Need your support.

Imran

good to see you back fella.

Bottom line is my friend it is all about you making the choice to end the destructive gambling that reeks havoc upon your life.

There is a wealth of help and support but the choice and want to end the destruction has to come from your own commitment.

I hope this time you stick around long enough to see there is another way.

To arrest the destructive gambling from your life, there is no cure, but a great re-education.

Again welcome.

Duncs stepping forward never back

I agree with Duncanmac, here. It does come down to your own commitment to it, Imran. You just have to work at getting a handle on it. Everyone's different, our gambling problems are different, the reasons we gamble are all different but nevertheless, anybody can abstain and not gamble. Treat your recovery as a work in progress. You're at step one, now. The greatest step, I think. That is, being realistic. You know you have a problem and you need to tackle it head on. Admitting your past failures, past slips has led you to this point. Best advice from me is this ... Stick with your recovery, Imran. Don't give up, giving up. You can truly do this, if you want it.

Then again, you have the opposite choice. You gamble and the endless cycle continues. At the end of it all though, you ask yourself 'why did I do that?' or 'what was the point?' and 'Do I really need another year of that?'.

Being sensible you'll go with your recovery. You'll have rubbish days like us all, but you'll have a diary and the support here.

Wish you the best, Imran.

I think I remember you from before, so hello again! Glad you're back.

-Alex

Thank you for your support Duncan & atk85 its good to hear from you again.

Today is day one and the urges are still there but overtime they will get lesser i am also trying the rubber band theory.

If i think of gambling i hit myself with it, its more like a pinch then a hit to keep reminding me why i have the rubber band on..

Hello Imran and welcome.

Some wise words there. This is a beast of a sly addictions which truly strips of all reality. Said many times before ' we cannot gamble, coz we cannot stop '.

Complacency the added enemy now, stick close to these diarys and you'll see many wise words and support in tackling this demon.

Start building them days up it does get easier.

Wishing you well

Day 2

I am getting paid soon and the urges are getting worse.

The problem is I get paid every 2 week and my mind tells me

Gamble it if I loose I get paid again in 2 week after.

I have to say my will power is also not that strong yet and soon as I see a bookie I want to go in and gamble.

its like am on auto pilot to gamble.

I have done all I can to stop my self from gambling like self excluded from shops, installed software on the pc and ect but always find a place to have a bet or I go in a shop were am self excluded gamble if I get a chance.

I have a debt were I pay most of my money but its the rest of my pay which is hard to keep in my bank account.

So has anyone been in this sitution or simliar? Then do let me know.

Imran

fella there is a triangle

Time-money-location

Take one away at all times and the punt is impossible, you simply can't have one.

You said you self exclude but it does'nt stop you.

Can you give someone your money to look after in the short term, to break the cycle you are in.

For me it comes back to the same thing

YOU have to make the choice.

You have to want to stop.

I have been there, I lived a very short cycle, time to look at the big picture.

Start with some long term goals.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Day 3

Little stressed out today because of family issues. But can't blame them as it is my fault.

Thank you duncs for your words. I can't give my money to anyone as my family do not know I gamble and I can't tell them of this as they will throw me out for sure.

I have reduced my debt by 90% and my sort term goal is to pay of the rest by the end of the month.

Once this is done I can give my money to my family.

Imran

Fella I hope the stress levels retreat fella.

Regards the debt, be aware that sometimes concentrating on paying the debt off quickly can be a way to gift the addiction a method of thinking that 'well You paid the debt, that means the money is yours to gamble with again!!' and the cycle restarts.

Regards telling your family, is there nobody you can share your addiction with??

My friend as I said and will continue to say to you.

ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THE CHANGE to stop the destructive gambling.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Day 6

Still got the urges stuck back of my head as i get paid tomorrow and that is the most weak point for me.

Soon as the money hits the account i will be in bookies or thinking a way of getting more money till its gone.

This has been the problem were i cant get out of as i have no one to give my money too for looking after.

so i just have to rely on my will power alone.

I think am getting these urges because of my debt and as am getting married next year as well it mite be due to not having enough money.

But i am going to stay strong as am the only one who can get me out of this hole that i dug for my self.

Day 6 staying strong.

Imran, please arrange to do something tomorrow so that you can't gamble. When you get paid try to visualise yourself walking out of the bookies with no money,. Then visualise yourself not going in at all. Choose now which you would prefer to happen.

Like many people on the site have told me you have to want to stop before you can. Do you want to stop?

Imran

Strange has a very good point there fella.

You are the only person who can make the choice to arrest your compulsion.

We could all find untold excuses of why we gamble, but the bottom line is it comes back to us.

If you were being honest with yourself, Do you want to stop??

If you had money to gamble this week, would you be here posting??

self pity will gift you only one thing

MORE LOSSES, emotionally as well as financially.

I hope you make the right choice.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Day 6

Another day down. Thank you for your advice strange and duncan.

I am 100per cent commited to stop gambling.

I have some money in my account today and did not gamble when I went pass a bookie. I would normally would have gambled it by now but I am thinking of the debt I have and I am gonna put this money toward that.

I can also feel bit stronger today as I did not gamble when I went pass the bookmaker.

I just have to keep this up and not let anything let me down were I mite gamble.

Day 6 and moving forward.

Imran

Fella I have two words for you, they are a way for you to take an element out of the triangle without handing over your finances.

SELF EXCLUSION

take some passport photos, no money walk into that bookies you pass and self exclude.

Me I did it in every bookies I ever went in.

It gave me a greater peace of mind, what a great choice to make, walk in and tell the manaer that You want to exclude, walk out a winner!!!!

Well done on the six days, use the resolve you have built.

Duncs stepping forward never back.

Got to be honest or there is no point doing this dairy.

I went into the bookies to self exclude myself and ended up gambling. I lost £30 out of £180 before I relized why am I wasting my money here when i can pay one of the debt off.

So self excluded my self from that bookie and went into the bank and paid off one of the debts and then self excluded from the rest of the bookmakers in the area.

But I also feel shamed that I went a week without a bet and when I got paid I was in the bookies again wasting my money.

As for your question duncan.

I have self excluded my self from all bookies were I go and I don't have anyone who I can hand my finaces to.

This is one of the problems I face every month but today I got paid one of the debts of and I am going to treat myself as the out come.for today could of been diifferent.

So day 1 again and moving forward.