Hi CraigMac
Glad my post helped you. Guess that is what it is all about on here. That reading other posts and online chats can definitely help us to stop. I have found inspiration from that.
About letting go. That is hard for sure. I guess I will always carry a scar from gambling.
I am trying to tell myself I will need to learn to live with that scar. Tell myself I got scammed, blew the money on a reckless purchase. It happens.
What happened has gone now. I will not get the money and time wasted back. But what I can do is to live a better life now.
Yes. Not being too hard on ourselves is important. We got sucked in. It happens to some people, usually addicts of course. We can break the cycle. Then maintain what we do using the day by day mantras.
If I continue to gamble the same things are going to keep happening.
Invest my time into positive things. Relationships, personal interests, etc.
Imagine fulfilling our real potential. As gamblers we are going through life so distracted by our own thoughts. So if we could get rid of that imagine who we could really become.
Ultimately in the future I would want to look back at this time and think. Yes it was a terrible time, but I found a way through and now I am a much better person for that experience.
This time I am totally committed to stop. I have put all the barriers I can in place and will always need those barriers. I recognise the triggers so much more and try and find other things to do.
Yes, I find myself staring into space sometimes wondering what have I done but I then try and use positive self talk to come round. I can be a better person for what has happened.
All the best. Keep going day by day. No more gambling. Repeat, stay strong.
