Taking back control

Hi kibble. And welcome. You can do this but you absolutely MUST put blocks in place so that you can't slip up. Self exclude Everywhere. Report your cards missing and have someone you trust remove the 3 digits on the back. You have to make it impossible.

Saying that you've done it once and you can do it again. (I've not even done it once properly yet so you're way ahead of me!) and you've not done anything too terrible financially yet which is fab but you know what will happen if you don't stop. I understand why you don't want to tell your parents (I've just done it for the second time in a week - pretty horrific) but they do want to help you. Wishing you well. It's not about luck, it's about us putting stuff in place to protect ourselves from ourselves.xxx

Thank you Being Present for your comment. THe first thing I did this morning was to do all the self exclusions and to be honest even now I am glad to have made It through day one without wanting to play slots. True it may have briefly flittered across my mind but it was just that, brief. i'm determined to not let it get me.

The reporting cards missing is a good idea, but not practical as I still have to make my payments when it comes to bills, plus I still have access to cards as I have to get money from the bank for my dad. IT may sound like an excuse and perhaps it is, I don't know. JUst at the moment it dosen't seem practical. And there is no one else who could keep the bank numbers safe because that would mean having to tell my dad and I just can't do that. He's not well and I don't want to make him worse.

Well woke feeling dizzy because of the fact I have messed up with medication. SHould have put the script in earlier than and did. YAy side effects. >.<

Also had some side effects with the gambling session that brought me here. Got an email from the bank to say I have an unplanned overdraft. KNew it would happen. SO that means some added charges at the end of the month, but it is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

Well into the second full day without gambling. I know it is early days but so far I am feeling possitive.

Also, yesterday I finally reliased that I can't keep lying about things. It won't help me get better or stay that when. IT was a post I read that made me realise that I need to tell the truth.

I told my stepmother first and as I expected she was so understanding and she said it would be up to me if I told my dad, so I bit the proverbial bullet and did just that. He was dissappointed for me, not in me, something I was worried about. BUt needless to say he was so understanding about everything and took my hand and reassured me.

Also told two of my good friends and we basically all confessed that we have all had an addiction at some point in life and that they were there for me if I need them. Makes a big difference and I know I am lucky to have such amazing people in my life.

Thankfully my meds have finally arrived, which should lessen the headaches and feeing off that withdrawl as has been one of the factors in my recent relapse in gambling. Not making an excuse, but it hasn't helped in that I have been somewhat unstable this past week.

But yeah, taking each day as I come across it.

- KIbble

I'm so happy for you that you found the strength and courage to tell your loved ones. I know you'll find them invaluable support. Having someone to talk to really helped me through. I also told my parents and two best friends.

Keep up those blocks. Gambling can creep up on you when you least expect it. There are new sites out all the time and I sometimes contact them to self exclude before I get the chance to make a bad choice and consider opening an account.

All of us GA's need to always keep out wits about us and guards up.

One day at a time is the way to go. Find the small pleasures in life.

You can do this. You ARE doing this! So well done you. Hope to see you here often. It's a good site full of good people x

Thankyou for your kind words Pinky. I have to be honest I should have known they wouold support me, but I guess seeing as my mind is my own worst enemy I couldn't help but think the worst.

I am defintely going to keep using this site, as I have mentioned above, its only a few days but I feel more confident than I did the first time when I tried stopping. I have hope, especially with how supportive and caring everyone I have so far encountered on the site is.

Kibble

3 whole days without gambling. So pleased with myself. I know its still early days but each day is a step closer to my goal of being totally gamble free.

Spent most of the day (aside from the obvious carer tasks I need to do) thinking about what wallpaper and paint to pick for when we do redecorating in a couple weeks. Never thought I would have so much fun deciding on what shade of paint to pick lol.

Least the wallpaper is decided. STuck the sample I got on the wall. WIll help when deciding on other decorating things like flooring etc. Really looking forward to getting it all done, and will be nice to have some real splashes of colour. NOt to mention it is a good distraction from he obvious. I can just keep thinking of all the things I can get with the money I dont gamble away.

Yep. DAy 3, so far so good. .^.^

Kibble I'm so pleased you told your parents and are enjoying some of the simple pleasures. Long journey ahead, and there will be difficulties. Keep posting and well done xxx

Thank you B.P. Yeah I guess sometimes we all need that reminder of what pleasure can be had in the more mundane things in life. Certainly is a good disraction heh.

DIdn't have the best of nights once I had logged out of FInal Fantasy and was winding down for bed. d**n thoughts started popping into my head on account of the fact I had looked at my bank and realised I wasn't in the red anymore.

"10 pound won't hurt. I might win." Then I remembered I had excluded myself so thinking about it was pointless. Really glad I had excluded myself. I think if I hadn't of I might have slipped.

BUt yay, 4 days gamble free. TIred, but glad I didn't give in last night.

Hi Kibble , bit late to the party but just wanted to say Hi and welcome to the forum :))

You know thats what blocks are there for , they can be got around but afford you a bit of time to think things through before acting , a year on and as much as I no longer want to gamble mine are still and will remain in place :))

Well done on your 4 days and that first week will soon be apon you , Go you !!

Best wishes Alan

Thanks and hi Alan. Never too late for helloes hehe.

Yeah, excluding myself is the best thing I could have done. WIsh i'd done it earlier to be honest, but then I wouldn't have got to where I am now. I guess everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know what the reason is at the time.

When I got up today I had a letter that was quite big and clearly had something inside. I hadn't orded anything so was like "OOo surprise gifts" Opened it up and it was a bloody foldaway shopper from a d**n bingo site. It went straight in the bin I can tell you. I mean I appreciated the thought but no. Don't want that d**n reminder, especially now I hvae excluded myself from the site. >.<

They'll throw as much as they can at you in order to make you keep thinking of them and their not going to let go off you that easy are they ? .

Good idea just binning it but if you keep getting pestered complain by email and threaten them with a report to the gambling commision , youv'e self excluded and that really should be that ? .

As time goes by you;ll realise yoour giving yourself a much better present than anything they offer .

Keep doing what works for you and one day at a time :))

Take care and talk to you soon x

Thank you Alan and H.L.

Yeah I have noticed how sneaky they are when it comes to keeping people playing, read some of the stories of how people have been thrown bonus funds at just to try and keep them or other sorts of insentives.

Had a good night last night. I will admit I thought about the gambling, but not in a sense of "I want to play" manner. Just thinking about it in general I guess and all the problems it has caused.

So 5 days in and actually feeling better. I know I will have dark days but even so, I just have to keep thinking about what I could do with the money instead so I actually would have something to show for it rather than just feeling c**P if I played the slots or something.

So far I think one of the keys to tackling my problem is to keep busy to a degree. Not give those thoughts any chance to get control.

-Kibble

Hi kibble , thanks for all your kind words and yes I feel as though I've come a long way in 12 months and that's the great thing about when you get your life back it just keeps getting better :)) When I look back to how long I was stuck on the loop of gambling I think what a waste but the trouble was it just became a way of life and pert over the daily routine . Really pleased that you've decided to do something about it at an early age because take it from me your really gonna benefit from it , you also seem to have things in place and your positivity is standing out quite early , stay that way my darling and keep enjoying each day that comes 🙂 . I'm going to take a break for a week as its been a little tough on here of late but it's all good and part of life on the forum , you look after yourself , stay positive and keep taking one day at s time and you'll be fine . Talk you soon. Best wishes Alan x