Shep's diary

Thanks you two....

No poor bookies totally agree. Advertising more than ever, all paid for by our losses. Day time shows are full of Bingo adverts trying to get a new generation of gamblers hooked and sadly they will succeed.

Oldham, agree. When you win you may have good intentions but just more betting tokens.

Tokens are a good term, not real money when betting on-line..... I never lost "real money" in the high street. Like I said before I probably would have been better off!

Thanks

Monday lunch time. I celebrate another gamble free week with a nice cup of tea.

Had a morning in the garden and garage yesterday clearing up with a trip to the tip. There's something about going to the tip and chucking rubbish away, anyway I felt good until pulling my back throwing a very light weight bin-liner into one of the skips. Anyway got home, sat down, wife made me a cuppa and that was it couldn't move without pain! I watched second half of Arsenal FA cup exit, feeling down, P****d off with my back, in pain but I tell you what, it's a d**n sight better than having a weekend of bad bets, chasing losses and all the other terrible things that us CGs experience.

Thanks for reading.....

Nothing interesting to report.

GA tonight which I look forward too.

Bit down with my back problem resulting in a lack of sleep. Nevermind at least it's not gambling!

Hi Shep,

I've decided I'm not going to be doing a dairy for the time being, shall just be updating my second thread which I started in the newbie part, now & again.

Sounds like you're doing really well still, nice one bud 🙂 Shame about the back tho - OUCH, hope you fully recover soon...

I'm trying to rekindle my original love for sport, mainly football, whilst taking the 'betting' aspect out of it, not as easy as it sounds as you probably know too well!

Up late tonight so my post isn't making much sense I should imagine - just to say I enjoy reading your diary & wishing you continued good luck in recovery!

All the best my friend. NM

Morning all,

It was my GA meeting last night. I listened to a lengthy discussion on the effects the Cheltenham meeting had on addicts new and old. Horse racing doesn't interest me but again I could relate to the discussion in the fact that the T20 World Cup starts this week. This was a sport I betted heavily on in which the markets can change every over. I've enjoyed watching football and rugby league without the need to bet and enjoyed the sport side of the excitement. My goal is to do this with the T20 cricket. What I will do is watch an England match first where I want England to win and nothing else. This will be better than watching two teams I'm not really interested in. (It would remind me of late night chasing when I would bet on football teams I knew nothing about!) Hope you understand?

Finally friends my poor old back is no better! Cannot put my socks on first thing in the morning or tie my shoe laces! Down but not out.

Thank you.

Morning All,

For those who read my diary, below is a small poem I wrote and would like to share about my GA meeting experiences.

The room slowly fills with faces new and old.
People from all different ways of life with a common story to be told.
We then declare we're all addicts, we've gambled and lost control.
We attend to cure ourselves, cleanse our body mind and souls.
Stories are shared in which we can all relate, words of support are spoken.
Every piece a building block, to repair lives that are or were once broken.

The meetings conclude before drawing to the end, no strangers in the room only a fellowship of friends.

Our recoveries will need support from the ones who understand and care.

So before we depart, again we unite with the words of the serenity prayer.

Morning,

So last night I watched the Man U v Liverpool game at home. My best friend came round, arm chair Man U fan! I know this guy bets everyday in the bookies and via his phone. If he answered the 20 GA questions where I think you only need 7-8 "YES" he would be classed as an addict. So only a month ago we would have both sat with our phones out placing in-running bets, not sharing stakes, but you get the picture. Sometimes the live match on tv would be a blur as we looked at other matches that were taking place. Last night we did nothing like that. His phone would "beep" with goal flashes, but no conversation about betting, until he did asked me "have you got anything on tonight" I replied "no, I've stopped betting." When asked why I said I just felt it was getting out of control. That's as much as I want to say to even my best friend! But if he has a problem like mine I think I should do more........... not nice.

Anyway it was a nice stepping stone for me to get through the match without at least looking at odds.

Gamblers like to be with other gamblers, when feeding their habits..............

Same applies to this forum and GA meetings, but we are not feeding our habit, we are amongst gamblers who want to overcome their addictions.

Thank you.

Good stuff bud 🙂

Thanks for posting on my other thread, wise words indeed!

Hope have a good weekend mate, I'll be catching you sometime next week...

All the best, NM

Saturday. Well the wife was on a ladies day in Leeds today, so I've had the 3 girls. Not had time for anything really but being a Dad.

This evening was reading some old posts mainly from Newbies, always worries me where people who seem in dire straights disappear too?

No urge to bet all, not looked at prices.

Tomorrow out with mates for double header Premiership games. On past days like this I would have bet at least £50 per game in pre match bets, then probably turn over another £200 in-running. Tomorrow I will just enjoy a real ale or 2,3,4......

Cheers all.

Shep, I know the place your in just now, I hated when invited out to watch the football at the pub, as this would always involve a bookies visit.

Like you, I told my mates I had stopped gambling, no drama, no explanations required, nothing to see, move along.

re sports and sports betting, I totally avoided watching sports that I enjoyed betting on during my early days of recovery, the thought of watching a game of football with no bet on didn't interest me, likewise any other sport, darts, ice hockey, golf, I avoided them all as I knew I'd be thinking of bets I could have had on.

Now, I actually enjoy the game, whether that be football, darts, golf whatever, I'm not willing a ceratin team to win, or player to score 1st, you can enjoy the game for what it is.

Enjoy your day tomorow, you've deserved it, you've been open and transparent with your partner, debt only decreases whilst gamble free.

Take care, and stay gamble free.

Thanks Andy14 much appreciated.

Sunday. Home now after a few beers in the pub. Was speaking at the bar to a couple of guys who had been let down on Saturday accumulators by Burnley and Ipswich. Nice not to be saying "same here!" One guy only needed Ipswich to score for around £400, my last be was £900 on Everton just to score in 2nd half, never happened! Of corse felt for him but for myself glad I wasn't the same of id have probably lost double that chasing tonight!

So will sit down at 9pm and watch the "Night Manager" on BBC. Then to bed on a another gamble free weekend and week.

Thanks everyone.

Monday,

Nothing to report today. Been trying to restore an iPhone for 5 hours this evening! Tried and tried kept trying then it did it! God knows......

Working in Germany for 3 days from tomorrow. Will attend GA meeting on Good Friday, the wife's happy with my determination.

Bed time. Good night.

Evening all,

Greetings from Germany, away working this week, home tomorrow. Just posted the following from my heart on another thread on this forum. Thought it would sit nice in my diary.

Question was "Why do us CGs find it so hard to tell others about our addiction?"

My reply.......

Why? Because that is all part of an addiction. A personal battle. The ups & downs of a CG, we all loved the highs, hated the lows... The lows weren't a feeling you wanted to live with all your life so we need to feed our habit hoping, praying for the next high, so we bet again & again.

In addiction of whatever kind I wonder what the statistics are on the person owning up to their problems? I'm not expressing the fact I did, many others on here have also, but I was going under, didn't care win or lose, but I didn't like the person I was becoming with my family and friends. That's why I told my wife.

I still class myself as a but as one guy said in our GA meeting he wants to declare himself "a recovering compulsive gambling" maybe I will take this stance after 90 days bet free.

Thanks.

On the train home for the Easter weekend. It's nice to know I've done a good job, 100% focused on what I had to do. Not worrying about bets, losses, wife opening my post etc.... We all know.

GA tomorrow evening, Good Friday. It will be nice to speak again about my addiction ins listen to others. Will spend a good family day tomorrow with the girls.

Happy Easter All.

You seem to be embracing recovery Shep have a great Easter weekend.

KTF