My first diary!

Morning Diary,

Day 208 - Looking forward to home time and the beginning of yet another weekend! 3 days working away next week so will make the most of this weekend and be well rested up!

Man flu doesn't seem to be taking its usual grip so clearly the drugs do work and The Verve were clearly just using the wrong ones!

Have a good day everyone!

Day 208 - Drugs are Good!

Flagg,

My partner in crime!!

Fella with each day our tangled mess that made through our addiction unwinds,With that each day our resolve to "abstain and maintain" grows.

My friend to be positive for me comes easy,after so long heading face forward down the one way track toward the cliff,climbing back up with each step the smile gets wider(thanks lucy) and the resolve gets stronger.

Keep making the choice,to simply live a better life.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Flagg,

Short and sweet... Man flu! I agree with we really do suffer more than women, it has been proven..lol

Have a wicked weekend,

JP

Hi Flagg, aka Santa 🙂

I hope u have got my car 2 deliver ready lol 🙂

Just popping in2 say that u r doing brilliant and ur posts r always full of positivity 🙂

It's good 2 read u r feeling better 🙂

Have a gr8 wknd 🙂

Morning Diary,

Day 209 - Bright and early post today. May not get chance to come online again until this evening so thought I would check in now. Busy day of football ahead have a game this morning same as any other Saturday. This afternoon a friend is celebrating her 30th Bday by having a game of football with friends and friends of friends. Should be good fun and certainly ties up my time for another day.

Sad to see NT leave the forum last night. One of his points about not returning next year to update because he wouldn't really know any of the members was interesting. There is a huge turnover of people who come and go on this forum. I think sticking around this forum for the long term is determined by whether you think you can beat the addiction or whether you succumb to the idea it has beaten you and this site becomes one of the tools you use to fight it.

I would put myself in the latter category and for that reason I will be around this site for a very long time. Not saying I will be a daily poster forever but I do feel having contact can only be a good thing no matter how far along you are in recovery. The maths are simple really e.g compulsive gambler for 5 years, post regularly for one year, and then stop. Then that leaves gambling four years in credit. Just my opinion but I hope there are others who share it and do use all the recovery aids available for a long time to come.

Much longer post than intended there. I will sign off and wish everyone a very pleasant Saturday.

Day 209 - Most definitely a Marathon not a Sprint!

Have a great footballing Saturday. I might have a footballing Saturday but always more likely to be watching than playing! Agree sad to see NT go and be strange not to see his posts about. But i suppose we all have to live our recovery our way and what we thinks best. I'm the same as you tho, I think I'll be sticking here for as long as possible, even if it gets to just a few posts now and again. Just to keep my mind on the right path. Anyway have a good weekend. See ya on check in Monday.

Flagg

"abstain and maintain"

Fella that is ultimately what we all strive for, I wholeheartedly agree with the view you have about recovery.

Keep making the choice my friend

duncs stepping forward never back.

Hi Flagg, hope you've recovered from your 'man flu,' worst ailment in the world, fact. Much worse than child birth. I've been through two episodes of child birth, one as a baby and the other as a spectator and to be honest I never felt a thing. Only lasted 42 hours as well whereas 'man flu' as you're aware can leave you feeling sluggish for up to a week, depending on if anyone is looking after you or not. So sympathies there. Hope the football went well too. I'm looking forward to signing in tomorrow. I treat it like a giant advent calendar and reward myself with a big bar of chocolate when I 'open' a new window, can we sign in everyday? Maybe twice daily? Joking of course.

On a serious note I agree with your last post, I'll keep posting, reading here because it works for me and keeps my addiction in check. I may think about stopping after 30 years or so when I've clawed back those wasted years and I'm busy running round after my great grand kids. Yet I'll worry about that then.

Take care Flagg

Keep determined

Steve, lead climber by 3 steps on the mountain of recovery.

Hi Diary,

Day 210 - Cheers for the posts fine folk much appreciated.

Good day yesterday comfortable win in the morning and then great fun in the afternoon knocking around for a 30th birthday. Feeling it a little bit today but not as much as I would have done 3 months ago before I started the crazy insanity workout program. Half dreading the workout today 1 hour circuit training. Dig deep though that's the plan.

So today is another nice round figure for me as it marks 30 weeks without a bet. 26 weeks was half a year and 30 looks nice because it shows real inroads into that second half of the year. The days did drag slightly in the run up to that 6 month mark but since passing that the speed has certainly picked up again.

3 days away coming up this week off up North with work. Key for me really is to just tie up that spare time. As Dunc's so rightly says remove one of the key ingredients time money or location having a bet is much more difficult.

Right off to punish my body once more this weekend. Have a nice Sunday all!

Day 210 - 30 Weeks

hi flagg

carl

Good Evening Diary,

Day 211 - Been a long day and barely keeping my eyes open as I type! Will keep it short, brilliant day for the Xmas thread so many check ins, have not had a full count yet but looks close to 100%!

Another long day tomorrow but they are good really as they seriously limit the chance to gamble!

Feeling happy but tired!

Day 211 - Sleepy!

Good Afternoon Diary,

Day 212 - Really pleased this afternoon to see JP check in on the Xmas thread to make it a 100% week! Even more pleased to see Charlotte still on the site and posting! Making the right choice in my opinion good for you Charlotte!

This working away lark is a lonely existence, just sat at a motorway service station nibbling on a sandwich and having a coffee! Will soon be in Newcastle for leg 2 of my journey! Quite looking forward to this time tomorrow when I will be on my way home!

It's not all bad though and Other opportunities may arise from this piece of work so I don't really mind, think I just like the odd moan!

Gambling, well that is pretty distant from my mind at the moment infact I'm currently plucking up the courage to head back to the costa coffee counter and ask for a receipt as I didn't get one just! I am accountable for my money and even more so whilst working away alone! I think the cost of a coffee is something I would be trusted for but the receipt just gives everyone that extra piece of mind!

Not had a gambling thought for a while now and gambling urges have almost totally fallen away! I have lots going on, I have lots to look forward to, and currently life is about as stable as I could hope for! There will be more testing times to come of this I am certain but currently I remain firmly positioned in that middle lane many of us speak of and it's a nice place to be!

Day 212 - Receipt Needed!

Hey Mr traveller,

You could of wrote that post for me.

Gambling is pretty distant from my mind to long may that continue.

Enjoy the coffee, push the boat out and get a biscuit i brought loads into the office today for my birthday.

21 again !! lol

Blondie x

hi Flagg a big well done on 212 days gamble free

wow i started two days after you back in april i think, and i'm back to day 6 🙁 but the main thing is i didn't cause as much damage as i could of stopped,then started on my diary again, i'm so so happy to read that you have stuck to this :)) your just amazing

Hollie xx

hi flagg

Carl