"TALES FROM THE OTHER SIDE"

Hi Jac

Thanks for posting on my diary.

Both yourself and Jim talk a lot of sense,so its always nice to get a post from you.To be honest Jac Im still non the wiser about what has happened with people leaving this last couple of weeks.except there does seem to be a breakaway group.If that is so.Then i agree with something you have written.People can use both.I am not ready to leave Gamcare for a few more years yet.I feel safe here.Keep up the good work Jeff.

Jackie,

Great to hear from you and to see both yourself and Jim active on the boards.

It is extremely generous of you to give up your time like this, particularly after nearly 5 years in. I hope it continues to help both yourself and Jim. I'm always similarly inspired by people in GA and GAMANON that are so giving with their time and effort.

Linda, my wife, is doing great too. She still has her bad days where she worries for the future or finds the debt repayments tough, but its definitely getting easier for her.

Brian

Hi Jackie, thank you for your kind post. I can remember when you posted on my diary around 7-8 months ago. I was struggling to win the trust back from my wife. You told me to give it time and you were spot on. You have a unique position on these diaries...you can give an insight from the 'other side' which is very valuable to us gamblers (or now ex gamblers!). All the best Russ

Hi Jac.

Thank you very much for taking the time to post on my diary. I am taking my recovery very seriously at the moment and i will not be going back to my dark days as a gambler. You are right in what you say that it does not matter if friends view me as a gambler as long as myself and my wife know the truth.

Thanks again.

hi jac,

thanks for your post and encouragement, you are 100% correct - i need to stop beating myself up, and start taking care of myself - a hard thing to do after a lifetime doing it, but i'm giving it a go.

take care

tommi

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up"-Thomas Edison

Never give up, giving up. It is all a process and if you want it enough, you will get there.

Everyone can do something for a day... and each day is a new day.

thank you for sharing your story from the 'other side' jac xxxx

bump.

In my opinion, the best diary on these boards

Brian

I am bumping this because I am finding it a helpful and very inspiring diary to read as a partner of a CG.

Jac, thank you for your recent post. Life is a bit frustrating at the moment. The hospital is doing all it can to freak me out. I have now told them to take me off there list as I am transferring to the Royal Berks in Reading. Going to move there anyway so makes sense.

I am afraid I had enough of them yesterday. Yet another test. Hmmmm, I have had this one before. I phoned and no one knew what was going on. Thankfully my results from my CT scan were negative so not too worried.

Hope you guys are all well and prospering in this financial climate. My wife had just retired. I got a decent payout from my ex contractors. Had they had sorted it out in a professional fashion they wouldn`t have had a big legal bill. Anyway it is enough for me to retire now. We both are having a work break but hope for a couple of days a week each of work when we move.

Take care both of you.

Thanks jac, it,s always nice to hear from you!!

Hope you and Jim are well, your a true legend on this forum and i soo grateful to you.

all the very best. ands xx

Thanks for popping in on my diary jac (sorry its took some time to reply). Hope you and jim are well and have to echo ands and say BOTH your diaries are legendary on here. After reading the us and them attitudes of recent days THIS diary is a MUST for the front page. Brian is right this is probably THE best diary on here !

Hi Jac!

Thanks so much for your post on my diary.I really do appreciate it.

Hope your feeling fine,you and Jim.

All my best.

Viggo.

Hey Jac,

Hoping you are both well? gull991 hasn't checked in on the joint recovery thread in a few months, and don't wanna remove his name :'(

Hope you are both safe and well.

f x

Hello to anyone who recognises my name & to those new peeps that have joined since I last wrote.

I haven't been popping in as much as I used do as my life has changed so much. I am truly sorry that I have missed some of your very important 'milestones' that many of you have reached along the way. Congratulations to you, each & every one of you... You know who you are 😉 I had every faith in your successes, you have worked hard to achieve a clean 'slate'. You have done what was needed... Wether you liked it or not... And it works!

You can all beat this b*****d gambling addiction if you really want to. I know how hard it can be, I know how it can twist a person, destroying them & those they love from the inside out.

I hate everything it does & stands for but with help & support & a will to claim your life back from it... It is possible. My husband will be 7yrs clean in a few months and I do not doubt that he will get there and beyond. Gambling nearly destroyed us... It nearly caused him to take his life. He battled with it for more years than I can go into today(our stories are here in the diaries, should you want to look further, he is 'gull991') but eventually he had that 'lightbulb' moment & it all fell into place. His recovery leaped forward from that moment on...

I know I could not of taken any more of that path he used to walk. It takes everything, strips you bare, trust smashed to pieces.

Rebuild yourselves... Make yourselves whole again... Take back your lives... If you have something worth saving, the Trust will return... It takes bloody time! Lol

Hour by hour, day by day when you are TRULY doing EVERYTHING that you should/ need to be doing to arrest this addiction it WILL work. YOU CAN BREAK FREE.

Make a pledge to give not a penny more of your hard earned money to those gambling organisations. Your money has been paying for their fast cars, good hols & private education for their children... While you get unhappiness, poverty, lies & struggles in return.

YOU HAVE BEEN GIVING YOUR MONEY WILLINGLY FOR THIS LIFESTYLE ! Madness isn't it?

When I say to stop this 'madness' you need to doing everything you should to arrest your need/desire... That includes all the 'stuff' "that you would rather not do" "That isn't for you" "that I can CONTROL that particular thing/behaviour" "it's not for me/or my way of doing thing" etc etc they are ALL lies & excuses that the addiction loves you to believe...

It doesn't want you to change... It doesn't want you to face your demons head on.

The only truth of all that rubbish... Is that Yes we are all individuals, Yes we all live our lives differently... Of course, that's what makes us all unique...

BUT... To cross the road there is basically one set of rules. You look left & right... Also again while crossing you look left & right. This way you tend to stay alive.

Now you can do it "your way" and cross with your eyes closed or backwards or whatever way you deam best.. you may be lucky sometimes, just getting by... But one day for sure you will die... FACT.

Sounds extremely stupid when you read it... Why on earth would you invent 'Your own way' to cross the road when there is already a proven way of doing it safely. Well it's the same with recovery.

Within this great site lay all the answers & help you require to help you gain control of your life again. You don't have to live on the round-a-bout for ever.

Believe in yourself

Stop kidding yourself, for short term relief.

Make a stand

Ask for help

Talk to someone you trust

Admit your addiction/life has become unmanageable

Stop lying to yourself & others

Don't believe the b******t that you or others think about how 'great,clever,lucky' you are as a gambler(or as an individual person) addiction claims & fools all... From all walks of life. No one is special, gifted or immune from it.

You are not specially talented, have a winning formula or other such cr**... THERE IS NO LONG TERM GAIN IN A GAMBLING LIFE, FACT. (Apart from the fact that you wouldn't be here on this site, reading this!)

THERE IS A WAY OUT OF ALL THE MISERY THAT GAMBLING CAN BRING... You can become honest & relaxed. You can sleep peacefully & become a better person... A better person to be around. You can free yourself from all the heartache that your gambling life has given you.

Money problems can be sorted... They can! Whatever seems unmanageable CAN be managed...

Just give yourself a chance & reach out for help today... Log in to netline... Pick up that phone... Ask your partner/friend/relative someone to help.

YOU DONT HAVE TO BE ALONE WITH THIS

Start your healing right now.

All the best with your recoveries everyone, 'see' you around sometime 😉

Jackie