Time to stop!

Hi Steve,

Well done on going into the bookies and collecting you due's,i can relate to how hard it was for you to re enter "the devils lair",i agree England should still win this group,Heskey had a good game,although he couldn't score in a brothel!!!.I wish we had someone like Tim Howard in goal for us,often wonder why we don't seem to produce good keepers these days.

i'm pleased that everything is going well for you,hope you have enjoyed your golf today.

Stay strong,

Seano.

Hi Steve, thanks for post, you are really lucky to have addressed this illness at only 29.

I'm 43 and wish I could have done something about it at 29.

I dont intend to be confrontational with others and I am willing to take on board advice and have done over my 6 months on here and it has been really helpful.

Unfortunately there are some on here though who can only suggest complete abstinence. That has never been what I wanted and because I have chosen a solution which means continuing to gamble in a controlled fashion there are a few who want to see my fail. They dont believe CGs can ever bet in a controlled way and they dont want me to prove them wrong.

P.s. wish I could share you and Seano's optimism about England getting out of the Group stages !

thanks for the post yorkie appreciated as usual mate...no i didnt chuckle about greens howler...oops my nose is gettin bigger !!! scottish keepers have had it tight for years mate...personally think your media crucifying him may add to your downfall...he should be getting encouragement...shame really because i can see you going a long way in this competition(still think youll easy qualify and wi potential ties v germans,french who are prob weakest they have been for years) with them fantastic players but think your own newspapers may be the only team that beats you..too much pressure,just let them get on wi it...well done on your continued recovery mate we can do this 😉

Hi All,

Thanks for your posts.

I went for a round this morning and went round in a 'ok for me' 107. Probably didn't help that I didn't go to sleep until stupid o'clock last night but never mind.

I think i'm getting close to my longest period without a bet. If I can remember rightly it was about 4 months. I am determined in my decision to avoid the pitfalls this time around. I'm not undoing all the hard work i've put in to get to this stage and am taking a lot of inspiration from others who are coming to terms with how they are going to deal with this situation now.

Just one quick note on England. I totally agree with wp, the media constantly undermines our chances by jumping over every mistake that is made. Yes, it was a bad mistake but by crucifying Green in the press he is only going to feel the pressure 10 fold if he gets picked again. The guy's gonna be a nervous wreck.

Stay Strong

Steve

P.s If you fancy a bit of an uplift, go to youtube and listen to the poem 'If' by Rudyard Kipling. Very inspirational. I hear he makes good cakes as well lol.

Evening Steve,

Great post mate. It is always important not to get complacent. You are right not to want to throw away your hard work for the sake of a silly bet.

'If' is my favourite poem. I love this scene from "Mike Bassett England Manager" when Ricky Tomlinson recites the poem when getting a hard time from the press.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8TNtU0_0_c

The Germans are looking a bit tasty this evening.

Enjoy the rest of your night pal.

Hi Steve,

I'll hold you to that caddying gig mate! We will look like little and large though as the only time i get near 6ft is when the wife is out shopping and i try on one of her dresses and her 6inch heels.

Have you seen the Mike Bassett film? There is a great gag in it when he writes out his England squad on the back of a cigarette packet and his secretary calls up two lower league plodders called Benson and Hedges.

If you have not seen it then it is well worth a watch even if i have just spoilt the best gag for you!

Well done on your progress mate...the World cup has got me thinking about football a lot more, but not really of putting a bet on, which may be progress, I'm not sure.

I think Capello doesn't really have much of a choice but to put someone else between the sticks, as you mentioned Green will be a nervous wreck if he's in on Friday.

And as for the f*g packet gag Curly....I personally am shocked that Jimmy Marlboro and Edward "Silk" Cut have once again missed out!

All the best,

ryan

hi steve, cheers for your support.

i see you are almost at 4 months gamble free - give yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

you say that this will be your best spell off gambling - something must be different this time? whatever "it" is keep doing it !

Like winning post, i am from north of the border, and all i will say is............. i am looking forward to fridays match.

stay on the right path steve, you CAN do this,

tommi

4 months yorkie mate....thats flown by,great stuff we can do this..;-)

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the posts, they really do encourage me to keep going.

Curly, I watched Mike Bassett ages ago. About time to watch it again I think. Really funny film. Don't know about your cross dressing though mate, can't get the Little Britain "I'm a Lady" image out of my head now lol!!

Ryan, I think that England should go with David James on Friday if he's fit. It would be very noble to stick with Green but what happens if he makes another mistake? He would be ruined. Far too much pressure.

Tommi, I have took some time to think about what you said. I have done something different this time. I've refused to beat myself up about was has happened in the past in both my gambling life and my personal life. I used to over-analyse everything and get myself upset over things that I couldn't change. I have taken a much more positive approach this time round and if i'm honest there seems to be a fair few people on here who take a positive approach too. This is no coincidence that i've posted on here more in the last 4 months than ever before. The support and guidance (if your willing to accept it) is fantastic, and I think the key is learning from each others mistakes. I can honestly say if it wasn't for people like Curly, wp, Seano, Stumper, Jeff, Ryan, Ade, yourself and others I wouldn't be nearly 4 months free. And one last and very important thought in my opinion, is to keep your sense of humour, it's a lot easier to deal with things if you can look on the bright side.

Post, Thanks again for your regular support and yes I agree it has flown by and WE can do this!!

Open question now for everyone. What the most inspiring song/verse/poem etc that you've ever heard/read?? Like I said in a previous post I like 'IF' by Rudyard Kipling and 'The Impossible Dream' by Andy Williams.

Stay Strong

Steve

Hi Steve

Here is the poem I decided to name my diary after, it is called The Trees by Philip Larkin:

The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again

And we grow old? No, they die too.

Their yearly trick of looking new

Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh

In fullgrown thickness every May.

Last year is dead, they seem to say,

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

Steve,

Has it really been 4 months?? Awesome stuff mate.

I think you are spot on with your approach to your recovery. What is gone is gone. No point beating ourselves up over it. Best to look back and laugh at your past mistakes and make sure that we leave such episodes of lunacy behind.

I think that first link you sent me is broke. Probably for the best! To give you some idea of what i look like i can confirm that i once got mistaken for Justin Timberlake though that was from 100 yards away and it was very foggy that day.

I have you looking something like this and after being miles out on Jeff and wp i think i am on the money this time.....

Here is to the next four months mate!

Hi All,

Thanks for your posts. Like the poem 4D.

It's a few days to go to get to 4 months, but I like to look forward nowadays.

Curly, the pic is great, but looks nothing like me lol. I've been told by many that i'm a cross between Adam Sandler and the guy who shags the apple pie in American Pie. Nice friends i've got hey?!

Been a long day at work today and i'm looking forward to a day off to watch England play. Also need to finish the final bits off with the financial side of my divorce, so will have to make another costly visit to my solicitor on friday, but nearly over I suppose. Thinking of taking my Mam away for the week at end of July as I think she and I could do with a break away from everything. I need a golf course I reckon, and she needs somewhere with nice scenery as she likes to paint. Any ideas?

Keep going all.

Stay Strong

Steve

Quick answers to your questions Steve.

Hart on the basis that if you are good enough you are old enough.

I'd play anyone ahead of Jamie Carragher. I'm still laughing at him getting mugged by Jozy Altidore the other night.

Joe Cole over Wright Phillips every time.

I'd play Gerrard off Rooney up top but if a second striker is needed then Defoe is the man.

With any luck Fabio Capello might have a gambling addiction and therefore he will read this post and get things back on track!

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the posts on my diary and thanks for the support. I gave your diary a read, yours is somewhat longer than mine spanning 3 years or so, but i read the first 10 pages or so. Seems like you had a tough time at the start but i've taken heart in the fact that you never gave up, and you're still here fighting to this day !

That gives me hope.. I'm still so early in my days of recovery and it all of a sudden feels really daunting.Bbut if I can show half of the resolve that you've shown in keeping trying, then i'll be ok. I hope all works out with your solicitor, and you enjoy the golf at the weekend.

Speak to you soon

Demsie