Last gamble was 5mins ago that is it!!!

Hey Tom your doing great pal!! i second the counciling from Mr Swordfish it will help you talk to someone 1 on 1! I actually tried GA last week and was such a good feeling wasnt sure at first but i am 100% going back on thursday and am actually looking forward to it! There is somthing good about a room full of gamblers who have been there done that and got the T shirt with what you are feeling and can offer great advice! have a great day Tom

Hi fellas , I have not had counselling do you recommend it? I'm not going to get complacent , I know how low I have been and the places where i have been emotionally I never want to see again , I will never see the money again and that is something I will live with but I have now started a fresh start I am 31 so I have learnt from my mistake and will continue to remain focused and keep posting on here with my progress

Hi tom counciling is a great thing. If you apeak to gamcare they arrange for it for u for free. You will use cbt methods for coping. Its good for all aspects of ur life mate im 32 and i have had a couple of sessions and it has really helped me. It will help you find the root of the issue. You need to try future proof yourself. Look its free will make you feel even beter and help u its a win win.

Just registered online for the counselling so hopefully I can get talking to a counsellor soon . Looking forward to payday on Friday ! Payday has never been relevant in my last 5 yrs as Iv never seen much of it well not for long anyway but now il be spending wisely and treating my daughter 🙂 she deserves it after suffering due to my stupidity

Oh well onwards and upwards day 4 tomorrow!

Day 4 , didn't sleep very well and been up since 5 tossing and turning . It's not the gambling which is now my issue although I am very much aware of keeping my guard up , it is the money I have lost . I am beating myself up about the losses and really need to start a fresh . The figures I have calculated are eye watering and really do hit me hard. I need to realise quickly that the money has gone and will be gone forever , the new me won't let this happen again.

Have a good day everyone and thanks for reading . Let's have it day 4!

Hi Tom , look the easiest way to deal with the losses are to write them off to good old experience , a life lesson if you want , if your unable to do that then it's going to be difficult to draw a line under the gambling and walk away , what you could do is think of it in another way ? . You could see the losses as just expenses incurred because of a hobby or entertainment ? , if you'd been going to the cinema everyday for six months or had an expensive gym membership that no longer appealed to you , then that wouldn't bother you as much ? . What about if you had a really bad illness ? , gambling is sometimes classed as an illness , so you could look on it as paying for treatment , if your treatment cost £1000, £5000 or £ 10,000 but meant that you could live a normal heathy life free from pain ( the pain of gambling ) then you'd be more than happy to pay for that cure , right ? .

Sometimes we need to think outside the box a bit and look through different eyes in order to see what's really in front of us !!

Take care buddy and I'll catch up soon !

Alan

HI Tom

Look Money is Money Like me we are in our Early 30s you have a long long time to make up for the loss of that cash. Like Alan says this is a life experince and admiting this issue and accepting and dealing with this are going to make you are very strong and happy person. Did you ring gamcare after for a chat?? Cheers

Thanks guys really appreciate that , great way of looking at it Alan. I have paid a large price but am fit and healthy and hopefully mentally tougher from these experiences . Day 4 has been a busy 1 at work and time has flown by going to look at a new car tomorrow so that is something to look forward to n day 5 , not far off a week free of gambling then!

Day 5 nearly complete its been a very progressive week and something il be honest , I really couldn't imagine doing even a couple of weeks ago not gambling for 5 days seemed impossible . I'm really determined and have put the barriers in place to keep this up . Day 6 tomorrow , payday! These days have been my day to go in the bookies and go crazy betting on all sorts but not tomorrow , il be enjoying my bank holiday weekend!

Day 6 , felt a little down today but didn't feel like gambling have these up and downs regarding guilt and feeling ashamed of myself but feeling better now my daughter is on her way round and its bank holiday weekend .

6 days has been difficult but I know this is the beginning of my new life , a new life without gambling and I cannot wait to get back on my feet and feel good about myself. Confidence personally is at its lowest ever but it's a slow rebuilding process which is not going to complete in 6 days or even 6 month , this is a long term issue . 5 yrs of constant gambling cannot be turned round easily but I'm giving it my best shot and I will progress . It's great to see people with huge numbers of days without gambling , I will have those huge numbers 1 days buts it's baby steps at the minute . Thanks for reading my page , have a great bank holiday

1 week down feel really proud of myself for not gambling for a full week, I never would have thought done a week gamble free and here I am! Taking my daughter out today sun is shining think we ll stop off and have a couple of drinks by the canal and keep week away from any sport or betting shops, looking forward to watching the play off final later with no pressure of having huge money on it and also the boxing later tonight , I think it's going to be good watching sport properly rather than my heart pounding . Today is a milestone , 1 week looking forward to making double figures now

Congrats on ur week mate fantastic

Hi Tom i wanted t say thank you for your messages on my post. Your a good guy and your right we may never meet but support comes in lots of ways! me and another member have added exchanged email adresses your more than welcome to swap with me? Your doing great by the way your going to be up and down but we will get there mate!

11 days! Il be honest it was the hardest day so far and one il be glad to get over and done with. Need to keep strong and keep progressing , these hard days are going to come but I need to make sure they come and go and my 11 days move on to 12 and so on , come on Tom!!!!!

Well done Tom on your 11 day's of getting your life back ! , It's not all plain sailing and you will have days where you feel down in the dumps and others where your flying in the clouds , just deal with the bad ones as they happen and sit and reflect on how bad life could be if you went back to gambling or look back at your opening diary page when you were so down , that'll soon bring you back on track , it does get much easier Tom , the more time and distance you put between you and your last bet will allow you to build strength and continue with your fight to beat this addiction .

Remember we are always here to chat to , if you feel the need and your never alone with this .

Pleasure to walk alongside you Tom .

Best wishes .............Alan