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Hi Monica,
That is a great step in the right direction- one down…

It must be the day for it because I rang an old credit card company which I have been paying forever and increased my direct debit to pay it off in 4.5 years instead of 9. I would still be paying credit card debt I built up in my twenties and thirties when I am almost every sixty.

Did they really say you will be paying for 50 years – how mad is that ? I imagine you trundling to work at 111 and finally holding the receipt to show its all paid .

Ten percent is a huge chunk to sort in a day ! Well done – onwards and upwards .

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HI Nel,
Well done on making the decision to stop.
Do you have any barriers in place to make gambling more difficult? For me barriers are the only thing that stop me – I’m afraid my will power isn’t so good.
I Have gambling blockers on my internet devices as online gambling was my biggest downfall.
It definitely helps .
Have you attended any of groups on here. I also find these helpful .

Hope to meet you in a group soon.

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Hi Rose,
Well done on seeking help Rosie. This is an addiction and it is really hard to stop without support. Do you gamble online or at the casino ? If it’s online can I suggest getting a gambling blocker for your phone and other internet devices. I have found this really helpful in stopping the automatic pilot gambling – you know when there is nothing between the thought and the action. If it is a casino you gamble in perhaps you could self ban.

I understand that having family who gamble makes it a lot more difficult to stop but Rose you have to believe that you deserve a good life free from all this worry.
I find it useful to keep postponing the gamble – every single evening I think will go to bingo – then I talk myself round to waiting Until the next day as the win will still be there.

Firstly Rose you have to believe that you can stop – everyone can . Read the threads on here and check out the great post gambling lives people are living .

I hope this helps and I look forward to reading more of your posts .

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Hi Jen ,
Congrats on your gamble free time.
I know that sound – the voice telling Me I can make a fortune if I just gamble £20.
I wonder why I still believe it sometimes when it has never been truthful in the past…
You are doing really well Jen and 2019 is going to be fabulous !

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Hi Jezi,
Once many years ago I played online bingo and I left some tickets playing . Next thing I knew a stupid foot spa arrived in the post. I didn’t know what to with it or how to hide it – I had won it on some bingo game . I think it went to a charity shop in the end . It is so hard to tell but I think it might be easier when we get gamble free time behind us and our finances straightened out.
You are doing really well – enjoy the weekend and see it as a celebration of your new life – free from this horrible curse.

You deserve this weekend !
Xx

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Hi Nick
That is great news – well done !is the Moses Centre a gambling support ? Keep strong Nick!

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Thank you Nick.
I haven’t posted in a while as I have had very bad flu and a bereavement and really didn’t feel up to posting. I hope that you have taken note that it’s not just you who gets ignored on your thread sometimes!
The bereavement – think it is the first time I have felt anything in so long – i thought my feelings had numbed comepletely so despite the horribleness of the emotion, on some level I was glad to just feel.

I go through life with a smile and a don’t care attitude – and it’s not put on. People don’t get to me the way they used to- it the past I worried when people discussed me – now I absolutely couldn’t care less.

– I find out today if my loan comes through- oh yeah I kinda gambled . I registered with a foreign casino and deposited but it wouldn’t allow me to play the games because I was in the wrong country. They are refunding me my deposit .
In a way my barriers held up because I could not access any sites I could actually gamble on.

Therefore I haven’t decided whether I have been gamble free or not this year – I think I will go with gamble free for as we all know success breeds success!

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HI Kathryn,
I have done the alcohol inspired posting thing myself although I usually find these are my really honest posts!
I crazily am the one in my house who always has the burden of making ends meet – and when they don’t my husband too is very quick to attribute blame. He has a great lifestyle – I gamble ! I think it’s pretty equal though.

I think Vera summed it up in one word !
MEN!
Lol
Great to see you posting !

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Hi Jesi
Your situation sounds similar to mine.
I might be way off but I believe that people who tell loved ones , no matter how difficult it is for them to do so , know deep down that their loved ones will support them in a respectful way . How do they know -? possibly because that loved one has enabled them or bailed them out in the past either with gambling or other situations. All relationships aren’t the same and all partners aren’t able to deal with this issue in a supportive helpful way!

I do not have someone like that in my life that I can confide in. I have this forum and I attend the groups . It has been immensely helful to me and despite slips and slides along the way I am in a much better situation than I was some years ago.

I think the pressure of feeling I had to tell would make me feel like I needed to gamble to win back so there was no need to tell.

Do what works for you ! For now you only need to get one gamble free day – today! You know your partner – no one else on here does!
Don’t feel you need to do anything more – besides you are telling people – you have come on here , you have sought support , you have told us , and you have got an amazing full week gamble free!.
Jezi – every time you get an urge write about it ! Keep building up those days . You are doing really great – the early days are so hard !
Keep strong xx

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Hi Monica
posh clothes always look so much better and give us such a lift to wear (well I used to find that when I could actually fit into them).
That was kind of you to send money to your sister. I hope she is doing ok.
I have the worse flu – completely bedridden so like you I am going to start looking at healthy eating – I seem to go from flu to flu to flu In recent years. I guess my awful dietary habits and lack of exercise are starting to catch up with me .

Hope you enjoyed your drink with Pete.xx

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Hi Jen .
Your dream was really interesting .
I think it is about how we view the world – everybody else seems to be doing great – having holidays , going out for nice meal, generally having a good time and knowing exactly where they are going.
WE on the other hand seem to be always clinging on trying to make it until payday and never quite knowing if we will make it .

Of course we can stop this nightmaRe by taking the actions we need to take but something seems to hold us back – ah yes our addicted brains hold us back and justify why we need to have available cash and access to gambling sites.

Jen you are doing really great – it is nice to chat with you although my chat access is somewhat unpredictable right now. Keep posting and keep strong my friend.

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Thank you for your post Nick. People care- and we always get more responses when we have made a huge mess and don’t know where to turn- because every single person on here knows what that feels like. It is a horrible feeling – knowing a family holiday or a newly decorated room has just been gambled away in a few hours. We all get how horrible that is.

Life is funny – there is so much going on in my life right now and so much I need to do and yet my life has been reduced to staying in bed fighting flu. I guess I am realising that the world will go on without me – the only place where I am really important is in my home ! The only people who would be devastated at the loss of me is my family .

That sounds so morbid but lying in bed gives us plenty of time to reflect.
I need to start looking after me and I need to start really appreciating and prioritising what really matters.

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Hi Nick,
That’s the right attitude.
Ask yourself is here anything you can change ?
is there anyway to limit losses if temptations gets the better of you again.
IS there any way to make gambling almost impossible – can you get someone else to control your money and give you an allowance?
This might seem like we are giving up control but in actual fact does that really matter when we are enjoying a great holiday or relaxing knowing we are debt free?

You can do this Nick.

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Hi Jen,
Well done on staying gamble free- your post about being half present with your son will sound familiar to so many of us on here. I guess it’s what we do today that really counts.
Keep strong xx

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Hi jen, thank you for your post – laughter is the best medicine !

I have just time for a quick post before work.

I have yet another cold/flu thing developing. I seem to spend half my life with these things nowadays whereas in the past I was so resilient -. Is it due to age? Or stress ? Whatever it is I am not happy – i hate going to work feeling like this but if I lie down under every cold I now get I might as well retire.

Life is pretty good. I am just about surviving financially . A few things will bounce – I will pay them when my money comes in next week. Not a lot I can do about that so no point in stressing over it.

That’s about it – onwards and upwards

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