2015 Challenge

Hi - I would like to join the challenge please. I joined the foruns last week but had a slip on Friday night. Thought I would be safe at my friends for the weekend but urge got to me and I used my phone - I've never used my phone prior to this :-/ I think the challenge will help me with the check-in and goal centered approach. I'm a single mum with debts of around 16k. Slots are my thing. Hope I can join you all. Thanks

I am checking in for this week. 4 weeks free from gambling tomorrow. I get paid on Thursday but won't have access to my money which I am happy about. I am going to get over this horrible bug and keep progressing. If I had control of my money would I gamble? Probably. I'm only 4 weeks in but it's a start and I'm happy since I've stopped. Good luck everyOne, it will be a tough week but we can all do this together and win by not gambling.

Hi,

I'd really love to join. I'm er 12 hours gamble free and a bit of a mess but trying to get life back on track. Sports betting mainly football has cost me ~£40 k over the last few years and £20k in the last few weeks. Really am at rock bottom but I need to find a way to beat this and this and the challenge seems a great start, I wish I'd found this website sooner.

Thank you,

Alex

Sad to hear about your slip Dino. Well done for being honest about it and getting back in to the challenge. You really have to block every account so you can't slip in a moment of weakness. I went through my internet history to find some I had totally forgotten about plus the added safety of a joint bank account means I would find it almost impossible to get away with any gambling now.

Don't be too hard on yourself, I've given up gambling 11 times. We'll get there eventually.

Simon

Been a busy day on here and nice to read the support for DINO. I'm sorry to hear you've slipped, but well done for coming back on here and dealing with it in a positive manner. You just had a little fall, but now you are back on the bike and hopefully can learn from it an add some more barriers to prevent a repeat.

Brilliant to have the missing soldiers Lemon25 and Lady Baggins checking back in safe and sound! I have you down as day 358 today Joanna, the year is approaching fast!

brennzky, Whatisthis and Alex12345, welcome to the challenge, have a read and familiarize yourself with things and once youve checked in with another post and a count of days without a bet you will be added to the front page and officially checked into the challenge.

Stay strong troops, plan for any possible payday week urges and make sure you stay strong and don't slip!

Checking in for the week on day 348 🙂 phil you mentioned a meet up to celebrate the full calendar gamble free a few of us are fast approaching. As much as I'd love to be part of it being over in Ireland doesn't help as well as being unemployed so might not be able to attend any meet up planned 🙁

Dont think yourself (and mr B from 2014 challenge) realise how much of a support these challenges have been in helping me get to the approaching milestone. I tried GA meetings but unfortunately they weren't for me and I felt very uneasy at them (just my personal experience know GA been great for others) so these challenges have taken on a greater influence on my recovery. My gambling urges are usually very small these days meaning I don't visit the site as much but always do my best to read this topic a few times a week and also make sure to check in weekly 🙂

Checking in and on day 86.
Bit up and down at present but will keep pushing forward.
Cheryl x

I have had a couple of blips recently so I am going to come off the challenge indefinitely until I have built my confidence back up and can commit properly to this. This is not to say i'm not committed to stopping but i'm starting some counselling and going to concentrate on my diary for now 🙂 good luck everyone.

Checking in been a month exactly . Mixed feelings happy to be on the road to recovery and sad having wasted all that money And time. Not looking for sympathy but i have recovered from the big 'C' 8 years ago - had a double mastectomy a lot of scars but i am alive and well. So why did I start gambling? Good question. I'm still trying to work it out. It just started as a bit of fun like a lot of us I presume and then it got out of hand. After i recovered from my op i decided to help others and i took part in two TV programmes to speak about my experience. It made it worth while when a lady came up to me in the street and thanked me because it gave her confidence to go to the doctor. That was a great feeling for me which helped in my recovery. I am comparing it to the help I'm getting on this site and i want to thank everyone on this challenge and site for helping me and this will help me recover from this illness.

evening all..day 170 now, again sorry not been on, what with my internet provider and a family member dying ive kept it all together still ..No gambling for me, i dont even think about it , what with work and my family life keeping me bust too its all good..ive just had a week off aswell what with it being half term and the old me would have been on all the sites every night gambling what i had in the bank at the online bookies..nope not this time , being kept busy by my children and going out having fun all made the week off worthwhile..we had a picnic out, walks ,games in the house ,painting, ten pin bowling , meals out oh and go karting ..my 10 year old girl has no fear at all...lol.. hows that for a week off ,definently left me no time for anything else really ,and i was in bed at 10 every night to be up nice and fresh too..and no alcohol passed my lips at all which made my week off better ..anyway long story short day 170 ,now thats an accomplishment ,and if i can anyone can ..we all can do this and beat those demons ..i'll keep repeating that because if someone had told me a couple of years ago i'll be in this position i would have laughed in their faces ...come on people ,,be strong 🙂

Im checking in earlier than normal this week. I normally like to wait until the weekend so that i can chalk off the whole week but i keep getting to the weekend short of time and wondering if i have or not, and it must be a pain for you Phil. I believe today is day 65 for me, although Phil you said i was 66 on Sunday. Either way, its ok and im not gambling. Just had a somewhat bittersweet email from my mum that i thought i would share. She knows i have struggled with gambling. Today i accepted a new job which is very exciting as it is a far better opportunity for me. As well as congratulating me my mum said to be careful because i would fell a lull and i shouldnt be drawn to gamble online. Im not writing this because i have any urge but because it was a bit bittersweet. On the one hand im glad she knows i have a problem (its definitely a good motivator not to gamble), on the other hand she thinks i havent gambled since last Easter. The truth is i have gambled once since then, in December, and it was terrible, and for a number of reasons i couldnt tell her. Whilst it may be bad i didnt tell her last time, what i found interesting is that she was still worried after thinking it was almost a year! It kind of showed me what a serious thing it is that everyone on here is fighting. My mums a clever lady and if she thinks it would be a big concern after (a fake) 10-11 months, then that proves to me how big a fight it is that everyone has, and that everyone should be proud of being a part of their personal fight! It also reminded me shes a sensible lady because the incident in December was as a result of a lull after some very good things happening to me! Anyway, i wont let her down today!

Thanks for that gingermotty, I have now changed the figure. Congratulations on the job, your mum sounds like mine, its their job to worry. Stay strong and make this year your year!

Sorry to hear about your loss lollypoplol, but good to hear how well your recovery is going, keep it up!

Poblwc you have been added to the front page and checked in, your story sounds pretty inspirational, I look forward to seeing the days add up for you and finding out more about you!

brutus123C, Cheryl its a tough week for many of us, stay strong, recovery brings so much more into our lives than that 'one last punt' can ever bring us!

Stay strong troops, its a tough week, make the right choices!

Sorry to be a pain but i counted wrong again! i have completed 67 days, today is 68. My last bet was on 18th December. Thanks

Great update thanks phil and checking in on day 103. Felt amazing to reach 3 figures now I've reached the mark my focus and determination seems to have dropped a little. Fighting the 1 or 2 urges that have been popping up last couple of days.

Have a good week fellow soldiers

Taxi man that sounds very familiar, last year I was going so strong and I was buzzing when I brought up my first 100 days and then from nowhere things got very flat and I started to struggle badly. I started taking more interest in odds when I was watching sport on tv, thinking about fool proof systems etc.... I stayed strong for a while longer, but eventually slipped up. I have tried to learn from this so that this time round I can deal with it better. Looking back I think I slipped up because once I had hit 100 my life hadn't really become that different, I was still skint because of my debt repayments and I was still unhappy and finding life was empty. I think the answer is to read my update about life music, you need to fill your life with things that keep your life music volumes high. Use some of the money or time saved from gambling to do things that you enjoy and take your mind away from the urges.