My first day of recovery

Hi hava and welcome to the forum , my names Alan and like yourself I'm a Compulsive Gambler !.

I'm sorry things are not good for you at the moment , gamblings an addiction that makes us do things to ourselves and those we love, all we care about is the next bet , the next fix and boll+ck's to anything that gets in the way !. We then wake up one morning and find our life's turned to sh+t !.

The good news my friend , is that it can be turned around , there's no quick fix and you have to really want it !.

If your serious about giving up and getting your family back , you have to make some serious changes to your life and your the only one that can make that happen !.

You don't say what you bet on ? So you have to put some blocks in place to stop you gambling , its called the Time,money, location triangle , if you break it by removing one then you can't bet .

If you bet online ? , you need to install blocking software onto your laptop, phone ,ect ! , that will stop you accsessing gaming sites . If you go to bookies then you have to self exclude from as many as possible , you just need a couple of photos and a few minutes of your time .

Maybe give the gamcare team a ring or chat with them online , there full of advice on helping you stop and also help you with a one to one counciling if thats something you may feel will help you ?.

You have to take some positive steps to show your partner your serious about giving up , She's certainly not gonna trust you for a while , thats for sure !, also there's help on this site for family and friends , affected by gambling , so that may be something that your partner may be interested in ? .

Things wont change unless you change my friend , so its down to how much you want your family rather than a bet ?.

Good luck with everything for now , there's tons of support from everyone on this site , so keep posting !

All the best for now .......................................Alan

Hello hava,
Well done for posting, that is a really important step. What comes through from your post is how much you want to stop. You are in the right place here, keep posting and reading there are plenty of people in similar situations who give really good advice.
Ultimately it is down to you, Alan has given you fantastic advice above. Get those blocks in, self exclude, whatever it takes.
I almost lost my family too, what helps me now is everytime I imagine playing roulette, I imagine I am putting my little boy on red 14 instead of chips. That is what I will be gambling away, harsh image but a real possibility.
Stay safe and strong.
Paulds

Wow thanks for both of them votes of supports. That's really hit me deep. A bit of touch love from Alan and a shock to the system from pauld's. Thanks guys it's jut the beginning. I can't believe how many people feel like I do. I thought no one was as bad as me.

Hi hava, me again . I felt like you when I first came on here , you think your the only one that this gambling disease has ever affected , Its quite a shock but also a big, big relief when you realise your not alone anymore .

Talking your way through bad days on here definately helps you get through , you look at other peoples posts and you begin to realise what causes us to destroy our lives by gambling and how it affects our familys lives .

To use your post name hava go mate ! Take your time have a look around and use what you need to get you through , one day at a time and little steps my friend !

Take care and keep posting ! Best wishes ........................................Alan

Hi,

I only joined today and have written my own diary. Its a scary step but having read some bits on here I think it will be a productive one. I have not yet lost family or friends which I am very grateful for but I have certainly lost a lot of money and I am not in a very good situation financially or emotionally. This is going to be a long road but its one we must all walk down. Good luck to everyone.

Thanks for the comments of support guys. It's good to read. I am on day 3 now. I have been tested over the weekend with being in a pub with bandits and the football and grand prix being on. I have installed blocking software on my phone which I have found to be a massive help. If I didn't have that saturday would have been a different story I think with football being on. I have been carrying coins around with me as normally I don't because I have out them in a bandit just so I don't have that urge all the time. I still have them urges but I am fighting them. I find the chat room each night so helpful and I have met a few people who are wanting to change the same as myself which is great news. It's a lot easier when you have the support and help of others. I wish everyone luck in beating this horrible addiction

Hava.

Fella welcome to the forum, some great advice offered by Alan, please take it.

The opportunity to gamble will present itself constantly but for you like me if you want to be a winner abstinence is the only way to do it, ironically we win without waging a single penny.

As for luck we don't need it, f**k mine was spent long ago, today life for me is founded upon educated measured decisions.

You have embarked on a journey one which will have a profound effect on your life all the time you make the right choice for you, give recovery the same effort you gave to gambling and the rewards will astound you

Equally never forget the self brought destruction your gambling brought to your life because it will keep you focused on the path ahead.

Abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back.