Regrets, I've had a few, but then again....

Ryan

The dreaded man flu fella,I feel for you and glad to read you are again well.

My friend don't under estimate the achievement you have made through your continued abstinence

It without doubt has gifted you in many ways

Life today I know is what I make of it,the 'normal' days are something I celebrate too

Why??

Because without the self gifted mind f**k I can enjoy them for what they are warts and all

You are doing something amazing my friend never underestimate it's power

Most of all enjoy it

Duncs stepping forward never back

Ryan

Well done on the 315 gamble free days the year mark is approaching fast and will be a great achievement , I get the work and social life stuff I can relate to that very much it's as though at times life should be so much better now that gambling doesn't play a part but at times we don't see it that way , it's easy to not see the positives and yet you know there are so many

Keep on doing what you are doing it's working

Proud of you

Castle2

I see some others struggled to get on the site on Friday too...hope the fact that it went down didn't affect anyone on here too badly. After previous experiences, I have to know that the shared support here is vital to staying gamble free.

Still in the saddle and pushing on, but not too much changing for me at the moment. Work, play, watching sport, not gambling. As you say Castle, sometimes its easy to overlook the positives, but they definitely are there and I don't want to let go of them.

The Commonwealth Games have filled a gap for me over recent weeks, but two weeks and Premier League football is back once again. Had been thinking of cancelling ** ***, but called them up and they gave me a tidy discount, so I'll still get to see a fair few games.

My thoughts are with a few friends who have had a slip recently, I know its tough to bounce back from these, and for me a slip often led to a full on slide downhill into the black hole of gambling. I hope those who are struggling can bounce back and find the right path for them again.

All the best

Ryan

Hi Ryan

Thanks for the post you are doing brill keep pushing those positives through stay strong and safe and on guard

Suzanne xx

Hi Ryan,

Thank you for your support as always. Keep slaying the dragon, stay strong, determined, positive and keep smiling. You are winning this good fight, keep up good work.

Right beside you 🙂

S x

321 days and counting. Still headed on the right track despite the temptations that the new football season bring, I'm pretty sure I mentioned this last year, and it still gets me a little bit itchy. Anyhow, I ain't giving that side of my personality the satisfaction of giving in.

Quitting gambling doesn't fix all of the other stuff outside gambling, and trying to get a handle on those is in some ways tougher than quitting gambling. If I don't look seriously at losing weight, I'm probably a hot favourite for type 2 diabetes. I'd put a tenner on that. I also don't know what I'm living for, I really need to understand what makes me happy, to be able to pursue it.

I've also avoided going to the doctors and discussing mental health and what I suspect may be bipolar/manic depression, in case they give me something that will mean I have to quit drinking.

I'm no closer to making decisions or taking action on any of those things really, but at least everything else isn't being amplified into a noisy disaster by regular bouts of gambling. That would just make everything ten times worse and more difficult to deal with. And then the gambling cycle takes me back to burying my head in the sand and zoning out while watching the reels go round.

Okay, so maybe I'm not 100% on the right track, but I'm headed roughly in the right direction.

All the best guys, hope the weekend is good for everyone.

Ryan

Ryan

Fella great to see you are still smacking those round pegs into round holes.

I hope you do find the courage to go to the doctors and address the possibilities of your mental health issues,I did it myself,I have all the traits of adult ADD,actually something I believe I have had all my life,cbt therapy has helped me fella,I know it is scary,funny it seems more scary for my gp,my candid honesty!!!

I too am afraid of medication,but have a belief in finding out how to my gain what I am up against. I don't want to use my failings as a stick to beat myself or others with,or at worst an excuse for my behaviours but I do want to have the knowledge on how to face the enemy so to speak.

Depression is something that runs through my family,it is an illness fella,you cannot ignore that,you should take some help to deal with it,f**k it is such a devastating illness,something nobody should suffer alone.

As for the weight,I can't preach there my friend,we could share that advert,f**k if I drove a car(which I don't have a licence to do!!) I would already be there,for me the love of food is something I pitch a daily battle with,in truth on many occasions it wins,I am compelled to finish whatever it is I open.

But as it has been said many times we are a working progress,to end my dear friend without the self gifted mind fookedy f**k of a punt addressing all those issues is possible,gambling will not fix any of them,for us it will just gift more misery.

Keep abstaining my friend.

A gift you can give to yourself

Enjoy it,enjoy the footy too,my youngest has his first away trip of the season today

Exeter,he is leaving shortly,a nice three and a half hours on a coach to stand on a terrace with no roof!! hope the rain stays away lol!!

oh to be 15 again!!

abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back

Hi Ryan

Thanx for your kind words. Well done on ur continued journey to better your life. Keep up good work.

Spk soon

Take care

Sandra x

This is a tough old disease to deal with at times, and when I'm down its hard to keep it in check, but still gamble free and for that I'm thankful.

Lots of freelance work going on, and the day job is also getting pretty intense, but only a month away from three weeks of annual leave, and that is looking increasingly sweet!

The first day of the Premier League has come and gone, and although temptation nibbles, I'm not giving it any consideration.

Hope everyone's having a good weekend,

Ryan

Hi Ryan

Well done on staying strong

Suzanne x

Ryan

Fella thanks for the kind words upon my thread,clearing is an option for our daughter but the truth is it would be in our opinion a foolish shortcut as it would mean a compromise in the quality of the degree course so the best option is to suck it up and resit the year,no harm done and I am sure in life it will be a huge lesson for her,as I said to her yesterday it is not how we get to where we want to,it the end result that is important.

Life throws up many situations good and bad that used to have me running to the bookies either to celebrate or drown my sorrows all to which had the same results

A self gifted mind f**k,a huge dose of self loathing and of course more financial carnage.

Yet gambling at times still looks attractive!!

Why??

Because I am a compulsive gambler

Today my rational side will win

It is with thanks to good folk like you

For that I am ever in your debt

Abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back.

I raised a smile whilst watching match of the day,seems that the other team were under estimated,lol they didn't read there script!!

Good for them.

Hi Ryan... glad to read that your working hard and looking forward to your annual leave... o and gamble free of course!

I am slowly emerging from my melt-down and intent to get back on track. Thanks for your support... S.A

Well, another day under my belt, and although 333 seems like it should have significance, it's just another day where I've beaten the bookies, sportsbooks and casinos who would be keen to help relieve me of my spare cash.

Football has got the temptations floating about again, especially with so many ads on, but I'm not budging, not today, not tomorrow, and I hope I find the strength to continue saying that.

Thanks for your posts duncan, SA, Suzanne, Sandra, and to everyone who I speak with on here, as always this is a refuge where I don't need to keep my guard up, and can completely open up.

This week has been a rather interesting one, and I have to say I'm more energized and excited than I have been for quite some time. A friend is doing a sponsored walk and needed to raise a few hundred quid, so after originally offering to fight him in the car park for 20, I'm now the opponent for a charity boxing exhibition. We're both complete novices, and after a little sparring I'm confident it won't be a mismatch, but I am so stoked for the 20th of September. With a month to train, it also coincides being a couple of days before being a year gamble free. Amazing how the time I have left over now that I don't flush my cash away can be used for something more positive, and something that I genuinely want to do.

Ah, that's enough from me tonight, as I'm not drinking for a month it must be one too many orange juices that has got me rambling. Or actually giving a s**t about something maybe. :P

All the best

Ryan

Hey Ryan,

Thanx for coming by, and look at you!! Coming to a year mark, which is first stride to the right direction. Good to see you in fine spirits, positivity really helps in this journey. Keep up good work my friend and show what you are made of in that boxing ring!! yeaaaa, the fight is on lol (at least friendly one 😉

Take care and hav a good day

Sandra x

I must admit, four days into a month long training stint for this boxing thing, and I am aching all over. Calves, shoulders, arms and back are all asking me am I stupid? Honest answer, maybe. But equally I don't think I've felt this enthusiastic and keen about anything in the past year since I quit gambling. We can all fill time with more work, and in my case occasional bouts of heavy drinking, but there has to be something else to fill life too.

Right now, I'm tired, but in a good place. Two more half hour sessions today, and then its on to a rest day tomorrow. Gambling used to fill the spaces where there wasn't anything else. Right now, I'm determined to make sure there are no spaces for it to get in.

Hope everyone's having a good bank holiday weekend.

Ryan