Its time

Good morning and many congratulations on your fab achievement.

Here's to the next 200 days!!!.

Best wishes

Great achievement and a great milestone 200 days well done you:))

Suzanne xxx

Morning sb and thank you for popping by my diary , very kind .

Am relly enjoying my recovery and discovering a new way of life , I reallly cant believe how crazy my life had become !.

We obviously share a mutual foe in the Fobt's , I can also think of many other names I'd like to call them but we'll stick to the uncensored one !.

Big congratulations to you my friend on 201 days , a big big acheivement and you must be very proud of yourself .

Take care Buddy and will catch up again soon no doubt !.......................................Alan

Thanks for your message abis, 🙂

You are doing great, keep believing in your recovery and keep believing in you :))

Have a good weekend

Suzanne xxx

Life is good! When I reflect back on the year it is easy to focus on the hurt my gambling caused or to think about the money I lost. I prefer however to think about the fact that in May last year I shared my pain and gained strength from everyone who heard my story . I found support from this forum and GA. 2015 has been a great year as it has been about recovery and not failure. Most of my entries finish with a statement about my day, I want to go further than that. 2016 will be a great, gamble free year because that is what I choose. I hope it is for you too.

Hi there sbisstopping,

Just wanted to drop by and wish you a fantasitic 2016 when it comes and congratualtions on reaching 213 days gamble free - Thats an incredibly achievement and testiment to your will power and drive.

All the best,

Drew

As I sit here on New Year's Eve I look forward to 2016 remembering that I am still only 1 bad decision away from gambling! I have learnt so much this year from being part of this forum. I have to say I do get slightly frustrated when I read some dairies but this is because I can see so many similarities to my own challenges over the years.

I feel incredibly positive and I would never want to go back - I look at every day as a fresh opportunity to do things other than waste my time and money. Tonight I will be with family and we will toast the past and look forward to the future. Whatever you are doing then please celebrate the fact that 2016 offers a great opportunity for us all to be gamble free.

2016 will be an amazing year for me and I hope it is or you too!

Great post :)) A very happy gamblng free new year to you.

Suzanne xxx

Good morning, happy new year to anyone who reads this. Great start to the year for me but I fear I may not be reading others diaries any more. My reason is simple, as I read diaries on here I am seeing a big increase in people refering to "winning" and being almost dismissive that it's all ok. So far in my journey I have managed to avoid a slip but for 1 fleeting moment this morning after reading a couple of diaries I thought, maybe a few quid would be ok as others seem to be able to manage it as simply "scratching an itch".

However, I am now through that moment but fear that reading more references to "winning" and "the buzz of winning" may not do me any good. Sorry but recovery can be a selfish journey and I need to remove anything that can detract.

I wish you all every success and hope 2016 is a fantastic gamble free year for you.

Hi SB, I fully agree that some almost seem to glamourise the feeling's or the buzz , which I must say I find a bit strange at times considering why were all here ?, I really see that as almost being in denial that there's a problem or maybe some just don't want to let go ?.

I suppose it's just something we are going to come accross and have to learn deal with , everyone on here has an opinoin on what works , so who am I to judge !.

Hope you don't become a stranger and will continue posting !

Best Wishes for 2016 ...................Alan

Hi Alan, thanks for your post. I totally accept that we all face a different journey and fully respect the differences. What I struggle with however is some almost seem to gloat on their "profit" and it does have the appearance of trying to fully justify their slips. I don't wish to challenge how others use the forum but fortunately i do have the power as to what I read. All the best.

All is well as I am about to leave for GA. I have got over my recent frustrations but still find myself concerned at others' comments regarding slips. It does appear that we are getting over the Xmas and new year slips and I am thankful that my problem was at its worst when I was at work, not on holiday. This of course means that I now face my demons on a daily basis as my diary is far from full and I find myself with free time. Having said that, I still maintain the triangle of security and will not allow myself to make bad choices! I feel incredibly confident but never complacent - I will continue my journey and never trivialise how it affects me or others - recovery is not a right it is the result of what I do and how I choose to do it. It requires focus and effort, all of which brings fantastic rewards!

Tomorrow will be a great day for me and I hope it is for you too.

Hi Abis,

Good strong words my friend, recovery is the result of what I do and how I choose to do it.

You are doing great,,understand how some posts can make us feel negative:(( I try to heed the words from Duncs, take the positives from the forum and just dump/ the negatives,:))). We all have different positives and negatives, lol, and your post today sure has made me feel positive:)))

Tomorrow will be a great day, :)))

Suzanne xxx

Thanks Suzanne, i am a great believer that I have to control my recovery and therefore look very much on what I can do, using this forum to track and record my journey. That is why I get frustrated when those who continue to slip choose to ignore all of the excellent advice they get. They then slip again and appear to think they are unique in their challenges and of course tomorrow can always be day 1. Saying "don't worry, everything will be alright" is only true if the CG is prepared to make effort and do something different. I genuinely want every CG to win their battle and only show my frustration because I feel their pain and no-one deserves to suffer.

Gambling is a vicious animal and we must show that we are in charge else it will attack and continue to terrorise us.

This is my diary and this post is to remind me that I currently have the gambling animal under control but I must be aware that one bad move could give it the upper hand and make me vulnerable once more........

2 is a great number today as it is day 222 according my counter! Got a fantastic day planned - golf and then a trip to Old Trafford with my son....

Keeping really focussed at the moment and reminding myself constantly that any slip now would be such a waste of my time and effort and would be incredibly disrespectful to everyone who is supporting me on my journey. Today is going to be a great day, I hope it for you too.