On Top of the World!!!!

Wages came into my account today. Working away from home so no self exclusion. Cricket today and rugby matches tomorrow to tempt me and I did find some bad thoughts creeping in but stayed strong and opened a difficult access savings account and paid the money straight in. Easy as that! This will be a war that will last for a long time but today I won the battle.

hi db.

enjoyed reading your posts. all of us on here think we can beat this addiction but it aint that easy. i am on my 3rd diary. i did well first off but then the second was a waste of time. i will beat it this time as you will.

i think you need to keep an eye on this site and just read the new diaries that appear daily just to remind oursleves where we were and wanting not to return there. i am on day 1. you have a head start.

keep bet free.

a.n.d

Have been finding this harder than I thought. It is a struggle to ignore sport and consequently the temptations that this brings. I thought the anger at my losses and freshness of the memory would be enough but I need to be really on my guard and any money that appears in my account I have to use or put away somewhere I cannot access asap. I think I should also reaffirm some self exclusions in case I might be able to sneak back in after elapsed time. (This is all quite humiliating!) I know these things are not solutions to changing my brain patterns but in the short term they will help and keep me focused. Not going to give up this time!

Have just put some money(wages etc) which I had acccess to out of reach. Have left just enought to get me over Christmas and into Jan. I find being home with my family(especially at Xmas!) a great antidote to gambling so I feel confident that by the time I get to the new year I will have some serious gamble free time under my belt and be ready for 2013. I love my family and I cannot let myself drift back into gambling. This is a chance I cannot waste.

Its never gona be easy diggor boy,we knew that,and your doing all the right things,come the new year a fresh start and new beginnings will make it easier with aa bit of gamble free time under our belts.

I'm 40 on jan 1st,I wana be 6 weeks gamble free come that time,I'm severly tenpted to gamble on the cricket,but I know wot it leads too if I win or lose,every year I lose and put myself through all sorts of stress and worry,were never gona win,and will eventually lose a lot more than money,I don't want this addiction dictating my life any more and if that means I can't put a few sacrificies and so be.

Stay strong,all the best rob.

I self excluded from a bookie last night that I think I am already excluded from but I found myself wandering in unchallenged a while ago so just to be sure I did it again. This was nagging at the back of my mind as a possible place to go if desperate but I can take no chances. I will now have to drive for more than half an hour to find anywhere to gamble. One day I hope to not even think about gambling but my mind is so scrambled from20 years of this insanity that it is a relief to remove at least all local temptation. No gambling today. Looking forward to the rest of December.

Goodluck mate

Thanks Rob and Scotty. I feel I may have turned a corner. Am happy, busy and looking forward to Christmas with my family. Today is the first day since I stopped that I don't feel like a gambler trying not to gamble and more like a normal person leading a normal life. It feels good.

will good for you and hope them pressures keep lightening for you. stay strong and way to go.

Having a great day. Lots going right at work and at home. My future looks so bright and I really am living the life I dreamed of 20 years ago. the only thing that keeps derailing me is this evil demon. All I have to do is not gamble! How easy does that sound? No gambling today for sure!

Gd day diggorboy,glad your avin a good day,it gives u glimpse of how life should be without all the stress and grief gambling brings.

Well done for making sure you got your blocks in place,-it is a must mate,the only way I can get a bet on is by asking a friend,I've been severly tempted today and sunday,but I've just banked the 100.00 into my missus bank account,its been burning a hole in my pocket since last friday,its a relief.

Keep strong,it just aint worth jepordising wot we've got.

Thanks Rob. Well done for getting money into bank. So many times I have had a wad of cash and on the way to the bank I got greedy and ...all gone. Anyway today is another good day. Still looking forward and feeling positive about the future. No hint of an urge and no gambling today!

Really looking forward to Christmas now. Enjoyed spending some money on presents for my family(A truly lovely feeling!) Work going well. Keeping active and no hint of a gambling thought. Have done well to limit access to money and betting opportunities. I suspect that I may now be over an initial barrier and won't have too much trouble getting to New Year but I think the bigger battles for me may come as the pain continues to be more of a distant memory next year. I do not want to ever go back to gambling again so I will be on my guard against the urges and keep my blocks in place.

Hi Diggoryboy,

thanks for the post finding gamcare and GA 7 months ago was the best thing that ever happened to me and has helped bring me thus far.

Its so great to look forward to something like christmas with no worries about money we have lost . Its a big victory for us when our priorities start to change and be in the right order for once.

Keep taking those small wins with you and moving forward to next year, whilst we dont want to live in the nightmare of gambling everyday for me its important that I dont forget the caranage it caused in my life. I always try to read a new diary every day it reminds me of where i was and where i could be if i make the wrong decision today.

BUT.. Just for today I know i wont gamble.

Take care

Blondie

Keep up good work ma man 😉 jst for today scottyboy wont gamble 🙂 take care