GamCare

2014 Challenge

 
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Overcoming Gambling Harms
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mrt1969
 mrt1969
(@mrt1969)
Posts: 243
 

Thank you for the warm welcome and excellent words of advice.

Accepting the fact that the money is never coming back seems to be the most important part of this process. It is still the hardest part to accept though. The actual act of gambling, for me, became dull and emotionless, it was all about trying to replicate something that was highly unlikely to happen again. I have now accepted this, so feel I am now stronger and better prepared to move on.

Thank you again for the wise words.

M

 
Posted : 31st October 2014 9:51 am
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Checking in day 82. Congrats to Duncs on a year - great achievement!

 
Posted : 31st October 2014 11:57 am
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

DUNCS - Happy Anniversary 🙂 You have not only gifted yourself recovery but you have generously shared your journey & your insights with others and helped them in their own recovery 🙂 Enjoy your day with your lovely family and today and every day keep stepping forward and never back 🙂 Love Mama B xx

 
Posted : 31st October 2014 2:56 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Hi guys checking in for the week.

Haven't read any the comments this week but will get them read over the weekend. Mr B to answer your question i am travelling over to Scotland for the game and thanks to the wonderful FAI I will be sitting in amount the Scottish fans in the hone end

 
Posted : 31st October 2014 3:51 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Good afternoon all,

Checking in today on a fellow members full year of a gamble free life. Huge congratulations to duncanmac who is an aspiration to us all on this forum. His pure grit, determination and effort to help not only himself and his family, but to many people on here to have a gamble free life is outstanding. Well done my friend and I hope it may long continue.

Have a great weekend everyone and try to remain strong.

Mike

 
Posted : 31st October 2014 4:09 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Hi everyone, checking in on day .....hmmm, forgot, just a mo whilst I check the last number! That is not as easy as it was on the old web site and struggling a bit here as a bit of a techno luddite, but if I remember correctly, and sorry Mr b if this is way off, its 147 days for me [or is it 140 / 154 🙂 ] ...anyways, still gamble free since June 4th , still by personal choice of abstaining, one day at a time and marching forwards to a gamble free future.

Can't wait for Mr B's update tomorrow, if he can and if we can find it! Took me 4 goes to log in as doesn't recognise my e-mail address at sign in anymore - a shame as it auto logged in and took me ages to remember my name and password. Not sure I like this new model - why change of it works and ain't broke Gam Care?? We don't need 'pretty' just easy functionality and easy navigation!! Ooops, sorry all, wibble over, sure it looks modern but not my preferences!

Welcome new soldiers, stay strong, read others posts, put barriers in place and always remember the only 'cure' is to abstain!

Many congrats Dunc on reaching the 1 year mark. A great achievment and inspirational to all. You must feel great and proud, as you should be.

Also well done to Glads Dad for getting through [ or continuing to plough through] a tough period. Stay resolute and be aware of the demons, but again, a reminder to us all that a relapse is only a day away for us all despite our resolve!

Have a great week-end everyone, we have a halloween / samhain party this evening and just taking a break from getting the house in order [still in the middle of building remodeling and so house looks semi-derelict in many places - ideal!!

Kind regards, Cliff

 
Posted : 1st November 2014 11:26 am
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Hi all - Day 239 check in (nearly didnt make it as the new forum asking for user name confused me:). But worked it out in the end:)

 
Posted : 1st November 2014 3:19 pm
mrt1969
 mrt1969
(@mrt1969)
Posts: 243
 

Afternoon!.

First check in from me on day 31.

Have a great weekend all.

M

 
Posted : 1st November 2014 4:28 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
Topic starter
 

Evening everyone,

Firstly with regards to the new look forum, I can't update the front page - it's not possible to edit a post made on the old system at present. The GamCare admin are looking into this for me and hopefully they'll find a solution.

Also on the new site, I'm aware that a number of people have struggled, while others are still struggling, with logging in and subsequently checking in. For those trying to log in, it's your username you use now rather than your email address as your primary entry, followed by your old password. If you continue to struggle then please feel free to email me on [email protected]

im not sure whether we've had a bad week or if the change in the website has simply driven problems for people. I was tempted to postpone this weeks update and leave it until next week, but I will provide a summary tomorrow and leave a few things to carry over to next Sunday.

We will welcome back members and also a new one..........plus there's a big milestone to celebrate, with another coming hot on its heels. Update will be on around lunchtime.

Until tomorrow............or later today rather!

Mr Brightside

 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 1:17 am
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Checking in on day 227.
Have a great day all.
Steve

 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 7:09 am
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
Topic starter
 
Good morning everyone,
That’s us into the penultimate month of the year! There’s 9 more updates after today, 9 more check ins and 63 more days to navigate through to take our individual and collective selves to 2015 – 59 more days left in 2014.
It’s been a strange week – lots of ambiguity, which for CG’s isn’t exactly an ingredient that we handle particularly well. We live in a world of all or nothing, where nothing has to reign for us to march strongly in recovery. With the forum changing in shape, view, navigation and practicality, it’s certainly brought a level of uncertainty around how the week has actually been in relation to check ins. As such, I’m going to update on a high level count of days and members, but I’m not going to consider anyone “missing” until we’ve gained a certainty around who is truly missing and who is simply having problems getting onto the site.
Also in the update this week I’ll cover off the milestones of those who have managed to check in, highlight the celebrations pending this coming week and give a total collective count for the Challenge so far in 2014. I’m going to leave the monthly update until next Sunday.
Headlines for this Week.........
There’s 8 of our 30 soldiers who haven’t made it back to base camp this week – a high number, but I’m certain that a number of them are not gambling, so my hope is that they have had log on issues with the site. We have seen a returning soldier plus added a new team member to the group – I’ll do the welcomes formally later in the update. All 24 of us need to follow check in rules heading into the next 7 days and treat it like a normal week. Hopefully we’ll be 30+ strong by the time next Sunday comes around.
New and Returning Members
It’s great to see Richy244 returning to base camp this week and even better to know that in 8 days time he’ll be the third member of the team to celebrate a full year of being gamble free. A big expectation on you Richy to stay strong in the coming week, but also to get checked in so that we can celebrate with you in the next fortnight!
Our new team member is mrt1969. It’s not often we have a new member joining us who has already got a significant number of days behind him – brilliant to see mrt and delighted that you’ve found us and made the commitment to see the year through marching alongside us. Don’t forget to check in at least once during the week!
Milestones Celebrated this Week……………
duncanmac – a monster day on Friday saw Duncan reach 1 full year of abstinence – the first of many soldier. Only the 2nd ever team member to reach this milestone, but the 2nd of a number that should start coming through as we move through the next few weeks. Congratulations to an incredible forum contributor and an inspiration to us all.
SuzyLemon – hit the 20 week mark and will be half a year clean prior to the turn of the year. A superb way to set yourself up for 2015. Great going Mrs – congratulations!
ccw85 – reached quarter of a year during the week…….and will become our newest Century Club member in the coming week – brilliant going ccw – doesn’t seem like yesterday you joined us and look where you are now!
Milestones to be Celebrated in the Coming Week………….
Here are the milestones for our fellow soldiers this week:-
Hitthefan (40 weeks), pinky333 (20 weeks), ccw85 (100 days), Mile End (quarter of a year), Rst.Ex-CG, Mo, and Andy J (All half a century!).
Well done to our celebrating soldiers!! Formal congrats next week!
Here’s the Count for the Guys who have checked in this week:-
Name Clean Days
Duncanmac 367
richy 244 357
Mr Brightside 329
Happy Days 325
Hitthefan 274
Baggins 245
Lostafortune 240
Triangle 234
Ringerbell 234
Delboygolf 227
mjc1974 159
John64 156
Wolf57 150
SuzyLemon 143
Pinky333 139
Mileend 84
Rst.Ex-CG 48
AndyJ 47
Mo 45
Matty1658 42
mrt1969 31
Gladsdad 22
Mba 14
Bornagain 2
So a pretty short update this week (many of you sigh with relief!), however, I am going to finish off with a few words…….
This is a terrible addiction – not a day goes by that I don’t think about gambling in some way, shape or form – it could be thinking of the pride I feel that I’ve got this far, but equally I still have the “what if” moments where temptation presents itself. While my recovery journey is different to anyone elses, I can empathise with the majority of thoughts and feelings that are being experienced by those of you who are struggling, but equally, I’m going to stick my neck out and P***k the conscious of those of you who have slipped…..or are thinking that a slip is inevitable……..
If you truly, really, madly want to stop then you can. If you believe you will slip then you will. There are a number of methods that have been proven to support recovery – I don’t believe that any of us are gripped any more or less than the next person – a compulsion to gamble is a compulsion. The addiction is the addiction. The differences in the success of recovery comes from the infrastructure that we create around ourselves, the reason for change and our own determination. The infrastructure has been key for me, as has the reason for change. I self exclude everywhere, my finances are controlled by Mama B, my risk periods from old are filled i.e. Saturday mornings and afternoons, Tuesday and Wednesday nights etc……..I remove as many of the triangle items as I can. I also take my commitment to this team very very seriously – I will not let this group down. It’s a key part of my infrastructure. I have a reason for change – for me, for my family, for my future, for my finances, for my health and my life………..if I gamble I lose them all, simple. I have recognised that I have “enough” determination, but only as long as the infrastructure and reason for change remains strong. I don’t buy into the p1sh about needing to test myself or I can’t always live with the infrastructure etc. – I can. If I don’t want to gamble then that is what it’s going to take. If I lived on determination alone I think I would have gambled……..maybe not now, but certainly in the early days. If you really, really want to stop then you can.
I’m sorry if I’ve angered some of you in what I’ve said, but I felt it important enough to say it. If it’s p1ssed you off but made you think, then great, I’ve done my “job”. I have made it my year’s work to be provocative, to prompt thinking, to call it as I see it, to encourage, to cajole and to put my arm around people when they need it. A part of leadership (that I’m still developing on a massive learning curve) is also to know when to put a toe well and truly up people’s ar53 when they need it. I hate doing it, but when you care enough about people and the outcome for them, then it’s something you have to do.
Rambling over.
Have a great week everyone and I hope your hardest battles are with the website and nothing else!
Mr Brightside
 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 1:14 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
Topic starter
 

Morning again everyone!

In light of not being able to update the front page - I'll use this specific post to update the group on how check in is going for the week. All the rules for the Challenge are as per the first post on the thread.

The soldiers we are looking to be checked in this week are as follows:-

bornagain -
Happy Days -
lostafortune -
Mr Brightside - checked in!!
Del79 - checked in!!
duncanmac - checked in!!
Rst.Ex-CG - checked in!!
Hitthefan -
Baggins - checked in!!
triangle - checked in!!
ringerbell -
Scambling - checked in!!
delboygolf - checked in!!
Gladsdad -
Pinky333 - checked in!!
Mo -
Chirst21 -
John64 - checked in!!
Mileend -
Wolf57 - checked in!!
richy 244 -
StoneRoses -
Elfie17 -
SuzyLemon - checked in!!
mjc1974 - checked in!!
ccw95 - checked in!!
CannaeWin -
mba - checked in!!
AndyJ - checked in!!
Matty1658 -
Jelle -

mrt1969 - checked in!!

Returning Soldiers:-

Dot83 - great to see you back - hope you're all refreshed from your holiday and that things are going well!!

AdamPrice - not only is it absolutely super to see you Adam, but even better the amount of days you've racked up! One of the originals back in rank! Brilliant - you going to stick around with us to Christmas fella?

New Soldiers:-

I Wished - about time too soldier!!! I've been hoping and praying for a long long time that you would march with us - no need for second posts.......you're in!!! Welcome!!
 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 1:20 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Checking In - Day 143

Suzy

 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 2:02 pm
 Anonymous
(@Anonymous)
Posts: 0
 

Hi folks

sorry I have missed check in the last few weeks, been a tough few weeks since my gran passed away. Not had the urge to gamble. I have been to more GA meetings to speak to people. I promised my gran that I would never bet again so that's my motive now. That's me coming up for 3 months off a bet.

 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 2:35 pm
triangle
 triangle
(@triangle)
Posts: 3239
 

checking in thanks mr b

tri

 
Posted : 2nd November 2014 3:13 pm
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