So I've been a member here since 2015 and I have taken a couple of years with hundreds of relapses to firstly get the right blocks in place and secondly to realise like soo many on here that I cant control my gambling. I have to give it up completely and all its surroundings. I have all possible blocks now I went years of excluding from all possible online sites to realise that the only way to sto garaunteed online is to put proper blocks in place. I now cannot get into gambling sites online which is a big relief. I also cant now go in a uk casino which is a big relief as I've joined the sense program. Ive also phoned and sent my photo for excluding from my local casinos. Another big relief if its not accessible I wont be able to gamble. Now for the past two years I've played poker in pubs not advissible but when I have that itch at small stakes I thought I could do this. Problem is the slot machines in pubs. Id go to poker play and if I lost id majority of time lose more on machines. Id be going into overdraft each time if I won it would go back in next time plus more. I have thought many times probably every two weeks that's it then when that feeling of dread stopped id repeat the cycle. Ive done this over and over and I'm drained. I can meet new friends thru other places than pubs and I know that if I stop going to pubs theres no chance I'm gambling at all. So next step starting tomo I'm going to gym and enjoying my time off work and mnot thinking about getting an extra buck quickly for not any work. If I want money I have to earn it. In 2016 I spent 4000 gambling, in 2017 ive spent 1600 and in 2018 ive spent nothing that sounds good to me. Any suggestions welcome. Adam
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Sounds like your doing all the right things mate, I'm with you for a gamble free 2018 and every year after that! I'm just trying to keep busy when I get that urge to try and find a new site to play on. I'm on day 4 now and feeling better by the day but I know this is a long process.
Stay strong! X
Hi lth thanks for the post, no gambling today thankfully, poker tonight but for the first time in not going. Went to gym today and about to sort my tax out for the year. Another outgoing but got to get it sorted. Nextt tomo I'm going to do some classes might give Pilates a go. Here's to a happy week. Thanks again for the post I'm keeping busy to keep my mind off things
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I had a fleeting urge earlier but I let it pass. Got money going in my account tonight and Thursday night so I'm going to pay all my bills out straight away. Going to be a testing time now the kids are off school for 3 weeks stressing me out!
Good idea not going to poker, stay away from temptation pal.
Hello Adam.
Good call to not go to poker. Looking for other things to do is exactly what you should do. We get so wrapped up in gambling its like we forget how much more there is to do out there. Things we can actually enjoy and won't cost us everything we have and more.
Also don't just look at it as taking your mind off gambling, its about putting your mind to other things. You might surprise yourself finding something you really love doing that you've not even considered.
All the best mate.
Thanks for the posts looking forward to tomo, lots to do
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So I've done it again, spent about twenty pounds in pub then on my way back thought id go on my own to another pub with the intention of putting twenty on fruit machine. Then twenty five down, twenty five down, then thirty down, then thirty down, card got declined then back home completely hammered
​really this is the end of me 135 down tonight. I'm just lucky I don't have access to online gambling or I could be worse off. This is it for me I cant control myself.
If you keep telling yourself you can't control you probably never could. Some positive thinking is required, Adam, and by the looks you've taken some good measures to finaly overcome your addiction. Don't give up and come back tomorrow to report day 1 gf.
Hi nice, a gamble free day today thankfully. Tomo is Christmas day and in a week its 2018. 2018 is my year the slate will be clean. In 2017 I spent a total of 1500 on gambling I'm not proud of that, it was my entertainment three nights a week. This is five weeks wages out of the year gone. In 2018 I haven't spent a penny on gambling, is the price of a few trophies worth five weeks wages definitely not.
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Well another day down, was tempted to go and play poker but I have one pound in my bank account and theres no way I'm going into my overdraft. I get paid Friday and going to transfer extra cash to dad again then get money from him when needed. Its coming to the start of 2018, and there are invitations to various poker games at the start of the year plus the usual Mon, the and Thursday weekly games ive played lots over the past two years. Money asside I have made a lot of good friends playing these games and haven't lost much but the temptation that is fruit machines will always see me losing my hard earned money time and time again. So ill stop for the first month of January (an achievable goal) then see how this affects me. I think ill have some serious urges to deal with but hopefully its for the best.i actually got paid a full months wage which is good even tho I only worked three weeks December however I think this will mean less money in January.
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Another day down and still gamble freeday five
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Another day down one week free of gambling
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Hi, so I go back to work tomo after a long rest, will be good to go back and get back into the swing of things. I'm on day nine now and it will get harder and harder untill the effects of not feeding the urges sink and I no longer feel the urge to gamble. Ive successfully nof smoked for a year now which is great. I have an app and ive saved 1400 pojndz by not smoking and that's the same amount iv ed spent on gambling this year. So now if I had smoked and not gambled in 2017 id be in the same financial position so that is good. It will get hard now as poker games start this week and business as usual with regards to urges. I am proud that ive lasted over a week and that I'm improving. I'm going to put twenty pounds in a jar on Mondays, ten on Tuesday and twenty on Thursdays and put it towards holidays. Its a garanteed way of saving money and a garanteed way of not making a loss. I'm on my last week this week oc being on performance management so hopefully on the nineth on Jan I will find out that my jobs secure. Its not going well at work currently but ic I put in the effort every day hopefully I should bs able to stay. If not then I will find a new job asap . I'm not fussy anything that pays minimum wage is enough for me to pay bills and keep a roof over my head.
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So one more day at work tomo then a weekend off. Been a terrible week at work, long days, stress from manager, been ill all week , but I'm happy with all this as I've remained gamble free. Ivd already turned down opportunities to gamble probably seven days out of the twelve each time I made excuses as to why I wasn't going but I will eventually say I just don't go anymore . I can meet my poker mates for drinks (in a pub with no fruit machine) but I will not go in a pub with one as I know after a few drinks if left on my own ill see the flashing lights and momonteryly forget about all the terrible results they bring. Happy new year people.
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So I'm ill this weekend so not going out. Still gamble free tho which is a good bonus horray.managed to say no to two more poker games
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