Checking in day 3
Checking in for the week. It's my day 25 gf today. I'm not posting much at the moment as after my slip 26 days ago I felt, tbh, a bit shaken and very disappointed in myself. I'm just ticking along at the moment, I'm not posting much recently but I do visit here everyday and it helps so much!
I keeping my aim fixed on 50 days for the first target. The ultimate goal I am working towards is the state of Transendence like mentioned in one of Phils updates a moon or two ago.
One day at a time, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 days chipping away until the distance puts this painful long experience another world/lifetime behind me.
Thanks to all for the inspirational and empowering posts.
Equally thanks to those who simply share and remind me that I don't need to beat down on myself for having lived this destructive part of my life and that I am not alone.
Through the support of this medium and its generous members and with Phils much appreciated time and effort in consolidating 'the team' with the weekly round ups; I am much stronger and better able to get through these early tests of breaking a learned behaviour and getting away from the miserable place which is the soul destroying life of a problem gambler.
Congratulations to those who have hit noteworthy times of abstinence - massive well done!
To them and us all I say keep the guard up! And wishing everyone a lifetime free from the pressure, stress and utter madness which follows the first bet.
No first bet - no opportunity to lose control. It's my choice and I choose 'no bet'.
Best wishes all.
TickFollowsTock
Tackling my gambling debt slowly but surely and with patience until it's gone! 🙂
Just home from the football, absolutely heartbroken, will update the frontpage and do the update in the morning.
Day 105
Checking in and feeling strong.
Cheryl x
Checking in on day 360. 5 to go.
No thoughts at all just too busy.
Have a great gamble free day.
Steve.
Checking in on Day 22, I cant seem to check in on sat night lol, but I have not touched gambling at all! 3 weeks and feeling good. Debts will be paid off in a few weeks, thens its all looking bright! Thanks guys for the support and I wish you all the best this week.
Checking in! 18 days and not going near a bookies or new online account! My second job is doing well. Balancing my books currently. It will be a long ride to complete debt free and I am ready to keep going in the next 2 years to achieve my goal! December 2015 and 2016 will be key times for me. By the end of this year I want 1 credit card paid off and a chunk of the other one too.
Never gambling again!!
Apols for a late check in but checking in for last week. Easily my proudest one by going the whole of Cheltenham without a bet 😀
Well done to anyone else who like me used to relish the festival but this week saw it for what it actually is, a bookies benefit!
Challenge Update Week 11
Intro
Good morning troops and welcome to this weeks update. It’s been a brilliant week with loads to celebrate, especially two new members of the 365 club. Well done to Ringerbell and triangle and thanks to all the troops who have given them so many kind words of congratulation. Also thanks to Mama B for finding her way onto here to congratulate us on our big milestones. This coming week we will have yet another soldier to congratulate on his entry to the 365 club.
So we head into week 11 with 61 checked in soldiers and 7 missing troops. Not a bad number considering we have just got through a challenging week where gambling has been everywhere we look. I’m glad to see 61 of us got through Cheltenham unscathed.
Hope you enjoy the update, I’m a little worse for wear after my day out yesterday and will do my best to keep it interesting.
Missing Soldiers
I hope you are all safe and well and nobody has slipped up, either way please get checked back in. We can beat this and you are better as part of this amazing group than alone. qprloc12, Rst.Ex-CG, mjc1974, DINO, spud1966, lollypoplol and davey please get checked back in.
One Year Free
Everytime we have a new soldier who completes a year free I will post their day 365 entry on the update. I’m so proud of triangle and Ringerbell, such an amazing achievement and just shows this place works. I really hope the new troops take inspiration from these stories and will one day be able to make their own day 365 posts.
Start with triangle
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
Now for Ringerbell
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
Inspiring stuff, once again well done guys!!!
Milestones In The Coming Week
delboygolf hits a full calendar year on Friday, absolutely amazing achievement Steve, I can’t wait to read your post on Friday!!
Garyl1976 reaches 50 weeks on Friday, the year is close now, but 50 weeks is in itself great progress, congratulations mate!!
John64 on Tuesday and SuzyLemon on Thursday achieve 40 weeks gamble free. Top work troops, keep it up!!
newhorizon71 reaches 6 months on Friday, half a year is amazing, well done soldier!!
Better life, gingermotty, pellekanin, Markb117 and mac09 all hit 3 months free in the coming week, great to see you all going so strong!!
Lemon25 on Tuesday and scotty1971 today hit 10 weeks without a bet, the century is getting close for you now, well done!!
Poblwc today and Change on Saturday hit the first milestone of 50 days. Well done troops!!
Roll of Honour/ Days Gamble Free!
Now for the numbers, taking our average losses at 50 pounds per day we have collectively saved a grand total of ………………………………………&h ellip;…..£217650……………………………… what a superb figure! We have deprived those greedy gambling companies of so much and our lives are getting better by the day. Well done troops!!!
Summing Up
This challenge is moving along quickly and we are a strong group determined to better our lives and remain gamble free. Week by week it gives me so much pleasure to type in the new milestones. This challenge is working and it’s good to see. Remember the group email if you need to contact me or access the telephone list [email protected] and remember the chatroom run by sergeant triangle on a Wednesday night between 8PM and 9PM. Get checking in and have a great week troops!
Phil
As always great update Philxx
Checking in 321 days on my rollercoaster journey of recovery.
Ringerbell and triangle have sailed through the one year of being gamble free and it really is an amazing achievement for any CG to achieve, and delboygolf (Steve) will be achieving this on Friday, it's not as easy as it looks but it is being achieved by fellow soldiers, we just have to realise we will never be in control of our gambling, and we will never be cured, but we are in control of our own recoveries, we make our own choices and with the team work on this challenge it does make the journey easier.
All we have to do is make thst right choice everyday and then we win every day.
Proud to be walking along side everyone on the challenge, onwards and upwards.
Suzanne xx
Hi checking in still gamble free. I'm on day 45. Tried checking in a few times last week but error message kept on coming up. Checked in now x
Stay strong everyone and remember together we can do it
Del79 wrote:
8th attempt at checking in constant error messages anyone else having issues?? 569 GF days.
Del 🙂
It's not just me then. I was getting error message when trying to check in this week.
checking in. Day 27, just enjoyed that nice win for United and was nice to be able to relax whilst watching the football 🙂 hope you are all doing well and saving well.
Checking in day 76 today. Just think guys we have completed 20% of this challenge already and that has been the hardest part. We have all changed our mindset and are now programmed to choose not to gamble. Urges should not be as frequent now and our only danger now is complacency. So keep up the good work everyone and Thanks again Phil for rallying all the troops and keeping us all up to date. You are doing an amazing job and i for one will always be in your debt. Have a good week everyone
checking in today on day 367
thanks for the update phil and well done to everyone on their week
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