Hi Jim,
Just to say thank you for commenting on my link i posted on Micheals diary. Its nice to hear its appreciated by people when they find these useful . Also i would like to wish you all the best in your continued recovery and keep up the great work.
All the best
Steven
Hi jim. i fully understand what your saying, but i know in my own case over so many years i had days where i said enough is enough and i woild not gamble again only to be in the bookies that evening or the next day. it has taken me 20 years and hundreds of lows to finally realise i would stop. the last day i gambled was no bigger a loss than i had previously had but i knew that for the first time i actually wanted to put gambling out of my life once and for all. i cant guarentee i wont slip but i am determined not to.
i guess what im saying is the right time to stop is different for us all. if people reach out here for help i know you are always there to offer encouragement and support. they may not be ready to stop and disapear from the site but that's there decision. You did you part in giving freely of your advise.
Don't let the fact that so many people post once or twice and are never heard from again put you off in what is the most important thing on this site to you, your recovery.
Keep strong mate.
Just read a v interesting article in the Mail on S about gambling, including a bit about FOBTs (which I've never played), which says that Ladbr***** alone took £10.5 BILLION last year in them. Presumably this is turnover and not just profit. Or did they mean millions? It also said that the law just allows 4 machines per shop, so Lads just open more shops to make more money.
Can someone just clarify this for me, since I've never played them ,but is every spin on an FOBT random? Is it only roulette?
Days 113, 114
No gambling.
No baby. One week late now.
Hi Lucky Jim the turnover was 10 .5 billion out of a total turnover in the shops of about 13billion . The profit they say is 350 million which is about 40 per cent of the overall profit the shops make . The beauty of the machines is that they cant loose and im not sure if the profit includes wins that are merely gambled again and so never cashed . As regards the random side of it in roulette i didnt really play anything else ,the winning number is sent to the screen prior to the game commencing and the image you see is that of a pre set spin to that generated number which is why in the early days people standing beside the machine could tell you where the ball would land as soon as it appeared before they upgraded the software . It is a clever system and is getting better all the time as they have some extremely clever people working on the them . The payout is supposedly 97 per cent but ive read that this netts down if you continue to play due to mathmatical probability not my strong point and im sure someone could explain it better . The bookies want to open more shops because of these machines and if one chain takes 10 .5 billion than this is being mirrored elsewhere,if you go past a bookie in the evening theres rarely anyone in there but as a manager once said to me they only need one person playing a machine to justify the overhead of keeping a shop open. Im sure people could tell you alot more all i wish is that i thought more about this prior te feeding tens of thousands of pounds into these machines .
Best of luck Denis
Day 116
No gambling, although the thought of it has reared its ugly head...I've had to use more of my overdraft because there's been a sudden rush of things to pay - the hot water broke down, a car thing, things for the new born etc etc... and today it crossed my mind that, since my overdraft is still quite small, it was 'gambleable', that is, possible to gamble away. Won't do it because I'm scared I'll lose, but in the bad old days I would do , sometimes with some success. I was a binge gambler, and when I wasn't on a binge I was able to use gambling occasionally to help the finances. The problem was, of course, that if I won, say, twice in a row (not unlikely), I started to return more often and bet higher stakes, and the binge would begin. That scares me now, but I'm fed up of being skint all the time.
Debt 1 - £6,225
Debt 2 - paid off
Debt 3 - £1.3k
Debt 4 - £3k, Cc
Overdraft: £750
Opening debt: £13,000
Current debt: £11,375
Last gamble: 31st Oct 2011
Baby overdue: 9 days
I was about to congratulate you on the birth of your baby when I read the last line of your post! I hope the baby appears soon. Is your wife going to be induced? I hope it all goes well. I am looking forward to the birth of my baby with nervous excitement. I just want a healthy baby and a healthy wife, but until then I am going to keep on worrying.
day 117
no gambling. Baby 10 days overdue. Wife might be induced, if so next Tuesday, but she is against unless it is absolutely necessary, so we'll see.
Spent another £100 in Tesco today, that's £400 in 2 weeks. Frightening.
here goes
Good luck bud hope everything goes great. Keep us posted.
All the very best to you and your wife.
A momentous occasion in your lives.
Hope it all goes well.
GT
Good Luck LJ and Mrs LJ hope it all goes smoothly and congratulations for when its all over.
Best Wishes
E xx
Difficult and prolonged theatre birth (after ambulance dash) has yielded son number two. He was born Saturday, 1.20pm and weighed 9lbs / 4.05kg. Mother and baby exhausted, shaken but healthy. They are being kept in hospital for a day or two. Father is relieved, also exhausted, and looking after an unawares son number one tonight (and having a beer or two when he's in bed).
Also, managed not to gamble today.
o*g 9lbs your poor wife no wonder shes exhausted.
CONGRATULATIONS to you and Mrs LJ as you already know get some sleep before chaos resumes at home.
Best wishes and i raise a virtual drink to you and your family welcome to the world Master LJ.
Take Care
Exx
Congratulations to you and your oh on this fantastic news am delighted for yor both 9lbs jesus. all that shopping and eating over the last 9 days made a fair difference:-)
enjoy your few beers well deserved
and in the middle of it all no gambling what a great day
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