i dont know who i am.

I feel the same...over the last 6 years I have led a double life and I have spent more time alone than with others.I dread to think how much sleep I have deprived myself of thoughout this whole process!I believe that things happen for a reason - even this addiction.I think it will make us stronger people once we get to the other side of it,and then we will be able to use our experiences to help others.

I am selling my IPad tomorrow partly because I need the cash until payday but also to take away temptation as I used to play online casinos all the time. I am also going to start filling in my self-exclusion forms to ban myself from the various bookies I frequent. And I promise I will ban myself from those pesky arcades. As you said,get rid of the locations and then we can't gamble!

Sleep well and here's to a more positive tomorrow!xx

Hi Laura!

I know it's not quite the end of the day yet but I was just wondering how you have got on? I hope it has been a positive day for you filled with choices that you are pleased with.

Keep up the determination - it is that which will carry us through our recovery!

ty hun, i have kept myself busy all day.

have had quite a positive day, after yesterday today has been ok. i havnt thought much about gambling but instead concentrated on the things i want to save for! i am alot happier today anyways! x

I am really pleased to hear that - yay!

Yes I find that when I am busy it definitely makes it harder to gamble. Due to the nature of my job, I get a lot of holidays each year(bet you can't guess what I do!), which means that I am currently in the danger zone as I have a lot of free time on my hands. But I have planned busy days for the next 5 days...so as long as I stay strong, it should go well.

Great to see you so positive! Keep up the good work!