Starting again, again,.

6 months is the next big target and its one I am lkooking forward to very much. Its very close to my birthday so am using that as an excuse to treat my better half to a nice meal out where I can toast how far I have come.

Am in college this weekend, another big positive from not gambling as I never would have don't this back then.

Keep strong all.

Your post on my diary is like the voice of reason after shouty angry man has had his say!

Thanks for the perspective.

It still p155es me off, though!

165 days have passed since last bet and im feeling the better for it (well except for the fact that i dosed with a cold at the moment)

Had a good weekend, no thoughts or urges of gambling at all.

I did think about how many people on here say that the urge comes for them in the form of "what harm will a tenner bet do" i think i got myself into such a state with gambling that i lost all value on money, at the end i would not go into a bookies unless i had maybe 1 or 2 hundred in my pocket plus access on my card to "chasing cash" of lots more. Looking back at that i see how removed from reality i really was (i could not afford to gamble money on that scale).

Now with my non gambling goggles on i do see the value of every euro i earn, i have a million and one places to spend my cash other than gambling and thats what i aim to do.

Good luck to all on here, keep strong.

spoke on line this morning with travis on the helpline, just done something so simple yet effective i have self excluded my self from wm hill, that simple decision has made me feel so much better this will be my fisrt day of not having a bet for the rest of my life big statement but knew this days was coming just didnt realise it would be now

spoke on line this morning with travis on the helpline, just done something so simple yet effective i have self excluded my self from wm hill, that simple decision has made me feel so much better this will be my first day of not having a bet for the rest of my life big statement but knew this days was coming just didnt realise it would be now

many thanks for the post pat the good thing is that we can control days like yesterday and come out stronger all the best Denis

Thanks, Pat.

172 days.

Another good weekend passes by. nothing else to report. have a checkin on GT's diary this wednesday and am confident i will make that then roll on 6 months.

Keep strong all.

Hi Pat

It's nice to meet you.

Many thanks for your words of encouragement - very much appreciated.

I can see from your diary that you are a dad like me with all the emotions that go with it.

I am glad to see that you are doing so well and hope that you keep it up. You heart is clearly in the right place (sadly like so many others her). I am standing by your side.

best regards

Mark

Reckon you've got a big one just around the corner.

'3'

Hope all's well. we've kind of been shuffled up a bit now, onto the next level, don't you feel? The more urgent, raw cases are coming in, just as we did 3 or 4 months ago, and their pain was our pain...now we're just marking time, waiting for the finances to improve (they're SO SLOW!). Pelle wrote a good entry on my diary today, I know you'll agree.

I think I'm right in saying you are only 2 days away from a truly awesome milestone.

Hope you'er well

Well, got to write '1' to finish it off, whether you post or not!

Well, for old times sake, let me be the first to congratulate you

Don't underplay your achievement; 6 months is a significant chunk of anybody's life, and enough of a breathing space to turn around and properly evaluate what you've done and where you want to go in the future. And we both know where we're going, I think - working to become debt-free, and enjoying our wonderful young families with every spare second of our time.

On a purely selfish level, if you hadn't sparred with me, I wouldn't be looking at 6 months for myself, and for that i can't thank you enough.

Have a drink tonight!

milkman

MM, you always deliver when needed. 🙂 i certainly appreciate all the help and support you have given me along the way.

6 months gamble free today, i must say it has produced so many improvements in my life in this time, i feel so much better about myself, more relaxed, happier, so much more involved in my family life.

I know that gambling is a thing of the past, i have accepted that i am a pi## poor gambler and because of this was never going to get ahead gambling, accepting this means that i have no urge/desire to have a bet.

The only negative at the moment is similar to many on here, the massive debt i am carrying, in 6 months this has not really reduced, flip side being it has not increased but the path to being debt free is a very very long one, i am facing 3 years of this at a minimum.

But lets finish on a positive, i cant even imagine how bad things would be if i was still betting, i had a great christmas with my family.

Another positive, its my birthday on saturday i will be 36, it will be the first year i enter in 21 years where gambling was not part of my life.

Happy days..

Congrats pat,a great achieverment,you have a good mindset and will succeed in beating this addiction,I'm chuffed for ya. I would of been 1 wk behind you if I hadn't fell of the cross,I'm back on board again now having had a blip,-a gamble free life is defo best,the stress and strains gambling put me thro last week brought it all back,I was a prat and got sucked back in,I wasn't ready for one of my barriers to come down.

The debts will go mate,as you u say they aint gettin any bigger. Here's to the next 6 months. Well done. ( By the way I've changed my name from charmed life-start of a new chapter for me)