One step forward...

Cheers Triangle...you're not the first to say that either.
I usually don't touch them if I'm on my own, I think that will have to be my aim from today.
One of my regular drinking buddies is a solicitor and he loves them - very intelligent chap, we usually win the price of a pint out of them if nothing else. I will endeavour to only play as a sociable activity and not alone if you reckon it could be a trigger, but I very much doubt I'll ever stop playing the general knowledge games as part of my programme, even my wife allows those.

Slipped this morning. d**n near a week and I have had the time and money to gamble if I wanted to but abstained.

Today was feeling a bit low, had a bit of a let-down from a close friend and it pushed me over the edge. Quick pint (on my own) and I was safe enough, but I ended up in the bookies next door after wrestling with myself to just go straight home.

£20 wasted and I felt sick from the second I pulled it out of my pocket.

I actually set a restriction on the machine (usually click the "no thanks" button) for £20. I suppose I could have just moved onto another machine after that but I didn't, I left.

Having a few days away, not sure where I go now. Pretty poor showing 6 days.

Kev, I am sure that others will be along to support you soon. But I just wanted to send a quick message to say I'm sorry you've had a lapse, but if you think about it, you do have things to be proud of here. You set a restriction, stuck to it and walked away. That is a big step forward. Also you've reflected on what triggered the lapse and perhaps can be aware of this in future. But there is more you can do. Why not self exclude from that bookies?

Anyway, take care, and get those barriers up again. Here's to Day 2.

Deirdre

Forum Admin.

Thanks Deirdre.

I wasn't in my hometown - one town over picking up some DIY bits. I very rarely get that way but I may need to do another round of exclusions there just to be safe.

Fed up. Small amount but they lead to big amounts. Without that restriction I put on the machine I'm sure I'd have kept going.

Kev - you've had a minor slip don't get yourself up about it. It's a journey so it's difficult to got from any everyday activity to nothing. Sometimes you need these little blips to reset you. If you hadn't done this and reset you're first blip could have been a huge one. You nibble away at the addiction gradually and you're slowly taking them chunks. Make sure you dont gamble for the next week and then for nothing in February - a very manageable goal. Then go again from March onwards. Just aim for these milestones. You'll get there pal.

Still here.

No slips since Friday, all weekend gamble free. Today I had time and money and had to catch a bus from virtually opposite a bookies - no temptation.

Two more days ticked off.

Tough one today, the bookies was tempting, I had about £20 on me.

Back to 5 days without a slip anyway but still cross with myself about last friday.

Quick update.

January I had a couple of slips and put myself back to "day one" a couple of times.
Feb was almost gamble free, with the fruit machines proving to be too tempting on a couple of visits to the pub but no significant losses - we're talking pocket change.

Today I went out with almost £500 in my pocket and went home with barely enough to catch the train to work tomorrow.

Stupid, I had a set route in mind to run all my errands but had to pass half a dozen bookies (unavoidable, they lead right up the mian drag from the train station). Not excluded from any of them as it's not a town I visit regularly - maybe once every couple of months if I have a specific place to go.

Very very silly and I'm feeling quite low today. Shrapnel in the fruit machine is one thing but feeding real, paper money into one of those things is life-ending material.

I'm going to have another run at a gamble free month, the whole of March without a bet of any description; lottery, quiz machines, raffles - nothing whatsoever.

Please wish me luck, I won't be updating every day as no-one reads these anyway but I'll try and keep a running tally!

Kev

Get back to basics kev. make time to exclude from those bookies don't leave the door ajar or in another few months you'll be back here again and I know you don't want that.

Get back to posting and reading on here it works for me. Embrace recovery accept that bit of change on the fruity keeps them embers burning.

Considering other helps counselling GA but to name two.

We have some many tools out there to use why not use them. You wouldn't see a builder using a brick to hammer a nail in he'd use all the tools to help get the job done properly

I'm Not one for wishing good luck I only remember the bad luck but I wish you all the best accept things have to change and one day at a time a gamble free March will become a reality.

KTF

How are you getting on Kev? Hopefully all positive. Remember no good will ever come out of gambling. Even more so for a compulsive gambler, so you win now but that win will just end up back in the machines. It's the same story we have gone through many a time. The loss is inevitable. Time to stop. Easier said than done I know, words are easy, actions are much harder but we should try for the sake of our future selves.We have done it before. Let's just make the number of gamble free days a little longer. All the best.