Hi all,
i would like to join this group. i have had several failed attemps at stopping, but i know i have to stop before it is too late. I will also post in the welcome page but just wanted to join in on here as it seems a good idea and i am enjoying reading some success stories. Anyway this is me starting. My last bet was yesterday 22/11/14 and i pray it is my last. Good luck to everyone and i hope i can manage as well as some on here.
Hi guys
checking in after another week of being gamble free, just filling the voids by taking all the overtime possible at work in the run up to Christmas. Just keeping it simple and a day at a time
Day 11 of recovery. Feeling positive and happy to have got through yesterday what with all the sport on etc! looking forward to my 1:1 counselling assessment tomorrow. Feel like a completely different person now I don't gamble and feel stronger for all the barriers I have put in place to protect myself,
Good afternoon soldiers!!
Here we go then for update number 47……..we only have 6 more check ins and updates after today to take us through to the end of this year and into the New Year. Every update I’ve written is in a word document and I’ve never looked closely at the word count before…….got a fright when I did today – this week will see the Sunday updates move past the 70,000 word mark. That’s 154 pages of words that describe our journey, celebrate our victories, put an arm around soldiers when they need us and bid welcomes and farewells to team members old and new. It’s been an amazing march we’ve been on and I can’t believe the end of 2014 is literally just around the corner now. Anyway, there’ll be enough time for reflection in a few weeks time, for now it’s on with the update. This week I’ll cover off the headlines, welcome back some soldiers, highlight the milestones from the week gone past and the week coming plus provide the count and days clean for our current members.
Headlines for the Week
We’ve had a net drop off of one team member this week. We started last Sunday with 27, we’ve had 4 of the group not return to base camp, however, 3 soldiers rejoined the ranks to give us a retention rate of 85% and 26 souls heading out to fight a new battle for the next 7 days. Each of us will carry a record 174 days each into the next week which means we’re getting to a per person average approaching 6 months. Pretty amazing for a group of compulsive gamblers and we should be proud of what we’ve achieved……..so far! There’s a long fight to be battled every day, but for as long as we continue to say, “today I will not gamble” each time we open our eyes from sleep then we’ll be doing fine. The group have reached another collective milestone as we breach the £650,000 saved since the Challenge began 11 months ago. This is the last full week of the month and I’ll do the monthly update next Sunday – only checked in soldiers count in the monthly update, so a great week would mean a strong end to the penultimate month of the year.
Returning……..& Potentially New Soldiers
Welcome back to ccw95 and Dot83 who missed check in last week – great to have you marching strong with us again, especially when there’s milestones coming up!
StoneRoses has been with us for a long time and if I’m blunt I really believe that he’ll be with us for the long haul now. Rightly or wrongly I get a real soft spot for individuals on the challenge, especially the ones who email me back and forward. StoneRoses is a great example of how much a struggle recovery is…..but how that struggle is made even harder without the correct foundations and barriers in place. Now that they are there SR I’m convinced that this road will be less bumpy than previous ones travelled……….there will still be challenges, but at least you can give yourself some thinking time to manage the compulsions.
We have a new soldier potential joining us – gersfc21 joined the forum a few weeks ago…..always a sign that the thinking that there’s a problem is there, but great to see you posting on these pages. All I’d ask you do gers is to read the “rules” of the challenge on the very first post I made on page 1 and drop another post on to tell us that you’re in and willing to commit to recovery for self and team. All the very best with your recovery whatever you choose to do.
Milestones Celebrated and to Be Celebrated
Only three milestones marched through in the week just past:-
Mr Brightside has hit the 50 week mark and 2 weeks tomorrow will have navigated a full year without gambling!
Mile End became the latest member of the Century Club – I know it’s been a tough week ME, but hopefully things are getting better and the pain of your disappointments on Monday/Tuesday is softened considerably knowing that you are still marching strong in victory against gambling. Congratulations mate.
mrt1969 has just broken through the half century mark and is now lined up to head into the 10 week mark, then the 3 month milestone and onto the Century Club – going strong mrt and proud of your progress soldier!
It’s a busy week coming up for milestones – here are the headlines of those celebrating their individual victories:-
Happy Days – Mike will hit 50 weeks on Thursday!
I Wished – will march past 30 weeks tomorrow! Brilliant going Suzanne!
mjc1974 and John 64 – both hit the big 6 months free milestone in the coming week – mjc1974 on Tuesday and John64 on Saturday – congratulations folks!
Rst-Ex. CG (Monday), Andy J (Tuesday), Mo (Thursday) and Dot83 (Friday) will all hit double digits in terms of weeks clean as they all hit and go beyond the 70 day milestone.
The Roll of Honour for this Week
Below is the names of the 26 soldiers and their count on gamble free days:-
Missing Soldiers this week:-
Drum roll………total days free of gambling since the Challenge began……….
13036 Days = £651,800 in our pockets………………..£0 in the bookies!!!
That’s the update for this week then!
Before I sign off the last week and open check in (don’t worry those of you who are really organised and checked in already – you’re in!), I just want to throw the door open for those of you who may still read the challenge but may have drifted away for some reason………to come back and join us for the month of December and see out 2014 as part of this team. There have been some life changing people come through these pages this year – some of you have had a massive impact on my life and there’s nothing I would like more than to see you march across the New Year line as part of the team.
I hope everyone has a great last week of November…..a week tomorrow and we’re into December with Christmas only just slightly more than a month away. It’s a financially difficult time of year – we MUST stay together as a team and maintain our determination to be free!
Mr Brightside
Great update mate.
Good update Mr B, just pointing out that I have hit 10 weeks today but no worries as I know you have a lot of workings out to do. Saw you mention something about Liverpool but quickly skipped down as hopefully will watch motd tonight without knowing any scores. Glad I've done it as stops any thoughts about putting a bet on.
Have a great gamble free week everyone.
Rst.
Checking in slightly late, gamble free since 6/11/14 🙂
Checking In - Day 164
Great update Mr B
50 weeks of being gamble free is quite something Mr B, and your commitment to this challenge is just as outstanding.
Proud to say checking in on 209 days of being gamble free,.
Great update.
Wishing everyone a strong positive and happy gambling free week, because that is the only way we win.
Suzanne xx
Nice post mr Brightside and congratulations on 50 weeks.
I don't usually read too much on this thread, just check in, but I have had some spare time today and browsed more on here.
I now see the roll of honour. Excellent team work.
Hope everyone stays strong going into December.
Mba
Hi All - checking in early on 172 days today - be 178 on Sat PM!
Great update Mr B as always and I hope your 'shout' is heard across the forum and we have a great big December march and exodus out of 2014!
The OH & I realised that we moved house exactly a year ago today, it rained all day and for a week then and looks the same today! And still painting the place!! It will be finished one day and then I can enjoy my part time retirement days!
And may I just give a bit of a shout to Lewis Hamilton - well done chap!!
Good luck everyone this week in the run up to the madness and mayhem of Xmas! Stay strong and march toward a gamble free new year!
Kind regards, Cliff
checking in day 178 hope everyone has a great week !
just read on the update that it will be 6 months on saturday ! thanks mr b i know i say this a lot but without this forum i really can't see how i would of got to that figure, thanks to all and keep up the good fight !
Morning all
An early check in from me this week on day 54.
Great update Mr B, the effort that you have put in to not only your own recovery but that of others is fantastic.
Being part of a team, for me anyway, has been a great support in my early steps to keeping this addiction at bay.
I thank you all for the support that you offer.
Have a good week all
M
Good morning all,
Great update again Mr B. Checking in GF on day 69 (Insert innuendo here)
Had a safe week, feeling a little bit lonely it has to be admitted considering I am so away from my close friends and family still on work placement. Really need to reach out, a little depressed I must comment. Almost holidays though! The countdown for the year is certainly on now and is coming at a rapid, rapid pace. Over 9 weeks have passed since my last bet, a long time ago but so glad I decided to make this transformation.
Not much else to report, gotta keep strong and hope you all are too!!
Fight on soldiers,
Andy
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