Life or Misery; that's the choice

Hi Mixer

Good to see you followed through and phones the exclusions scheme - i did not and as a result relapsed! Keep going and I will join you on your quest to be gf untill christmas! Keep going 🙂

Athena

Welcome back Mixer! 🙂

You were such an inspiration to me last time buddy. As I'm sure you were to many, many others.

Good luck in your quest for freedom. My journey starts today.

Let's get to Christmas (and beyond...) together!

Take care. Moorey

Thanks Moorey, and you're on - let's have a GF-free few months until (at least) Christmas. It starts here in the height of summer. Can it be done? Lets not worry about whther it can or not, let's get tomorrow out of the way. Tomorrow, we don't gamble. Right? 🙂

Mixer wrote:

Thanks Moorey, and you're on - let's have a GF-free few months until (at least) Christmas. It starts here in the height of summer. Can it be done? Lets not worry about whther it can or not, let's get tomorrow out of the way. Tomorrow, we don't gamble. Right? 🙂

Right! 🙂 tomorrow I shall not gamble!

Stay strong today buddy!

Wishing you well. Let's get through another day gamble free.

Hoping to always be 4 days behind you....

Thanks Moorey - day by day, gritted teeth through gritted teeth, one day at a time, we will do this, this time.

Today I received a reply from self-exclusion.co.uk. My mugshot and self-exclusion form is now posted at over 30 local bookies and acrades - I am allowed in none of them. For a moment I thought - I know a few people who work in some of these places but then I thought: You know what? Who cares. If it helps stop me gambling then it's a good move. The ban is place for a year when it can (will) be renewed.

My next step is SENSE, to ban myself from the one remaining casino in my area. It's tougher this, I've known the manager (socially) for many years. But, again, what is this all about. It's about taking practical steps to stop gambling. So I'm gritting my teeth, and though SENSE, doing something about it.

The manager will probably be pleased to see you have banned yourself, he or she won't want to add to a problem gamblers addiction. I was really nervous about self excluding from shops close to me as the staff know me, but I found they were generally relieved that I was trying to help myself. Be strong and I hope you can use SENSE and get banned from the casino.

Hi Mixer, the manager and staff were really upbeat when I self excluded. Genuinely felt that they were pleased I was doing, rather than perpetuating a problem. They are people with lives and families too....I don't think they want to be responsible for creating misery. It is so much easier once the bans are in place. Helen.

Well done on your progress today Mixer. They are big steps you've taken!

You can go to bed tonight feeling pleased with your achievments today.

A productive day to say the least.

Yes I agree, the staff in the bookies are like any other person.

They've no real gain in watching you lose £1 after £1. Friend or no friend.

They don't want to see a good man going down.

Have a good evening Mixer.

Another mini battle overcome and won.

Mixer,

I will keep this short my friend but just wanted to say that after all the kind words / support / advise that you've given me on my diary I wish you the best of luck. I would re-itterate alot of the things that you said to me but I don't feel the need. I feel quite confident in saying that you know where you want to get to and you know what you need to get there so once again, best of luck to you.

Sure we will speak again soon, in the mean time stay strong buddy, we're all in the same boat paddling up that same river at the moment.

dholla1 - than you for our kind words, and I'm personally delighted you are settling into a GF journey. Always day by day, of course, but getting into a good rhythm. Thnak you for our best wishes, and I without doubt want you to succeed too! And, yes, it's going to be challenging, as we navigate that certain creek but we have a GF paddle ready to help us navigate all the s*** ! Ok. No gambling tomorrow. Agreed....? Great! (I anticipated your response!)

Rhoda (Helen) - thank you for your message of encouragement and my priority target tomorrow (apart from being utterly and totally GF) is to complete the casino ban. You're right, it's never personal with the staff and management, even if they are friends and I know deep down the manager will understand (he's a great friend and very professional). Thanks Helen and looking forward to catchng up with you - we go back a long way 🙂

Moorey - likewise thank you for a great message my friend. You're bang on with what you say, similar to Rhoda. And a GF under your belt, too - that's what it's about. Let's have another GF day tomorrow OK 🙂 and I'll be starting up the 100 day challenge again in the next few days too - Yey!!!!

Hey bornagain, and great chatting to you tonight. Thansk for your message that uncannily - and accurately - echoes the top-drawer sentiments and advice from Rhoda and Moorey. Hey, we all know our stuff - we all know what to do - we're all good people unfortunatley trapped in a certain mindset that tilts towards gambling BUT we can do something about it. Not just by putting in good practical steps, like self-excusion and counselling etc., but by geeing each other, chivying each other along. Does it help? I believe so. Let's stick together, determinedly, grimly at times, but let's enjoy life too. I know you felt despair tonight - I (and so many of us) understand and emphasise. But let's keep going. Let's remember our priorities, and like you, mine's family, and, just for tomorrow, let's go GF.

And that's how I'll end my post today. Let's all go GF tomorrow. One day. Can we do it and check in tomorrow (a one-line will do!). Yes, I reckon we can 🙂

Another day, another day GF. Only on Day 6, so nothing to shout about; but got to work through the foothills before climbing the heights.

The first thing I think about every morning when so wake up..? My GF strategy for the day. I think, how much am I taking in to work (£15). How much will I need (£3 for lunch). Do I need to top up my emergency float (not yet, still over £10).

What else do I need to do as I look out if the window and see a murky, miserable day outside? (Typical August!)

I'm going to spend 20minutes reading a couple diaries on here, that I haven't read before, without commenting, just reading and seeing how my fellow abstainers are getting on. I notice Ghost is on Day 76, so I'm going to see how he/she does it.

I'm also thinking about the good people I know on here and hope they're going to be GF today. Moorey, Phil, Adam, Sars, Athena and so many more. I think about Sbb and will quickly read through some of his old diary entries - a really good diary, I dip in often.

And then, at around 7:15 I'll get up for work, spend a little time with my family, appreciating what I have, before setting off for work with the strongest possible mindset I can muster for the day.

Sorry to ramble on but it all helps me set the day up and I wish everyone who's reading this a good GF day ahead.Whatever our troubles, however we've got to this place, if we can do just one thing today let's just be GF. Everything else will be off the back of that, and it will always be better than the alternative.

Right, time for me to read a bit more!

Mixer

Interesting post. I did not know you could self exclude from selected local bookmakers via a website. I thought you had to brave going into the shop. I might give it a try one day.

What a positive post to read first thing in the morning, Mixer.

Yes, if we only manage to achieve one thing today, lets make sure that it is we make it through the day gamble free.

The rest as you say will follow....

I'll be reading a few diaries on here too before I set off this morning.

Have a great day buddy!

Hi Degen,

Just noticed your post; thank you.

In fact, banning yourself from several bookies at once is very easy - just phone 0800 294 2060!

If every visitor to this website who has a problem with anything bookie or arcade related (FOBTs, horsesetc) just phoned this number, if that was the first thing they did, it would make a powerful difference to them, from the off!

I implore everyone with a FOBT problem to phone this number. It takes 20 minutes!

You just need to email back two photos, one of a passport or driving licence, and a face shot. Done! (Just take snapshots from any phone with a camera.)

Anyone deadly serious about stopping wasting their money and life on bookies FOBTs really must consider this.

All the best Degen, and wishing you a GF day today.

Right: I've gotta get up!

Mixer

P.S. Cheers Moorey - just read your post. GF today - right? That's all we ask 🙂