Once Upon A Time

Hey Elfie,

100 days yesterday, what an achievement, to reach that big milestone.

Best wishes and take care

Suzanne xx

Hi Elfie

Hope your body has started to recover from your mishaps. Well done on over 100 days. Simply love reading your diary as you have a wonderfully descriptive way of writing and even when you are low the interjected humour shines through.

Hope your feeling mildly better and that the merry go round has not tempted you back. It's sometimes difficult to remember who we were before gambling but I am trying to learn that does not define me as a person, I am more than that as are you. You are eloquent, intelligent and creative all of which are evident so don't lose sight of you goals.

Take care and best wishes

Cheryl xxx

Hi Diary

My dear, dear girl band members. Thankyou so much for your kind words in my absence. This elf has been very bad in not communicating as often as she would like.

What a week. A friend of mine came over to visit following a car accident in which he was injured and his horse died. While he was here he lost his job, his boyfriend (who happens to be my nephew) dumped him and his son (adopted) wrote off his car - all in the same day. Put all my problems into prospective and jolted me from my own cr** life which doesn't seem to be so cr** after all. Endless hours chatting with him brought me back down to earth so I am going to make the most of life now.

So, what has been happening in Elf-land. Apart from the above not a lot. Went to a quiz night last night, could have easily won if they had a round on Lord of the Rings, online slots or number one hits by The Abstainers. "Gonna use my arms, gonna use my legs....". Oh, that's The Pretenders.

Anyway, a nice quite week coming up so will be able to catch up on various tasks around the house.

Diary: "Elfie, you little liar, you are planning on using your spare time to draw, read, colour in the lines (what????) and generally do nothing constructive."

Elfie: "hm, well yes. But, I may have a little tidy up"

Elfie thinking to herself 'If it leave it long enough, he who shall be nameless might do it'.

Ciggie break.

That's better, even though Monsoon season seems to have hit my beautiful island, can still hang out the door for a ciggie.

Where was I? Oh yes, what to do with spare time? Firstly I will go and check out my fellow abstainers diaries (nosy elf) to see what they have been up to this week.

See you soon diary.

Elfie x

Hi Elfie,

Soo pleased to read you are still in the Abstainers group lol.

Hey you are being very constructive, you have gone over 100 days with out gambling. How constructive is that.

When other peoples problems affect us it does put our gambling problems into prospective.

We on this recovery are all doing an amazing thing , we are abstaining and therefore winning.

Bringggg onnnn the Abstainerssss

Stay strong and stay safe

Suzanne xx

Hi Diary

Thanks Suzanne for your reply. I think The Abstainers are going to have a Christmas number one this year. What about "I'm dreaming of a Gamble-free Christmas, just like the ones I used to have". We could be household names by New Year. The trouble with that song is that we are not dreaming, we know it will a gamble-free Christmas because we are stronger than we think we are.

I am not, however, complacent, just confident that I now have the strength to keep abstaining.

So, no more to report from elfland except it seems to be cold today but they may be the bucket of ice-cream I just troughed 🙁

Oh, and one more thing Diary. Why, oh why have I cast myself as a Danish woman for our work Murder Mystery Dinner. Has anyone ever heard a Danish accent? I can see my accent will range from Eastern European to South African throughout the evening. I had a choice of French or Russian which would have been easier.

Gonna Google Danish accents now and start brushing up so I do look more of a fool than I would normally. Such fun!

Speak later Diary

Elfie x

Thanks Elfie,

And you are such an inspiration to this forum too,

How's your Danish accent doing, lol.

Keep going Abstainers I say, cos we are winning.

I love the dreaming of a gamble free Christmas like the ones we used to have, gave me quite a chuckle, but it's soooo true. Let's do it because we CAN.

Suzanne xx

Hi Elfie - Great catching up with your diary, but first of all - Congratulations on passing your 100 day milestone this week - fantastic! Sorry to read of your friend's bad times, but I am sure you made him feel much better...

re. the Danish accent - think Mai Zetterling (on second thoughts you're probably too young to remember her) - perhaps wearing a Sarah Lund jumper ('The Killing') will take people's minds off what you are actually saying!! Sounds like fun though.

All the best my little Hobbit,

Baggins of The Shire

Hi Elfie

Love the idea and song choice for our Christmas number one. Hope your friend is recovering and hope you are too. Still love reading your diary as it always brings a smile to my face. Wishing you well towards your 200th days gamble free and keep doing what you are doing as it's working well.

Take care and best wishes

Cheryl xxx

Hi Elfie

Hope you are somewhere lurking and I wish you strength in your continued battle with the demon gambling.

Take care and best wishes

Cheryl xxx

Hi Elfie,

Just agreeing with Cheryl and hope you are well and staying gamble free.

Take care

Suzanne xx

Hi Elfie

still thinking about you, hope you are well and keeping gamble free

Take care and best wishes

Cheryl xxx

Hi Elfie,

A very Happy Christmas to you!

Delighted to see you posting and gamble-free. We need you here on the diaries to give support and strength. Hope your health has improved and that life is good to you. Suzy

Hi stranger, you are well down on page 8'I want to congratulate you on passing that big 200 milestone, fantastic achievement

and just a little reminder about checking in on the challenge thread.

Take care

Suzanne xx

Oh dear.

what can I say? After all that time I fell by the wayside on February 20 this year. And it has taken me all that time plus being up all night to make me come to my senses. I have to go to work in a couple of hours and have had about 6 hours sleep in the last 72. And I have stupidly gambled away all the money in my account. I feel I am back to square one and I have let not only my family and friends down (they have no idea I had started gambling again) but I have let my friends on this forum down. I have also let myself down. But dwelling on it and feeling bad will only make me want to gamble again so I have to get myself up, brush myself down and start all over again. I have had a quick look at the challenge and would like to say a huge 'well done' to each and every one of you.

so I can't really count today as day 1 so it's day 0 for me again.

Elfie x

Hi Elfie,

So sorry to read of its grip on you again, but you have broken away now and come back to the right place:)))

Yes it's back to basics again but you still have 200 plus days of recovery on your side, to make you even stronger now.

Don't look back on yesterday at this raw time, just concentrate on recovery and what you can now change my friend,

Taking one day at a time, treading gently and being kind to you,tough few days ahead girl, but you can do this,

Sending you strong and positive thoughts to keep you strong and focused as you continue with your recovery:))))

Take care of you now,

Suzanne xxx