Last Bet 05/07/2020 - 365 Day Challenge

Hello JMW,

Welcome to the GamCare forum. Thank you for starting a diary topic here. We hope you find it useful to document your recovery here on this topic thread, so that you can always look back at this diary and see your journey all in one place.

It sounds like you've taken a lot of steps to prevent yourself being able to gamble. If you'd like some ongoing support to help you put it all together and make long term changes, we have free treatment options available, including by phone and webcam. 

If you'd like to find out more, or you need any support at all with your gambling recovery, we're always available to talk on the Helpline either by calling 0808 8020 133 or by Livechat. We're here 24/7.

We look forward to following your progress,

Best wishes

Deirdre
Forum Admin

Hiya jmw 

Hope your doing good and very impressed with what you've put in place plus I know it's only the start of your journey but taking it one day at a time it will build therefore allowing us to live a life being gamble free. We can't change the losses in the past but we sure as hell can make sure we don't line the pockets off the gambling company's in the future.  Good luck on your journey 

Thanks Kev, really appreciate the response and I have to say it's very admirable that you make so much effort with pretty much everyone who posts on here. I honestly think that supporting each other is such a key role in peoples recovery as we all understand each others issues, and ways to resolve them more than anyone else ever could.

I have to say, it's day 3 and I am still in a good place, very little or no thoughts about gambling which is a good sign but I know that there will be more challenges ahead.

Hiya jmw 

There will be more challenges ahead for us all but frame off mind is 100% for me I believe in getting through one day at a time and I'm never going to say never as I've said that so many times before just to muck up again even worse than the time before so if we can get through today tomorrow's a challenge that will wait to be concord. Keep up the good work and remember how well your doing everyday 

So when I wake up tomorrow I'll be on Day 10 ofno gambling which will be my first small milestone. 

A few things that I've struggled with are the ability to enjoy sports without wanting to bet on them. I always loved sports, playing and watching but I do struggle at the moment to watch them and enjoy them without having some kind of bet on. I don't know if it's just habit, or the lack of thrill now when that goal goes in on your accumulator etc, but I would like to get back to the point where I can just enjoy sports for what they are. 

Also, I installed betblocker, which initially I thought was really good, however it started to cause me a, lot of problems with apps hanging and freezing, quite annoying really. I also managed to uninstall and remove it quite easily, which was good but also disappointing in a way, kind of defeats the object. 

However I haven't been tempted to gamble and already planning on what to spend my extra disposable income every month on and also increasing my debt payments and rebuilding my savings. 

Hi JMW

Well done on getting to Day 10 gamble free. It's great to hear that you haven't been tempted to gamble and that you are using your money on things that are beneficial for you.

Sorry to hear that you have experienced technical issues with betblocker. Just to let you know, there are several other blocking software options available. You can find more information on these here: https://www.gamcare.org.uk/self-help/blocking-software/

Wishing you all the best.

Warm wishes

Zoë

Forum Admin

Well, currently on Day 22 and feeling really positive about it all this time.

Overcome one of the biggest hurdles I think for every gambler, payday. That was Friday, and whilst I had thoughts in my head about driving 20 minutes to my nearest bookies I quickly quashed those thoughts.

I do think sometimes you just know that this time it's different, I don't want to gamble anymore and i've been over paying on my debts when I get paid to clear them of earlier.

I feel confident that I can reach my goal of a years free gambling.

Hope everybody else is having similar success on their journey too, I might even pop to the chatroom for the first time one night this week.

Day 30 now and it seems to be getting easier and easier as I go.

No thoughts of gambling pretty much at all over the weekend, which was normally my most usual time to gamble. I'm paying off my debt, but every other day I pay an extra ten pound off here, twenty pound off there as at the moment i'm spending very little and saving quite a lot - so the quicker I can completely wipe my debt the better. I cant wait to know what it's like to be completely debt free, it's been a very long time.

I also used to play a lot of golf which I loved, but been a few years now since I played it - sold my clubs due to gambling losses and debt, happened quite a few times tbh. I'd have a win, buy something expensive and then sell them 6 weeks later as I'd blew most of my wages that month - a horrible cycle to be in. However, as I hit each 50 day milestone i'm going to treat myself to something new to build my golf bag and then ultimately get a membership at the local golf club:-

Done myself a little spreadsheet table 🙂

Well done JMW on 30 days gamble free. Sounds like you have a good plan in place and are determined to beat this.

The main thing I find is not to look too far ahead and become complacent. This thing could come out and bite us anytime if we let our guard down.

I take it 1 day at a time and as someone put in another post, trying to build the great wall of China on your own is a mammoth task, but if you can add a brick each day you will get there eventually

Stay strong and keep going!