2015 Challenge

Morning soldiers

Its great to see the challenge still going strong and Phil, you're doing an incredible job fella.

mjc - a blip is a blip.......where you are at in recovery, consider it to be another lesson that's designed to help you grow and learn. Move on from the lapse with new conviction and confidence while continuing to look with hope to the future. You can't influence yesterday.......but you can create your outcomes today. Chin up and move on girl.

I've got a busy weekend ahead.........driving lesson with a nephew this morning, a day out with my team from work in Glasgow, up sharp tomorrow to watch the first couple of sets of the tennis and then back through to Glasgow to Hampden to watch the Old Firm cup semi final.........rounded off with the Super Bowl!!

I see that Bradlokes have launched their new advert featuring my namesake.........well, a message to you Bradlokes.......it'll take a lot more than your sh1tty condescending adverts to keep my copter elbows from dancing the "f**k You Shuffle" and ensuring that gambling doesn't darken my door.

This is Mr B checking in..........the most excited thing around counting days for me is actually counting them down........97 days to Disneyworld...........I would never be counting down those days though if I wasn't counting up the days free from gambling.

All the best everyone,

Mr Brightside

Stay strong today everyone and it'll be the first month done. Time flys when your not stressing about where the next bet will come. Congrats everyone, I'm loving having this thread to check in to, really giving me that extra motivation that I need.

Morning troops, we are missing a worrying number of 14 check ins!!!! Please take a look at the front page and get yourself checked in or if you see someone who has a recovery diary send them a reminder. This is the most testing time of the year so far for a lot of us, we need to march together and get through the first month and beat any payday urges that may arise.

As for the Bradlokes adverts, they are just pure s**m. The company is morally bankrupt, they used to always text me on my payday with offers to get me to lose my monthly wage in their shop until I self excluded. The guys having fun on their adverts surely break the trade descriptions act. They should show a group of guys sat alone in their homes, depressed, with no money for food, no life, and a family that they have inflicted a lifetime of pain on. Since I found recovery I have been able to enjoy a social life, I certainly couldnt have one when I was a Bradlokes regular!

day 7 last night was really tempted but went on the only site i havnt self excluded from and self excluded instead of depositing am looking onto councelling too lets hope i stay strong today good luck to everyone else today x

I'm now 24 hours without placing a bet. It's tough. It's still constantly on my mind. Seeing bits of tennis final. Talksport radio on with bookie promos every 2 mins. Knowing there a full footy fixture list. I would have bet on all these things. I'm staying strong though. Absolutely no doubt in my mind I am going to come through this.

Goal 1: just for today! I'm keeping this strong in these early days. And to adopt Duncanmac commitment I've got my stick in hand but I've added some razor wire to its end to keep the beast away in these early days. No giving up on giving up.

Goal 2: clear my overdraft - will take 2 months if I'm disciplined and DO NOT GAMBLE!

Goal 3: for the weekend I'm making a car survival bag haha yep mobile phone with £5 Gifgaff credit, first aid kit, waterproof macs, wind up torch, fleece blankets and waterproof sheet.

That will keep me busy and mentally absorbed, 'life music' volume turning up!

Keep strong all! Focus on the better life and move towards it by distancing from destructive gambling and it's false highs and gut wrenching mentally and physically damaging LOWS! Stay away!

all best.

Hi all,

Just checking in. 29 days gamble free!! Things are going well. I've started to have the odd little urge and keep thinking that one little acca on the football wouldn't hurt today. If I lost I honestly don't think it would make me start again and think I could go another week without a bet. The big danger would be if I won! I'm convinced that would get me back into it again and unable to control my urges. Therefore, there's clearly no point in having a bet at all. Stay strong all and remember that compulsive gamblers can't just have a little bet and control their gambling. It's exactly why we are all using this forum!

Good luck everyone and for those that have had a blip, keep coming back on here. The support on here is immense with some great people taking time out of their day to help others. Looking forward to the update on Sunday Phil.

Take care everyone,

Honk

Hi Phil and fellow Challengers -

Checking in on my Day 335 - sorry to be so late, Phil, but life seems to be getting busier!

Joanna :o)

Hi all, checking in. 31 days. Thing must be good taking the wife for a coffee on a Saturday afternoon. First time in 15 years. I always used to be busy with sport/gambling and the fact that a coffee costs the same as a pint. (what's that all about). Have a good gamble free weekend everyone.

Signing in this week. Feeling great and not missing betting one bit and filling my days with stuff ive missed. Important for people to look forward and not back, always hard to not think about losses or debt and more importantly life wasted but we can never change that, you can change the future. Stay strong everyone, im so determined to never ever slip, hope this attitude sticks. Happy weekend everyone x

4 weeks today for me checking in. I got paid yesterday so testing time for me but don't intend to waste a penny at the bookies!

I need to keep checking and looking at this page in the early days so apologies if I clog up the timeline a bit. Got to the 3pm KOs and not even looked at a coupon or any betting site. Don't even know the matches being played. Turned radio off talksport and onto music whilst doing some DIY. Still totally determined. Feels exciting to know I'm ditching such an evil addiction. Want to watch chelsea v man city tonight but I won't have a bet just gunna be weird watching it without having a care what happens as normal urging for an event to happen... team to win, goal to get scored, player booked. Thanks for setting this up really helping me!

Apologies for the late check in. Still going strong, 67 days gambling free.

Have a great weekend everybody.

hi mjb4000 asking to go on the 2015 challenge,failed twice on the 2014 one so hoping to do beter from now on

addicted to fobt and online slots/roulette.

it got so bad now i find myself wanting to hit the wall or machine when i lose,what have i turned into i am so ashamed

never used to be like this i just cant control my adiction,

went to the bookies and self excluded for the max time of one year and downloaded and installed betfilter,

hope these will help me with my recovery,

last time i tried to give up i made it to 36 days and was so happy ,money in my pocket and in the bank,then it all went wrong,

so from sunday tm i am back to day one.

First month of the year: done.

I am 42 days clean and going strong.

Good luck for February everyone.