Life With Sports Bets Only

Hi captain

I can honestly say I'm in the same place as you today. I hope your day gets a bit better and you get through it ok. Tomorrow will be better.

Linda

Reflecting that over the last 4 days there have been 2 golf tournaments, a snooker tournament and a tennis tournament which during my days of betting on everything I would have had an interest in. I no longer bet on these events. I now realise I only bet on them to watch them. I loved the thrill of watching when I had a bet on, but find watching them tedious otherwise.

There was a point years ago where I concluded that a bet on a golf tournament or snooker matches or tennis matches meant I got more for my money given the amount of time the event took. ( in comparison to gambling it on a horse race which was over in a few minutes. )

I calculated that in years gone by over the past 4 days I would have spent 24 hours watching the 4 sports events. Now I dont watch because I havent bet on them. I still take an interest in the result, still think 'I could have had a bet on that' but I dont. I found when I bet on these events I had to bet with big amounts - i.e. not worth putting only £5 on a golfer and viewing for 16 hours and even if you win you dont get much back.

Its the right thing to have cut out these bets and only bet football accas which just means tracking scores as opposed to actually watching the event.

But spending much of the 24 hours I would normally have spent watching the sports events just 'passing time' is difficult. Dont think so much about not doing productive things with my time during periods where there isnt as much Tennis, Golf and Snooker on.

Hi captain

Great to see your still doing well as always been following your diary with interest and see still it brings a little controversy to a few, as always the only thing we can control is our own recovery and you are doing so well you do it your way and what's best for you and it is working

I always think you handle yourself well when challenged on your diary and esp on others

Keep up the good work the support will always be here for you

Castle2

Been on here over 4 years and read a number of posts over that time from those whose lives have dramatically improved for the better having stopped gambling. I am genuinely happy for everyone who finds themselves in that position.

However I can honestly say that with the exception of those who can run long distances and play competitive sport, I have yet to read a description where I can say 'that sounds a great life' or ' I wish I had that' or ' I wish I could do that'. Many descriptions actually have the opposite effect I.e. I think ' I wouldn't want that in a million years' although as I say I'm happy for that person if they are happy.

For me, having had the highs of competitive sport, only the highs of gambling could take me to a similar level. And I simply don't have any notion or ambition for anything else.

Gd arvo captain,- book well worth a read,it follows the same guidelines as his giving up smoking,drinking,over eating books.

I can see how it works for smokers,hasn't had the same effect on me so far for gambling,but still only halfway through.

Good to see your still random free,you've gave me food for thought with your approach and advice,day 8 into my new approach and I'm making progress.

Have a good wkd captain.

Engaging less with the Forum recently which is probably a good sign.

Confident that I will get to 28th June and do a year random gambling free.

Need to start thinking about what the next stage of my recovery should involve and whether any changes I identify should be made at anytime or after I have completed my year.

Hi Captain, I've just read your previous post. Yes, I turned to running and it really helped me. Yes, I still play competitive cricket (always have). If I didn't have running and cricket, I'm not sure how happy I would be. Would it turn me back to gambling if they were taken away? Not now as I've broken the habit. Would my life be missing something? Absolutely. I need that buzz, as I'm sure you do. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you will reach your goal of no random gambling for the year. Russ

As a result of the financial benefit of abstinence from random gambling I today arranged for some significant home improvement work to be done. I plan to get more done later in the year.

It will be good to have the house looking as it should after many years where I have been embarrassed about the state of it.

So I am getting the benefit of home improvements and my debts continue to reduce each month.

Life is still rubbish though. Money and material things don't provide happiness but that's outwith the scope of my past gambling problems.

Cap,

Your last post makes me happy for you. Being able to spend money on things that would usually be last in a queue behind gambling, gambling and more gambling is the sign of someone doing well in recovery.

Tomso.

How was the book captain? Any pro found effect on you?

Glad to see your recoverys still going from strength to strength.

A few thoughts which help me:

You must be prepared to lose to gain the ultimate satisfaction from a win.

Winning is everything, second is nowhere.

If you didnt set out to succeed you cannot have failed.

Positive anything is better than negative nothing.

Gd morning captain,thanks for the feed back on the book,you were spot on!

I have read the phillip mawer book,dunno if I was in the wrong frame of mind at the time,but I didn't take anything from it.

Love reading autobiography books,read mersons first book in 99 when it came out,I assume there have been many updated versions since he's been on sky,I will seek out hartsons. Willie thornes was worth a read.

The bottom line is the book has put me back in a better place,a gamble free day again today of out,don't even know who's playing or what's running.ignorance of gambling opportunities is serving me well.long may it coontinue as I grow strength and confidence.

Thanks for your continuing support,keep sailing along captain.

Thanks Robby glad you are still in a good place.

The quote in the book 'i can't play sport anymore so I gamble' is generally appropriate to me. I did fill my time for years with gambling to replace time spent training and playing sport after I had to stop due to permanent injury.

One difference though - I took a conscious decision to stop playing Saturday football and concentrate on Sunday football - because I was getting more enjoyment from watching horse racing and tracking football scores at that point than I was from playing football. I used to be standing in the bookies watching a race only to think oh d**n it's time to go and play football! I also went through a phase after my injury of watching football on a Saturday but I ended up being tuned in to the radio at the game - was much more interested in tracking scores for my bet than watching one game.

All this can be summarised by a quote I read years ago 'those who experience highs at a young age spend their lives trying to repeat those highs and when they cannot they have to turn to some other means of experiencing a high'.

For me this is encapsulated by experiencing great sporting success young and then when in later years involvement in sport didn't bring the same success level it ceased to be as enjoyable. I could experience a greater high from gambling than I could from playing football. Of course I could also experience a greater low and a devastating impact on my finances and in other aspects of life in general.

Remain focused on getting to 28th June and a year free from random gambling.

Contemplating whether at that point I should try, say for a month, a return to random gambling at a low stake per race, say £5 a race, just as fun. After being away for a year, could I go 'back to my roots' from years ago and start again without it escalating to higher amounts and becoming out of control ? Or should I just put random out of my head for good ?

I have a thought from somewhere that gambling at small stakes will help me appreciate the value of money again as I havent for years and also be good for my self esteem and confidence if I can treat it as a hobby as I did 30 years ago.

Hi captain hope your well, I'm amazed you think you can go back to a place you were at 30 years ago for a random bet wake up it won't happen can you imagine an alcoholic or drug user saying the same it can't work we're different people now. Good luck

The bear