Lost the plot...so back.

You wrote on my dairy saying its a wind up its not people are not all the same some are strong some are weak i am weak i do need help thats why i am on here my friend please give me advise i will win this and give up thanks for your help

Baljit, I have posted a reply on your diary.

As for me, I am two days away from one year free of gambling.

There's been a weird 'plus' to my blow-out last year. Although previously, I did shop around for the best prices etc I must admit I didn't do it very hard. The need to focus my mind on reducing costs has had a suprisingly positive effect on my overall finances, and hopefully will have for years and years. My motor insurance has gone down from over £400 to £260, and with better cover. House ins, from £400 to £120. I managed to get 2 x 0% CCs, to which i transferred half of my debt, and also paid some big bills upfront to avoid the charges you get when you spread the costs over a year. Bulk buying things for the house has saved approx £20 a week over the year (things like canned food, bog roll, sugar etc). I have attempted (successfully) several small repairs on the car, with parts I sourced myself at less than half the price the garage wanted (for the same genuine part). I have done lots to the house in the way of painting, plastering and rearranging where cupboards are etc etc. Next month I am doing the bathroom DIY, although I am having the boiler installed professionally.

Thinking about gambling a fair amount at the moment, probably linked to the fact that I'm spending a lot of money on the boiler and bathroom at the money. No intention to act on these feelings at the moment.

Thinking a lot about gambling ?

Did I read somewhere you were going back to it after your year was up ?

I've seen it too many times before on here,diaries get past the year,disappear, only to come back with the tail between their legs.

Its only another day in recovery despite how big an achievement it is for us comp gamblers.

Just think how well you've done this past year.

Do you really want to go back to your old ways ?

thanks for advise i will take it on board good luck you have done well i will win this please keep reading my dairy thanks

Congratulations on smashing through the one-year barrier. You can now let your hair down and party.

We will all be in a perfect position to spend the rest of our days when we are finally in full gamble-free mode.

The main reason for this is the simple fact that we will be very, very good with our finances.

After all, we had to be when we were extremely short of funds due to our past gambling demons. I still continue to look for real bargains and I only spend what I really need to spend. I know 100% what goes out of my account and what it's for - I remember a time when I was not gambling and not really knowing what was going out of my account each month. It was quite shocking to see the things that I did not really need.

A massive well done on a whole year. I hope that you are going to give yourself a little treat as a reward.

NT

One year yesterday

Pellekanin and NT, thanks for remembering. Pelle, I do indeed intend to celebrate.

Time for me to take a back seat now. Obsessing over this website is taking too much time. I shall still pop in and update from time-to-time, and check my faves. Thanks so much for those who supported me throughout the 13 months I've been posting - esp Pat, Pelle and NT.

HI Milkman,

Well done for the 1 year brilliant achievement.

Best wishes for your future recovery always remember how you felt when you first came here and you will only ever have to pop back and tell us how well your doing.

All the best

Blondie x

belated contratulations, sorry i was not here on the day to post this. well done on one year mate its a fantastic achievement

Pat

Hi bud. Hope your doing ok.

I've had a rollercoaster 3 weeks; my OH and kids have been away, and I've been gambling.

First thing to say is that I'm up by a fair amount. Not a life-changing sum, but enough to pay for Christmas and a decent sum left over. Unfortunately, though, the demons surfaced on several occasions. I had three blowouts, one which I managed to remain quits on after changing £1000, and two where I lost £600 and £700. I gambled with the intention of stopping at £200 down or £200 up. I was just lucky that most of the time it didn't go wrong. When it did, I just changed more and more. Not good.

I shall be reunited with my family on tuesday, and then it will be much harder to gamble. I need to get disciplined again, and that isn't easy on the back of a win; I know what my limitations are - my occasional lottery ticket isn't a problem, nor the odd sports bet (maybe 3 a year, for 25 years). but anything casino or slot related, and I'm off. The recent binge occurred because of a boost in finances. Naturally, winning has allowed me to continue.

I've gambled today, so will restart the diary tomorrow.

Hi Milkman,

I read these threads frequently, and having had a major slip about 3 months ago... and a couple of small ones since, have not felt like posting.

I read yours earlier today and was happy to read about someone going over the year mark.... imagine my surprise when I read your last post.

But.... you have shown a courage to post again after your recent slips... courage I never had.

AND... you know where this leads. I truly hope you can see sense and get back on and stay on the road you were previously travelling on.... It's very slippery where you are standing now.

Have a great christmas.. but don't convince yourself that it would have been different if you had not gambled... it would have still been great. You have the things that are important to you; things that are not worth gambling/ risking losing.

Jon

I am back to try again, I will be trying to update regularly and hope to see you doing the same.

Roll on tuesday, will be great for you to get the family home. Get the head back to where it needs to be.

Keep positive,

Pat

Hi Milkman. Please have a read of your last 4/5 posts on your own diary. You talked yourself into this slip. Winning Post highlighted it. I'm not preaching to you....I just want you to have a read and learn from this slip. It would be good to see you post now as I suspect that you may gamble until you give back the money you have 'borrowed' from the bookies or casino. One slip in a year Is still an achievement. Learn from this now and build up those days again. Russ

Thanks Russ Pat Jon

Day 1

no gambling. Tomorrow very early I fly out to be reunited with the OH and kids and then we fly back here on Saturday. No time to post more tonight because I'm mega behind on everything. I haven't even packed and I leave at 3am! Will update diary and finances on my return. Yes, I talked myself into it. This time it's OK. I intend to keep my 'borrowed' money this time. Actually, it's all been spent now (wisely) so that money doesn't exist anymore. Including all expenditure I'm quits, +/- £300. So that's that. Here's to another year gamble free.