new beginning

Hi Toad,

Congrats on making it to day 5, thats seems like a good achievement after your up and down start.

Im worried for you still though buddy, I agree, eating your lunch at the bookies just screams that there is a big part of you not ready to give this up. The only thing stopping you right now is the lack of money, but that will change.

Don't ruin your hard work, having got to day 5. We want to see double and then triple figures from you...

Hi Toad,

Just a simple piece of advice - get out of the bookies. It cannot do you any good. Revelling at someone else's losses is not good. Need to put up bigger barriers my friend.

Best wishes

Day 6

Another day over and no bets today. I'm starting to feel a bit better mentally.

Thankyou for your comments day@atime. You are right i should not have been in the bookies. I had £6 on me so i could have had a bet. Good advice and I will stay out.

Hello Stark13, i agree i shouldn't be in the bookies. See before i was married i lived on a street with a big named bookmakers.
I used to live in the bookies. Sad i know. I need to change.

Hello Balvaid,

Can i just say i genuinely would never revel on anybody losing. I felt sorry for him as i've been there. He was just shouting at the FOBT and it was that loud i couldn't avoid noticing it. I never laugh at anyone losing. Afterall i worked 15 years and no savings from work. At one stage i'd 20k debt, 2 loans, 2k overdraft, 5 credit cards, 6 payday loans. In 4 years i borrowed 50k from payday loan companies.

Thankfully i got 10k back from payday loans through irresponsible lending and I cleared my debts.

So that is why am here. To try and change. I accept i am addicted to gambling. My wife looks after my finances.

Thanks for your constructive comments folks,

Ribit- gambling toad

PS does anyone know how to put a picture on your profile?

Thankyou,
Ribit-gambling toad

Hi Toad,

Thanks for popping over to my diary. I apologise for my comment. I had a vision in my head that was what was happening but I picked up the wrong end of the stick.

Clicking on your name should take you to your profile where you can upload a photo. I did it on my phone so took it from the phones memory.

Excellent move by the way to pass over the finances.

Best wishes

Day 7

Well I made it a week ! Feeling strong at the minute but I know you can never get complacent. Last night I dreamt i was doing tricasts on the horses. My mind is playing games with me!!!

Had my 6 month review at work and everything was fine. It's a good feeling that. Considering i have sometimes sneaked into the bookies during work hours and if caught I'm sure i would have been in trouble. Phew.

Good luck everyone in their recovery.

Ribit-gambling toad.

Well,done on one week toad,

Keep going and keep taking one day at a time 🙂

Suzanne xxx

Thankyou i wished,

Can i just add something i feel bad about. I went into the bookies after to eat sandwiches as i was hungry. I had £7 but i am so proud i illustrated the powerful mind. I abstained from betting. I purchased a coffee . Watched a couple of races.

Today was brilliant i did not gamble.

Ribit-the proud toad

Your a stronger & better man than me lunching in the bookies on a daily basis Toad

​

I dont really go into bookies, but I have a vivid image of a man sat in there with a lunchbox eating sandwiches like it is compeltely normal to do so!

Hi toad thanks for taking the time to post on my diary.

I am pleased that you are having success on your journey. I would remind you of the critical triangle as I fear you are allowing yourself the time, location and money to be available. I am pleased you are able to manage this but even at 135 days gamble free I will still always ensure that I don't have the opportunity to gamble by breaking that triangle at ALL times. I would suggest that you make sure that you remove any opportunity to allow anything to get in the way of your recovery.

Good luck!

The FOBTs were my downfall & I would have rather sit in a public toilet eating sandwiches than step foot back inside one! Don't be a mug...If you want to beat this get yourself excluded & find somewhere else to eat your lunch! I appreciate that you said you work in the City & there is probably a bookies on every corner but I'm sure I've never been to one that only has bookies & no coffee shops...I assume it wasn't the five granules & some tepid water splashed on top in the bookies that you paid for?

C'mon mate, you did fantastic not to throw your money away today but you really shouldn't be testing yourself like this!

Day 8

Thankyou for your comments odaat, sbisstopping, dayatatime and stark 13.

I read my own entry and I agree. As of today I won't go into the bookies as i was tempted to bet yesterday.

It is a mugs game it really is. I bumped into a friendly guy Paul in the bookies and we had a chat.
We talked about the lack of prize money at greyhound meetings for the trainers. What am i doing? I should be getting away from all that.

It's time to change. The toad needs to take action and take this more seriously. Also I won't mention bookies again as people in here are trying to recover.

Good luck everyone in their recovery.

Ribit- gambling toad.

Ribit, Ribit...Thanks for dropping by Toady, I'm chuffed that you can see changes are required, you won't regret them I promise! Recovery may seem impossible in these early days but it does get easier, I promise, just as long as we stay on guard & boy is it worth it!

Heavens forbid you'll need a lot of staying power to wade through my diary...Maybe save it til you can't sleep @ night 😉

This is your diary & it's great to see you being so honest, please don't change...Gamcare censor enough words, you don't need to worry about mentioning them, just be prepared for a good hard kick if you deign to pop in to any 😉

I hope you find the perfect spot for your lunch today & even if you end up sitting @ a bus stop @ least you will be collecting smiles from people passing by!

Welcome to week 2 🙂

Day 1

Yes you guessed it I messed up and ended up in the bookies yesterday. I only lost £10 but it's the principle.I got what was coming to me. Having my lunch in the bookies in the past. I should have seen it coming.

I let myself down and the good support I get on here.

Nothing more to say really. Well i went out and got drunk to 10pm last night. The wife wasn't too happy i got the hairdryer treatment last night and this morning. But fed up in general. On the bus now heading to work. Thank god for flexible working hours.

Good luck everyone in their diary.
Today I won't gamble.

Deflated toad.