2014 Challenge

Evening everyone,

Quiet challenge thread today!! Good to see the activity and chat last night though.

Baggins - would you like to be part of the team? If so then have a look at the very first post on the thread and take it from there - all the best for your recovery whatever you decide!!

Thanks Linda........not as many holes as you have pulled others out of........superb diary post last night Mrs.......stay strong WW!! 🙂

Well I had a strange experience today - I sat as a non-exec director on a charity for a year up until 6 months ago - helped them create a business plan and set up governance structures and stuff..........so tonight was a 6 month review as to how they were all doing. They decided on a location in Glasgow and I pitches up - The Corinthian.......nice place but not been in it for years - they had booked a room for some drinks and dinner. Always remember it to be a trendy posers pub, not my scene. Gets there, gets directed to the room........and the whole place has changed.........it's part poser pub still, but the rest of it has been turned into a CASINO!! Blooming heck!!

Soooooo, time, check, location, check, money..........enough, check..................

.......I'm back home, in bed........and I'm 87 days clean today and still going strong...........I ain't going to gamble..........I committed to myself, my family and to every one of this team that I was never going to again.........and that's not changed. Did I think about it? Of course..........but then tell me a day that goes by that I don't?

I'm Mr Brightside, I am a compulsive gambler, but I make the choices, I define my own future, I will be liberated to lead a wonderful life..........one day at a time.

Keep strong team..........if I can do it, then I'm sure as anything you guys can x

Mr bright side well done in that scenario inspiration is what we need. I to am a compulsive gambler but haven't gambled for a week thanks

Hi everyone

Checking In

21 days gamble free today

3 weeks by my maths

Wish everyone good luck

Cheers

Batman

🙂

Checking in day 86

Mr B you are excused but please don't waste any more of your time, I have the winners cup in my hand so give it up now lol 😛

Good luck everyone this week and take care x

Yes please - I'd like to be part of the team.

I have been letting my online slot betting get out of hand for a few years now and it's time to get rid. Fabulous site here - so inspiring, especially this thread. Thank you Mr Brightside.

So - checking in on Day 4 of my life without slots.

Hi everyone. This is kind of new for me as i tend to be more the hide away and dont talk about your feelings kind of guy, and dont have anyone i feel like i can talk to about my problem. I have a girlfriend and daughter but my girlfriend is going through her own problems right now so i dont want to make things harder for her. She knows about my gambling but i just dont want to bring her down with how much it affects me i guess.

Anyway, my name is Matt and i have gambled myself into about £45k worth of debt over the last year or two. I managed to stop for a couple of months recently but then i started again and spent more money i didnt really have.

I want to break free of this addiction and so here i am! Hopefully i wont let anybody down anymore because its destroying me emotionally. I havent bet anything for 2 days but the real test comes when i get some money in my account next week..

Hiya Matt, good on you for opening up and telling us your story. We all start in the same place and we all want a quick fix. Sadly there is no quick fix, our debts wont go overnight and we cant repair all our burnt bridges overnight.

However day by day life can be repaired, there's a large group of us on here now who are helping each other along and if you can hook into the positive energy on here there's no reason you cant go the rest of 2014 without a bet.

If you have not yet started a diary I would recommend you start one up. I would also recommend you put as many barriers in place to stop you gambling. The most important one is to find someone you trust and let them take full control of your finances. If you don't have access to cash and you don't know your bank card number then you cant gamble.

Day by day Matt your life will get better, so many of us are achieving great things, start living life again mate, leave gambling in the past!

Thanks Bornagain, I know what you are saying about wanting a quick fix - it's all I think about and that's what causes more trouble for me.

Unfortunately I don't think I have anyone at the minute that I can put in charge of my bank account but I might be able to get around that as I can probably limit the amount of money that I have access to. I'm not sure what I would put in a diary though, I've never really had one? How would I use that?

Thanks again for your response and your last line 'start living life again mate, leave gambling in the past' - for some reason this really made me feel like there is some hope!

I am 48yrs old and in a great job, great family, all is going well with that side, but on the dark side, I have lost thousands over the years, and feel increasingly depressed as it is money that my kids would have used for their upcoming Uni etc.. I am beginning to hate myself increasingly and trouble sleeping... last year went 19 weeks without a gamble.. for me it's the TIME factor, I need to find other things to do to pass free time...so I am trying this forum and asking for your help please..will hopefully be coming along for a pleasant successful journey..as I keep telling myself, it's never too late to stop and look ahead with Positive Mental Attitude...

Hi everyone I hope you all have had a good week!

Welcome to Matt and fox, this challenge is really helpful and we are all very supportive of each other!

Anyway im just checking in on day 87!

Linda

Hello to Matt and Baggins and FlyingFox and anyone else who just joined, just wanted to say well done

Good evening Newbies and oldies 🙂

Thank crunchie its Friday. Had a good week, injury has now healed so back to the fitness routine as of next week.

Have a belter people and keep the guard up 🙂

Del 207 Gamble Free days 😉

Checking in on day 96.

Alas Mr B, I will not be able to join you in Glasgow but I wish you a very enjoyable night out, think we should do something south of the border at some point in the future!!

Kept having that stupid dream earlier in the week, the gambling one, woke up in cold sweats. Walked past a betting shop last night on the way to the pub, it was one with automatic doors, as I walked past the doors opened and I felt a shivering sensation go down my back as if something was telling me something. I wasn't tempted,not in the slightest buti almost recoiled away as the doors opened. Had a wonderful time last night, made some new friends and felt like the shackles have been removed and I can be myself in social situations again without being preoccupied with gambling.

I wish everyone great success in their battle.

The Rock

Matt just use a diary to reflect day by day how you are feeling and how your journey is going, it can be a rollercoaster but its worth it. You can have your life back, its in your hands and there are some wonderful people here to help you along on the journey! As for your finances there must be someone who could help, money in a gamblers hands is dangerous as one slip up and its all gone, putting that barrier in place is very important. You must have friends or family or your girlfriend who you could trust?

This is my 80 day check in, just got home from the rugby, we won again, four out of four top of the league! Phil the gambler wouldn't have been able to afford to go tonight, the new Phil is enjoying life and even sat in the posh seats 🙂

Good to see so many of you checking in, theres some serious positive energy here and determination to complete this challenge. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Evening everyone!!

Good to see the check ins beginning to come through - it's been a slow week and we're a few light for the check in this Sunday!! I'm sure they'll be here though!

Welcome to the first time posters and the guys potentially joining the team - Baggins, you're checked in and will be added on Sunday.........Matt, great to have you with us, would be good to hear how you are doing before the 8pm check in deadline on Sunday. Bornagain offers great advice! Likewise, welcome to FlyingFox - can you check in again and tell me whether you're up for the challenge with the rest of us and if so, how many days have you been clean for? Thanks and welcome to all of you. The very first post on the thread offers some guidance as to how things work!!

Great to see the other guys checking in too - I see a few of our missing soldiers posting on the recovery diaries so would ask you begin chasing them up. Front page is updated with all the current check ins for this week.

Derek/Craig - definitely up for next Friday night. Open invite for everyone else too - will post early next week as to a meet point - really looking forward to meeting you guys.

The_Rock - disaster last Saturday mate - really need the 3 points tomorrow. 4 more days to go before treble figures - big celebration on Tuesday eh?

Lots of other things I could be writing but will save it to Saturday.

Have a great weekend everyone.........

I am Mr Brightside.......clean of gambling for 90 days as at the end of the day on Saturday!