OK this is not really fun either but I have been going to the gym and taking walks more 1) because I need to, and have been talking about it for years 2) it is a stress reliever and when i am done I am glad I did it.

Hi Cloris, tonight I am going to watch my nephew's girlfriend play in a roller derby match. It is about an hour away in Redding, a town I only used to go to to go to WinRiver{the casino}. A little nervous but I know I'll be okay. See if your community has movies in the park or go to a farmer's market. Check out your local newspaper to see what's going on. Take a page out of Resolves book and try something new. Love to you ~atticus

I like to go to MSN games and play Bookworm or Rise of Atlantis. Don't play any gambling games on there, even if they are free. These games keep my mind occupied. Fresh. Thnking. Alive. I also like to write and watch movies. Spend time with your family if they are near and this is healthy for all concerned. Pray. Read. Dream. Praying for you. God Bless. Love ya'll

1. Gym (it's not as bad as you think it is, if you are someone who was never into fitness)
2. Video games
3. Jogging/walking
4. Washing my car (I find it therapeutic)
5. Look for a better paying job
6. Shopping
7. Meet up with friends
8. Go watch a movie at the cinemas
9. Learn about money/economy/business (heaps of good youtube videos (search for money is debt) and forums)
10. Start a blog

Hi all. haven't posted in a while.have been reading tho. my name is Paul I am a compulsive gambler. I need to stay busy, balanced.. God,work,play works for me. but, I have to remember that I have a disease. an internal condtion. on the inside. my outside circumstances won't fix that. they help.they are tools. for me. I go to meetings(GA and church).and work the 12 steps of recovery. God is my higher power and his Grace keeps me sober. I am at war with this addiction., and the only thing it wants is me DEAD! I can't do this alone or by myself. I humbly seek my higherpower. keep doing the work. that is trusting God, cleaning house and helping others. it's one day at a time. it takes courage. courage is not the absence of fear, but the presence of faith. We, can do this. God, you and me.
Keep coming back.

Cloris... I've been encouraged multiple times to try exercise.... as a distraction and as a stress - reliever. I'm going to do it, even though I don't want to.... mostly because I am so out of shape!
atticus ... I love roller derby (and poetry slams)... hello, I'd forgotten that!
yvegas.......what do you write? I'm an aspiring writer myself.
toey...... i love lists :) learning about money is a great idea!
Hi paul, you speak the truth! Thanks for sharing it.

Its great reading these posts because it reminds me of things that I should be doing, that I forget to do for myself!

In my phone I created a memo called "favourite things" - a list I made a long time ago to try and remind me, when I am feeling "bored" or down on myself, or getting an itch, to remind me of things that will actually make me feel good about myself and happy to be alive again!

It includes things like - writing, teaching, working out, walks and bike rides to new places I haven't seen before, sometimes just taking a different turn down a different street right in my own neighbourhood :) cooking a new recipe, cleaning (yes sometimes I actually enjoy it once I get myself started, and if theres music on), listening to old music, and downloading some new music to listen to... its a start for me, but thanks for the reminder to look at the list!

Life is a balancing act, and should be full of a variety of activities. Unfortunately for me, I have to have a zero tolorance toward gambling. That being said, I now excersize, cook, take pictures as a hobbie, listen to live music on weekends, and stay in touch with those that care about me.
Believe me, not being able to gamble is not a punishment, it is a relief. If in the back of your head you are always wishing you could gamble, recovery will stink. Enjoy the relief from being bullied by a selfish part of you, and fire the part of you that does not care about all the good parts of you.

i go to the local pool, sauna, steam room
i take photos of myself and edit them like artwork
i am on fb alot, i do not encourage anyone to use fb unless it's to find inspiration, learning to be positive-not for negativity
sometimes i play the price is right on fb not as often anymore
i like to read this forum and write here, i am also active on many childfree groups on fb, like to read what other childfree people think
i used to shop and eat out alot, the more i shopped the less i needed to buy, the more i ate out, the less i wanted to, i have started to make my own food at home to save money, and i have started using rollies to save on money. i don't drink coffee anywhere outside anymore either, coz at home i make my own coffee with almond milk which i prefer to cows milk. i am not vegan, but vegetarian, i still eat cheese, not so much eggs or animal milk.
i am bored everyday, it has become normal for me to be bored.
i help my old and sick housemate, walking the dog, doing odd chores around the house, he needs to stay in bed alot.
i don't drive, would like to learn to drive, but don't want the freedom of being able to go anywhere, and perhaps end up gambling.
i want to live a secluded life, i am afraid of getting into a car accident, i am afraid of meeting new people-i have become more and more asexual over the years, and i am also childfree, so the usual people who marry and have children i have nothing to say to them, i have nothing to contribute to their lives. although once i did babysit, and the child stole my money, stole my bank card. i do not wish to be asked to babysit again. i am mentally ill, i am very sensitive around people, i hate to get angry at people and can not tolerate other people getting angry at me. i have tokophobia, the fear of getting pregnant. so i do not want to find a male partner who might through time end up sleeping with me and so on. i just avoid it, not that i don't chat to guys online, and not all male relationships i regret having, just most of them... i can get too attached and lose myself in a retaionship quickly. i just want to join groups of people, if possible people who accept me the way i am, and accept that right now in my life i want to take things slow and work on my well being, without feeling guilty. on the outside it seems i have an easy life, but i always ask people-if you think doing nothing is so easy-try doing it for a year. it's hard. i am lucky i have the pension, then again at my age, my illness is not visible either, people always ask me when are you going to work, you should take responsibility and work... i am doing nothing wrong, why do they have to pressure me? but like they say, no matter what you do in life, people know how to criticize. if i get a job, they say why don't you work more, why don't you get a higher paying job, why don't you get a mortage, why don't you buy a car, why don't you drive, why don't you this why don't you that. i am not like that, so it's wierd when people want to make me feel bad all the time, it's sick. i'm tired of being a victim of society. i have done nothing wrong. i am not the politician. i am not the civil engineer. i am not the governer of the world. i am just someone who is trying to get by everyday, make myself feel better and make people around me feel better. why is that so hard?

Live,

So the fact that you have all of this free time, and are not always sure what to do with it is not a gambling problem; this means that it would probably be a good idea to get some more clarity about your overall purpose and what makes you the happiest...what literally makes you laugh out loud with joy.

You'll find as you continue in recovery that ironically the real causes of your life constraints really have not much to do with gambling; that is only a symptom.

There are a number of systems and guides for going about this the right way to truly invite yourself into a life of excellence.

For starters, grab a pen and paper and make a list of 5-10 things that you enjoy more than anything else.

They need not be related to family or money, and they can be as grand or as trivial as you like.

The key element is that you are looking for clarity on this subject.

All the best,

Sean