Living with the monster

HampshireH

OP Your diary has gone quiet.  How are you getting on?

ontheroad1970

I wouldn't keep any kind of diary on here.  Too many judgemental opinionated people who make their point 6 times when once would be enough.  

Blackavar

I completely admire the OP for 'outing himself' here and looking for support and keeping a diary that many people in a similar situation may benefit/learn from. The OP is looking for help, not judgement. Why not support and applaud his current situation of stopping gambling? I wish the OP all the best and hope he maintains his ambition to stop.

JReacher1

What’s your house situation? If you need to apply for a mortgage at some point questions will probably be raised about why you’ve got thousands of pounds going out to bookmakers. There is also the danger that at some point your wife may find a bank statement and see this. It’s hard to hide things like this forever. 

Congratulations on making this decision to stop gambling. There is software you can buy (gamban) which will stop you being able to access any betting site. You can also restrict now most bank accounts from gambling accounts.  Could be worth exploring that option as well. 

Good luck!

pickledonionspaceraider

Certain people need to stop with the unhelpful bashing, dressed up as 'advice'.  

OP, you can, and you WILL do this.  It is a fantastic time to do this too, just before a new year

People can and do overcome addictions of all sorts, all the time.  I admire your bravery coming on here and talking about it and I wish you all the very best.

Archergirl

pickledonionspaceraider said:

Certain people need to stop with the unhelpful bashing, dressed up as 'advice'.  

OP, you can, and you WILL do this.  It is a fantastic time to do this too, just before a new year

People can and do overcome addictions of all sorts, all the time.  I admire your bravery coming on here and talking about it and I wish you all the very best.

Yep defiantly agree with this helpful comment, I hope you do succeed but if you do have a slip then that may be the time to contact GA, if you can do it yourself well done, but if not be prepared to ask for help. It's a shame you can't block people who seem intent on an argument.

TwoUpTwoDown

Hi everyone. Firstly, thank you for all of your comments. I'm sorry I haven't written back sooner. Xmas has taken over and have spent a lot of great time with the family and trying to get some rest!
Im happy to say I haven't gambled at all, since last being on. That's not to say I haven't thought about it but I've made a point of engaging in something else until the urge passes - which it does. Every time I resist the urge, I consider myself a richer man for it - financially and mentally. 
Someone mentioned taking up a hobby so I have re-emersed myself in my writing and woodwork which has been rewarding so far. The hours I've gained back are already proving to be invaluable. 
Funnily enough, the one area that some time to clease was my YouTube as I used to watch a lot of gambling videos. It takes some time to break the algorithm by un-reccommending channels but it seems to be clearing up. 
I know it's still early days but so far so good. 
I took my family out for a drive and we got some food whilst out which cost 15 pounds. That would have been 3 spins on a slot! 3! Sure I could have won but would almost certainly have lost. Thinking of things this way helps me to reconnect with the value of things and that money isn't easy to come by whatever situation you are in. 
I've installed gambling block software on all my devices now and signed up for a new bank account where you can block gambling transactions as an extra safety measure. 
I'll continue to journal here to describe my recovery and how I hopefully continue to overcome my urges. 
Hoping that you've all had an excellent Xmas and that all are keeping safe at this time. 
Again, thank you for taking the time to comment Even the negative ones are adding to my resilience at the moment. I'll write back soon with a little more about my journey and an update on my recovery. 

kelpie35

Very well done.
Just take each minute by each minute and you will get there.
Take care, and thanks for the update.

puk999

Good to hear you're doing well mate!

Savvy_Sue

I think that it was this Sunday's episode of The Listening Project which featured a conversation between two addicts: a gambler and an alcoholic. It doesn't indicate what's in each episode, which I think is a bit limiting. Anyway, you might find that a worthwhile listen.