It's been 4 months now since I touched a £70 Jackpot machine and I feel a lot better for it. I still gamble a little yes, but it's nowhere near how bad I was. I just stick mainly to £5 machines and when my cash is gone, it's gone. No more days of taking lots out a cashpoint just to feel comfortable, there are more important things in life!
Do I have any more money though? Actually no...That's because most of my other interests have taken up the bankroll...I DJ now, I've spent a good 500 on CDJs and a mixer, and then I have to buy my CDs to burn, USB sticks, and the music of course. Other things I've done are get more takeaways, as I don't have to put any serious money aside for fruit machines anymore. So when I feel too lazy to cook, I think nothing of knocking on a housemates door and seeing if he wants to order something. And the quiz machines. I do enjoy playing these, games usually last a while and I just like learning all the 'important' facts. Sometimes I just sit down and have a session on Million Pound Drop, never lost more than a tenner going for the Jackpot.
We've got a number of Japanese students come over as well, so where I would usually go to the library on Wednesday and just do any Japanese study alone, now I normally go to the SU bar with some of them for a more group study session, have a couple drinks(non alco) and shoot some games of pool as well. So I don't have a huge sum of money more, but I know that it is mostly money well spent now.
Anyone who is giving up all forms of gambling, you'll do well and feel so much better for it! Ganbatte kudasai!
Seems like you are doing well - I'm not in a position to be able to consider £5 machines, or any other form of gambling though. Been there before, I think it was when I have up a few years ago, went on the £5 ones in Bridlington, obviously timed it badly, and got annoyed that my money barely lasted 10 minutes (£20 or so), you can imagine what happened next (cashpoint e.t.c.!).
I've been thinking about driving to a few places near here - Skegness, Heacham, Hunstanton, and Great Yarmouth - but no offence to those places, I'm struggling to think of things to do there without gambling.
There's a Mecca meet coming up - I can't really go to that as it would be ridiculous someone turning up and not playing! 
As for not having more money - it either goes one of two ways, same with people who give up smoking. You can either hoard the money, or treat yourself. I bought myself the new tablet lappy, but I also decided to break my M11x lappy for spares, so that'll easily cover the cost of the tablet.
Yeh i wil do that just so many fruties there hopefully be to busy doing other stuff plesure beach,the gig e.t.c although might catch a cheeky tram to fleetwood to the harbour lights arcade with the classics in. 
I still don't feel capable of doing that without having a full-blown relapse, and couldn't recommend someone else do it. Does feel like you've already made your mind up though
Easy to relapse. It's how you deal with it. I've been off the fruits for about 5 years. Then, the other week, waiting for a mate in a pub, put a "couple of quid" in. Lost £80 in about 15 mins. Guess you never lose the urge completely.
Not been near one since. Did a bit of OT to make back the £80. Didn't really need the cah, but it's important to me as a reminder that I slipped up.
Good luck to all - it's a twisty road but the jackpot of not playing is the best you'll ever win
Good to see someone who has given up for about 5 years - It's very early days for me - the idea of not playing for 5 years sounds unbelievable 
£80 in 15 minutes is about right these days, it's insane isn't it? Fact with me is, once I start to lose quickly (such as I've picked a totally dead machine) it drives me to put more money in out of frustration / disbelief. One of the reasons I'm determined not to touch them again!
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It's MARCH!!! That means I've survived two whole months (although admittedly February is a shorter month) without any form of gambling. No money wagered.
I do feel I've probably overestimated my progress so far. Take the pull-tabs and dad playing the clubbers for example - I do still wish I could play them. Tickets less so, because I've not seen dad hit a large win since the ones I mentioned back in early January. Ouch. I've actually been (seriously!) asking a higher power just to give him a large winner some nights, just to save him buying more. Go back to the beginning of the thread, and you'll see that he had several £250 winners on the pull-tabs in a short space of time. Bugger all since then though.
It's making me feel better for not having played them, but also feel sorry for him. I guess it helps me to see how people saw myself when I was in the grips of it. Did I mention the night when I put £450 or so into the £1 pull-tabs? It basically started off as me intending to get £20 worth, and ended up being a man Vs machine challenge, which I lost in pretty spectacular style.
As far as the club machines go though, there's that niggling feeling I have. When I stopped gambling, I was doing well on the club machine (DOND Red Mist). I don't know *what* the other punters were doing to it - actually, I do - there's several players in there who put £500 in to get £250 out, and still do on a regular basis. They brag about the fact they've 'won' £250, conveniently neglecting to mention the £500 they put in originally, and walked out leaving me a bucket-load of afters. All played it on £1 and thought I was an idiot for playing on 25p, despite the fact I was doing very well off it indeed.
So, there's still some temptation there. I'm doing well at blocking it, but am still getting the 'side effects' of doing so. Feel a little agitated at the time, but that's to be normal when part of you desperately wants to do something and you have to refuse. Not been in an arcade since (no need to), have been in pubs with £70 machines and haven't actually been tempted by them. It's mainly the Club Red Mist, based on the fact I was doing well from it, working out local player habits e.t.c... can't play it though. At least I can't lose this way!!
As said above, I'd love to play £5 machines and 'classic' machines, but I just know it would result in a full blown relapse. I've had that before when I've made attempts to give up - a little 'flutter' suddenly opens the floodgates and everything turns to crap!
Edited by Bencrest, 01 March 2013 - 11:27 AM.
. Not once did he get me any drinks back...
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