You build the walls on a good day: money, venues, apps, devices. They hold on the bad one.
35 exercises you do, starting tonight.
Every chapter ends with something to do: a call, a block, a key you hand over.
One bad night doesn't take you back to zero.
If you play again, there is a plan for the next morning, written down in advance.
You've promised yourself before. It didn't hold.
"Never again." And then payday came. You blocked one door, and another one opened: a new app, a friend's account, a back room.
It's not that you're weak. A promise made on a good day doesn't survive a bad night. Walls do.
From both sides of the counter
For years, John was the customer who always came back. Then he spent years on the other side of the counter, cashing up the till at the end of every shift. He saw the totals every night. He saw where the money goes, and how the place is built to keep you.
This book is everything he learned, turned into steps you can take.
"I sign with my first name only, the way people introduce themselves in a recovery room. Because this story isn't about me. It's about you."
The night ends. Plan for it on a good day.
What's inside
Seventeen short chapters, then your tools. John tells you why. The tools show you how.
A
Seeing it clearly
The truth as a number, and a letter to your bad-day self.
B
The walls
Who holds your keys, the four layers, and the detours around them, closed one by one.
C
How the game works on you
On the floor, on your phone, and inside your own head.
D
Day by day
The moment the urge comes, payday, and the empty hours.
E
If you fall
What to do the next day. One night doesn't take you back to zero.
F
Out in the open
How to tell the people closest to you.
G
Your tools
Everything about your key person, and all 35 exercises in one place.
+
Where to find help
Helplines and self-exclusion in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
If you want to start tonight
You don't have to read it front to back first. These chapters put the first walls up tonight. Then go back to Chapter 1.
A letter to your bad-day selfTwenty minutes. The thing you read when the urge comes.
The key ruleChoose who, or what, holds your money and passwords.
The four layersMoney, venues and sites, devices, your route.
Close the detoursThe ways around your walls, closed one by one.
665 fields you can type intoFill it in on your phone or computer with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or print the pages.
A daily pageFive minutes every evening, before you sleep. It doesn't need to be well written. It needs to be true.
A truth agreementFilled in with your key person, together, on a good day.
Three wallet cardsFor the urge, for the "maybe it's better there" thought, and for the person holding your key.
A payday planFor the most dangerous days of the month.
Pages for your key personWritten for the one who holds your keys, so you don't have to explain it all.
“I'm never playing again.” You said it. Now make it happen.
John A.
From the articles
What gambling does to a life, and why it's so hard to stop. From both sides of the counter.
A 190-page PDF. You can type straight into its 665 fields with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader and save your answers, or print any page and write by hand.
Is it for betting, casinos or slot machines?
All of them. Venues, online sites, sports betting and the casino on your phone. The walls are built for every door.
Is this medical advice?
No. It's a practical guide, not a replacement for professional help. The book lists helplines and self-exclusion programmes country by country.
Who is John A.?
A pen name. John spent years as a player, then years working behind the counter of gaming venues. He signs with his first name only.
John is Greek. He wrote this book in Greek first. If a sentence sounds a little foreign, that's him: he'd rather sound like himself than like a textbook.
What if it isn't right for me?
Email [email protected] within 30 days of your purchase and you'll get a full refund. No questions asked.
Is there a paper version?
Yes. The paperback is on Amazon (196 pages, black and white, with space to write in the exercises). This site sells the PDF, which has fillable fields and colour.
