2015 Challenge

What can I say after not gambling for a year? I’m not one for speeches; I prefer to do my speaking through my actions.

Previously I’ve stopped gambling for periods of time but gambling has always caught up with me for a host of reasons but mainly because I thought I could control the illness. That is one big change I’ve made this year. I know I can’t control it.

Sure others will say they can and of course we all are here with different experiences and levels of gambling but if I’d continued the way I was going last year I might not have been here to tell this tale today.

Well I am alive today and I cherished waking up this morning filled with hope and joy for a day yet to start. That’s not to say life’s easy; nothing would be further from the truth, but it’s a darn sight easier than when I’m gambling.

So I start another day gamble free and hope through my actions to be able to say the same tomorrow.

Thanks for the support I’ve received off so many of you and I hope we can continue to support each other for the days, weeks and months ahead.

Keep marching troops

Triangle

Hi all sorry for absence,I've explained in my diary,still going,85 days,stay strong to all,cheers!

Gingermotty, thanks for your post. Unfortunately it took that relapse to really know that it's only ever going to go one way. Of course people can make money but I'm not going to risk losing more in the vain hope of that. I will just rely on finding a winning lottery ticket on the floor!

Checking in again for this week, day 6 I think. I really do feel better and have had absolutely no desire to try and get money back. I'm hoping to make about 1k in overtime this month which will go towards repaying my parents and it feels good. It will be a lot of work but makes the end seem nearer! If I can get that kind of work each month and survive through it then I will be debt free by next year.

Still very helpful to read other people's experiences.

I don't know if it would help people 's situations but despite losing my money last month I am normally very good with money. I created a spreadsheet which works out the interest/capital on my mortgage and I can see how it will reduce by overpaying. Once I have paid my debts I intend to try and keep the extra money available to overpay my mortgage. It's incredible how much money you can save, well into the tens of thousands particularly if you have a significant amount of time left.

I don't know if it will help but for me, looking at it in that way, it becomes money I wouldn't otherwise have had! Food for thought maybe...

Freshman247

Hi all,

Checking for the week @ day 344...it's been a bit of a strange one with Cheltenham and people asking in work whether I'm having a bet. Have been honest and just said "no, am not bothering". It seems to have been the one week where normal work colleagues come into my old private world.

I've learnt from the week and grown from it and can see a year bet free on the horizon now....3 weeks today if I remain vigilant, guard against complacency and take it one day at a time.

Have a great week everyone and always remember that help is out there if you want it.

Well the day has finally arrived and I have reached the year milestone along with my buddy triangle. Seemed like an impossible dream last here but here we are 🙂

this is tine last year I had reached rock bottom I had a serious relapse after going nearly 5 months gamble free. I thought I could do it all on my own but I couldn't and the big bad demon that is Cheltenham week finally broke me. Was when I lied to my family to borrow more money that I knew I needed to change I knew it was impossible for me to beat this illness on my own

I posted a topic on a sports forum I'm a member of and received some great advice, the best was a link to this website. I signed up here and got involved in the 2014 challenge. This gave me a purpose I knew I had support available on here when I was feeling low etc and didn't have to deal with all this on my own

I'm not saying I'm 100% with no urges but now I know how to deal with these and I'm in a much better position than I was a year ago. I've loads of people to thank for this but want to say a special thanks to Mr B, Mama B for helping with the 2914 challenge, yourself phil for taking on the 2015 challenge and my fellow milestone maker triangle who's been here ever day with me 🙂

I had said I would step away from this challenge after reaching the year but have changed my mind over the last few weeks and will be sticking around to help all my fellow soldiers reach this milestone as well as many others 🙂 we have all probable tried to beat this demon on our own before and failed but collectively gambling and the company's who profit from it are no match for us

Hi my name is Robert, have always liked a gamble and had no been a problem untill the last few years when i have lost large amounts on football bets online trying to chase my money back.Lost big again on tuesday night and am now one more lose away from losing all my savings. On day number 3 and hoping that the 2015 challenge will help.

Hello just checking in after another gamble free week, I was a bit worried about the Cheltenham festival but I kept myself busy and got through it so now it's 19 day's gamble free and life's already getting better but there's still work to do, hope you all have a good and gamble free weekend

27 Days today, was supposed to go on a Cheltenham trip yesterday with all my friends, all paid up but pulled out last minute. I'm sure I could have resisted the gamble and just enjoyed the day out, but the thought of giving in to any Alcohol related urges made me feel physically sick. I will in time trust myself more but am Very happy with my Decisions i've made over the last 27 days, I am becoming a better person...

Well done to all the Milestone hitters, in fact well done to everyone who made it through this week..

Good evening all.

Checking in on day 78.

Ive not had any major urges this week. Life's much better now I have no gambling transactions continuously debiting my bank account. It's good to look at almost three months worth of bank statements and see no gambling transactions. Last year I was spending hundreds every week on online slots and it wasn't unusual to spend over a thousand in one day. I was constantly checking my bank account and borrowing more money and opening new credit cards. It's important to remind myself of how bad things were for me. That way I stay strong when the gambling urges strike. My main issue is thinking I can control spending on gambling. I think to myself £20 wouldn't hurt would it ? But I've been there before, kidding myself I can control it. I proved to myself then I couldn't and now 78 days in I'm glad I'm in a much healthier financial position. I've been looking into saving more to pay off gambling debts faster as I took out a five year loan and at the moment it feels like I'll be paying it off forever.

Looking forward to joining century club soon !

Massive well done to triangle and Ringerbell on achieving a full year gamble free.

Boxingday1 x

Great to read todays posts from triangle and Ringerbell, inspiring stuff, just shows what can be achieved if we put our minds to it! Once again well done to the pair of you, I've had a few pints to celebrate tonight!

We are missing 23 check ins, I won't be updating the front page until late tomorrow night as I have an early train and won't be home till very late. Get checking in troops, we can't lose a large amount of soldiers this week, we need to stay strong!

chartom3 welcome to the forum, once you make another post you will be added to the front page and checked in. blue in the red do you want to rejoin the challenge?

Checking I on day 51, no interest in placing bets.

84 days clean and marching forward. Glad Cheltenham is over for another year.

Checking in 56 Days "clean". Couldn't entirely avoid the Cheltenham media hype but it didn't upset my applecart. No urge to bet at all even with a small amount available in my bank account.

Congratulations to milestone achievers this week.

Thanks to Phil for keeping the tallies etc.

Hi all,

Checking in and still gamble free. I've been looking forward to Cheltenham for a while and wanted to enjoy the racing without having a bet. I've been far too busy with work and a hectic social life though! I've not even seen a race which I'm a bit disappointed about but this is purely down to being too busy. It makes me realise I've not missed gambling at all and now the life music is playing strong I have other interests which come before horse racing and gambling.

Hope everyone has stayed strong.

Honk x

Hi Everyone, checking in for another gamble free week. Life is good when you do not gamble. Another great update Phil. Keep strong everyone, small steps one day at a time will see March in and 3 months of the challenge gone.

Mo