Finally going to tackle this.....

Day 55 GF. Meant to check in at 50 days but was busy. Time has gone so quick in some ways but the road ahead in terms of debts is endless. However, plans are in place and I'm looking at it almost as an additional mortgage - so huge that you have to just pay what you can and not think about it day to day. Despite the debts, I am really committed to beating this. The blocks in place are a comfort in that it would take some effort to set up a new account for a random bookie that I have not previously used - enough time to come to my senses I would hope.

This would not stop me before admittedly but I have also never tried to quit like this before. I have gambled for nigh on 20 years and didn't even join this website until nearly two months ago. For me, I just ran out of all defiance, will, conviction and hope that I could ever come out on top. My sheer stubborness was eventually broken - I truly loathe this industry and what it has done to me and so many other people who are decent apart from their shared weakness for this affliction. Great to see some of the people who committed to stopping at the same time as me keeping at it and also the success stories of those further ahead in recovery.

I'm not sure the urges will ever completely go away but my disgust in myself and the industry far outweighs any urge to gamble currently - long may that continue.

Best of luck to those starting out on their journey. Believe me, I am far from 'cured' but I am in a better place mentally than I was a few months ago and everyday GF will be financially better as well - whatever I won would always be lost eventually and then a lot more besides.

Keep it going everyone - wishing all a GF end to 2017, start to 2018 and beyond.

Very inspiring reading your story Jackson. You should feel proud of the progress you’ve made. I’ve never had access to credit/loans but I’m sure if I did I’d go crazy with them too.

I keep abstaining for around 3-4 weeks and then slipping backwards and finding a way to gamble, usually when feeling down with life. Like you I enjoy watching sports and have betted on everything under the sun. May I ask, when you watch sports these days do you still experience urges or try to predict the outcomes? I’ve spent years believing that I can beat the odds with timely bets and seeking out value. It never goes down like that in the end though and in no time things spiral out of control and get compulsive. This addiction keeps progressing until we block it out with all our might our seems. I think I get kicks out of balancing on that line of gain/loss. I always continue until I’ve lost all of the money I’ve put away. I offer these companies my time and money in exchange for emotional stress and temporary distraction. I firmly believe this habit rewires our brains. I’ve read somewhere about the reward system in our brains and how gambling exaggerates and makes it more prominent hence why we come running back every time. I’m going to make it my duty to try and learn more about the science behind our addiction. I think it will ease the guilt if I can understand what motivated my actions. I believe this is all way deeper than money for a lot of us. I have to get this monkey of my back and keep it off this time.

Hi movingforward. I think when you have gambled on sports for such a long time it is impossible to not occasionally think about the things you mention, especially in the beginning. However, I've been watching less sports than usual - probably due to not looking for a punting angle or having a reason to watch matches of no interest. I must admit that I've been trying to keep busy and have avoided Gillette Sky Sports Saturday in particular as the constant score updates would only turn the mind towards gambling. However, I've still watched the sports and games I'm truly interested in. Despite this, gambling has definitely ruined what should be an enjoyable leisure activity so I'm limiting my sports intake.

Whenever I've seen full time results I have obviously thought about what could have been if results or goals I'd likely have backed came in. These moments are fleeting but for me, unavoidable. The key has been to remind myself that I would likely have still lost by going for a greedy treble or quadruple. If not, it would be a matter of time before any winnings were lost along with a lot more. Equally, I've noticed a few results where I know I would have lost a substantial amount.
The longer we go GF then I hope, the less frequent these predictive thoughts become. I defy anybody who has gambled for so long to not have any fleeting thoughts but staying committed and having blocks in place is the main thing. I know I can't win as if I bet again I will never make much dent in debts and it will only end in more pain and debt.
I hope that we can one day watch sport for what it truly is intended for without any other baggage. Thanks for the support and good luck yourself - I agree that learning more can surely only help understand your triggers.

Thanks for your thorough reply Jackson, it’s great to read other people’s insights and experiences. Like you say even if you did win you’d inevitably give it all back and more. This is a common theme it seems, what most punters can’t seem to accept is we can’t beat the odds for sustained period of time. Probability always catches up with us and destroys our balances. We then enter chase mode and the rest is history. Gambling is essentially a trap that is advertised and glorified. We have this illusion that it can offer us something, the reality is it can’t offer us anything other than turmoil.

Stay strong man, with you all the way.

Cheers mate - hope you are keeping GF as well. You hit the nail on the head - if you keep gambling in the long term the ability to beat the odds time and time again become slimmer and slimmer. Only the most disciplined punters with clear systems in place and good research have even a chance to succeed long term. Even most of them fail long term. Once you lose discipline and chase losses with blind hope rather than reason the losses logically only add up. If only the penny finally dropped fot me before amounting so many debts. I'd heavily encourage anyone to reach their 'breaking point' or 'final straw' trigger long before financial turmoil kicks in.
However, better late than never and I hope to be debt free within 6-7 years or at least close to it. Not really thinking about the debts too much and concentrating on being GF and not having the sheer stress and emotional rollercoaster that goes with weeks of the highs of big wins and the lows of big losses. It is a dreadful habit to have a and a real hard one to kick but it is never too late for anyone. I am 59 days GF now and am definitely having far fewer thoughts about gambling and no real urges. Not even sure of the fixture lists as I knew looking far ahead would plant seeds of thoughts about games in my mind etc. It hasn't been a bad thing to take a step back and just watch what I want to - a few months ago I'd know every league position and form etc. - not that it helped long term. Couldn't tell you who is leading which european league now as it doesn't really matter!

Hi I have just began a new journey after 7 years of a DMP. Ok I have cleared that but I am now starting again accumulating new debts . My problem is even when I wasn’t gambling I was just a gambler not betting . I have to see this as a new start and address the stopping . Why I posted that is that you mentioned debt free in 7 years . Please see my problems as a good reason to address your issues and not having to finish one DMP and start straight on another one (the main reason I don’t want to make the same mistake again ) . Good luck !

Day 70 GF - Happy New Year to all. Good luck to everyone in continuing to build up the GF days and slowly but surely turning our lives round to the way we want to be living them. Hope the New Year convinces a few more to join in. Thanks for the sound advice Vulture - it makes perfect sense and best of luck to you in beating this as well.

I honestly believe there will come a time when the regulations around gambling and especially the advertising and access to it will be very different and that society will look back and fail to comprehend how it once was - much akin to how you could once advertise cigarettes on TV, sponsor sports and smoke on planes and buses etc. It seems ridiculous now! However, we all need to beat this by ourselves for the time being and I for one know that I can't really blame anyone else for my weakness to this addiction.

Onwards and upwards in 2018 - lets not give anymore of our valuable time or money to these gambling companies that prey on our compulsive behaviour. Most of us on here can never win as we can't stop so will always lose in the end eventually - it is just a question of how long.

Say cheers to a GF 2018 one day at a time. Beating this will be my main New Year's resolution for this year and every subsequent New Year - choose life!

Hello all. I'm 103 days GF so been meaning to check in - not posted much but been following various threads daily . A very small dip in the ocean made regards debts repaid and the rest of the life that I want to live without gambling. However, the GF days are clocking up. Thoughts of gambling are centred around regret of my actions and a strange mix of both loathing and apathy towards the industry. This is certainly better than thoughts of gambling and chasing losses - I really am not thinking like that at all anymore and have no urges to gamble.

I know I have to keep my guard up and blocks strong - there is no room for complacency. It's heartbreaking to read of those making good progress on the road to recovery before relapses that occur, sometimes without any obvious reason. It shows us all that we really can't take anything for granted no matter how much progress we may have made.