Was ВЈ50k, now £14k in debt May 1st 2015 day one

One day at a time is all you need to do,....they soon add up:).keep posting:).

Seano.

You can do it this time-I know! When you realise that there is no point; that is the time when you will stop. If not now; when?

Well I have just woke up and had a good nights sleep and I did not dream of gambling. I will keep myself as busy as possible today, so as not to buckle. I have already spent all money for the month and payday is not until 25th, and I still need to pay credit cards and mobile bill. I need to find approx 500 pounds to do this and keep me going until payday. Hopefully I will find a solution. I am also keen to cancel all casino and self exclude myself from all bookies, which I have to do. Also does anyone know if your bank can stop u from spending money in certain places with your debit cards?

So it is now 12pm and I cannot get gambling out of my head. I have just drove past a bookies I would normally have stopped at and most prob spent the rest of the day there and miss work. I can see the oriental ladies on the slot now begging me to go back and play them! Also the roulette wants me, but no instead I am on my way to the bank to try and sort out my finances (unfortunatley there is a bookies next door, so that is my next test of the day to walk past that one) I have managed to get some money which should see me through to payday, so I have been lucky. If I can not gamble until payday I may be able to begin to get my life back on track. I will post again later, hopefully to say I have managed day 1 without gambling, so all please pray for me and hopefully I can beat these demons once and for all.

Sorry forgot to mention I tried to go online and self exclude myself from casino and bookies, but I have to go there to get forms ro fill in!!!!!!!! I can not believe they tempt you back in to do this, it should be an easy phone call or download a form and post it not going in!!! This is how they try and suck you back in, they are robbers, that pray on the weak

simple as that

Its offical I have managed to go 24hours without having a bet, and I have had to walk past 3 *** and 2 Bill *** today!!! I have also managed to find the money to hopefully keep me going until payday (25th Feb) all in all it has been relativly easy day, as I have filled my day with work and sortng out finances. I am now home and this is my safe place as I have no access to gambling!! so tomorrow is a new challange, I am working in Birmingham and I have to drive past 4 bookies to get to where I am going (I usually stop at all of them at some point) I plan to only take a tenner to work with me (for lunch, parking etc ) leave my wallat at home so I can not blow the money I have in the bank to keep me going untill payday. Sorry if I am boring you all, but I find typing and planning my day on here helps me focus. I wish you all the very best in trying to beat the demon of addiction.

here we go again the start of day 2 - good nights sleep again last night, no dreams of FOBT's!! I have a very busy day ahead, I have a hospital appointment, which could be either very good news or bad news - I soooo hope its the good, this will then be the next step in my addiction recovery, if its bad news I fear for what this may do to me. I am going to leave my wallet at home today and just take enough money for parking, lunch - no money no gamble, simple as that!! Well here we go, I am off now, hopefully I will get positive news today and I will make it 48 hours without gambling, I know I can do this

Good luck with the hospital, and welcome to the first day off changing your life for the better.

Take one day at a time hun and keep posting x

Thanks Elle for the support, it means a lot.

Hospital appt done, and good news!! So I have gone from feeling really low to thinking life is amazing in the space of 48 hours!!! Its amazing how the mind works, and how easily you can turn it around just by taking a step back and having a look around. In fact as I write those words it reminds of the film Ferris Beullers day off, where he quotes - life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and have a look around once in a while you could miss it. And this is what I have done for so many years, not stopped and looked at what I have created. I had turned into a selfish person, who did not think of what my gambling addiction could do to those around me( wife and kids )I have now made apromise to myself I will not go back to that horrible way of life. Infact as I write this I am in a services on the M5 sat opposite the fruit machines watching someone lose money, I just want to approach them and say stop, you will never win! I kept my promise by leaving my wallet at home today and only bringing 10 pounds to work. I have spent 6 on dinner and have 4 left for parking when get to work, so no money no gambling!!

Great news about the hospital! I can totally agree with you, as silly as it sounds but walking to work this morning I just kept breathing in the air and thinking what a wonderful day, instead of its so cold I want to be in bed, I even was humming all morning at work! As you say, a change of thinking goes a long way to a change of feeling!

Ramble all you like on this forum, we are all here to listen. Like you, I find that posting my thoughts on here most days really do help me get them out of my system. Sometimes they are positive thoughts but there are times when you do have to rant and rave!

Yes, they are greedy people but it's our choice at the end of the day whether to give them any more of our hard earned money or not. Getting those blocks in is an absolute must. I have self excluded myself from every single bookie in my town (well over 20 I think) in in a 15/20 mile radius. Even after many months of being gamble free, those blocks have proved to be very useful time and time again as those awful urges will return.

But each time that you say "NO!" to those urges, you will become stronger each time.

It will take a long time but you really have made a brilliant start. Well done and keep it up, eh? One day at a time.

GT

Thanks for the great support getting there

Day 3 has been easy again, in fact far too easy, definatley the no money on me no gamble theory worked today (I left my wallet at home) I also had great news from Hospital which ahs put a big smile on my face !!! I am now off to footy trianing, so again I will be occupied and unable to gamble. I am loving my lust for life!! Tomorrow will be a hard day though, as I am working in Swindon and I drive past two of my favourite bookies, but same as today wallet will be left at home, to take away any temptation. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, or comment. I will be doing alot more of these posts, I know as I find it a great way to talk about my problems and also I like reading them back to myself as it is a great reminder of how i used to feel all those 48 hours ago to now. Its a hard long road, but I am prepared to go along it and succeed. I still have to battle the debt, but I am hopeful I can be rid of debt one day. See you laters people, stay strong and focused and enjoy the little things in life you have re discovered

Well day 4 has just began and I feel like cr**.I knew it was too easy yesterday, and that did not feel right. I know now that this is my trigger feeling to gamble, i now understand this. So how do I beat it, I am not 100% sure, but I do know I will be phoning gamcare lots today for their help. It is like I need a positive in my life right now (The same as a win on them d**n machines in bookies) But I now understand even if I get a positive of any kind, it would not be enough to make me feel normal, so I would need anothner etc etc, I hope this makes sense. Maybe I am just an unhappy person all the time ? I definatley am different with my wife and kids when I am happy, Like when I won in the bookies, I would come home on top of the world, but this would onlylast one night. But then when I lost big, I would come home and be really nice to kids and wife for fear of losing them also. This is so confusing arrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhh I need to work out a way of being happy, I kno wit does not involve gambling thats for sure, but I need something else that keeps my mind ticking, any suggestions guys ??? I hope you all stay strong today, I will try but I will be needing all yours help today

remember Dave that the winning is not a positive as it only drives you to bet more and then you will lose, Being happy will come from having money, clearing debt and being in control of your life. Read back your first page how you felt when you lost everything and who you are already just a few days later having not gambled, they are two different people already, and I am sure you can see that the second person is the better person. Do call and get more advice, Ill be thinking of you and all at gamcare today when I take my next big step.

E