I have hit a major milestone of 1 month gamble free. I don’t know for definite but this I think is the longest I have ever lasted. I am thrilled and have a genuine sense of pride. It is two and a half weeks to my next pay day and up to this point I am set to save a substantial amount of my wages from this month for the first time in long time.
However, it is not all positive as the last couple of days have been the most challenging since the first couple. I think it is for a number of reasons: I wasn’t thinking about betting so stopped listening to podcasts and reading posts, my wife has not been asking me as often how I am coping so I am not talking about it as much but most of all I think I have hit that stage were my brain is telling me that I am at a stage that I could place a small wager on the football and I would be ok. Fortunately, I have been able to resist as I know from reading on here that that thought is a complete lie and my compulsive behaviour will be back in no time.
Although I am sure it wouldn’t be advised, I have coped by looking at the type of bets I would have usually placed and questioned whether the risk/reward is worth it, because I am in a better frame of mind than before the obvious answer every time is no.
I will just keep reminding myself of ‘my full story’ (as mentioned in earlier diary post) and wait for this spell to pass as I know it will. Looking forward to my next landmark which is 50 days and the meal my wife and I have booked that night to celebrate.
Good luck everyone!
That's fantastic mate well done,
I've just made it to a week and feel good about that
Well done on your gambling free time... like you say its a good achievement.
As you suggest though, keep on your guard. Sometimes I gamble when life starts to get better and I start to forget what it feels like to gamble my money away. That's why some people go to GA for years cos they need to feel the pain of others as they start to forget their own.
Hi @laird1988
Congratulations on getting to one month gamble free! That is a fantastic achievement to celebrate.
It also sounds like you are recognising what triggers your urges to gamble, and being more aware of these triggers is empowering you to resist them and find ways to manage them which is brilliant.
If there is anything more that we can do to support you please feel free to contact us - our helpline and netline operate 24/7 and there is lots of support available.
I wish you all the very best with everything.
Warmest wishes
Zoe
Forum Admin
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
