*** Join The Guru Challenge! ***

Checking in day 7 ......pink

Great idea Mixer. You’re quite right, a lot of people can go under 30 days gamble free, simply due to lack of funds or fresh gambling losses. But the challenge is to maintain that, as you say, past 30 days which would have more than likely meant that you would have survived your first pay slip.

That’s not to say that anything under 30 days isn’t an achievment or that it’s a piece of cake to reach 30 days. Far from it.

You’re doing a superb job of keeping this thread fresh and as a good source of motivation.

Thanks mate.

27 days in and I definitely don’t want a gambling hangover!!

Hiya all ... day 2 for me ... feels nice having 2 nights full sleep without being up until silly o’clock online. It is amazing how much of your time is consumed by this addiction. So much lost time x

150 days GF today. Half way up the mountain that is the Guru challenge.This is not an easy journey but one day at a time we are chipping away.

Cheers Mixer bro

Congratulations Godoicul on 150 days gamble free.

Excellent progress and a great attitude....stephen

Morning All

Checking in day 35! Made it through a month again, no stopping this time!

Day 32!!!

Much love!!!

Daniel

It's a great feeling to allow gambling fantasies to pass and not act on them. Later in the day when we find ourselves having even a moment of peace we can thank our lucky stars that the day played out differently. We know the times that later in the day we looked back to the moment that we could have made a different choice than gambling. But, choosing to gamble dropped us off in hell. I know understand the one moment at a time that everyone talks about too. Gotta be ready at any moment to dodge impulses and reach for something different... a star. lol , well maybe, go ahead and reach for a star or cup of coffee that's way too expensive from your favorite coffee shop... you can afford it if you even though you could've gambled. wink wink. rambling, and happy to be here today. tara

Relative newbie here, but 16 days gamble free so far...

caughtup wrote:

Morning all, checking in at 30 DAYS GF. Can I hear a whooopp, whooopp

🙂

Whooop whoop! well done you 🙂

Checking in on day 30 too. Welcome aboard JA72, gl with your journey 🙂

Interesting reading your post Tara because I have had so many times recently where I have only just managed to dodge the temptation to gamble. I had 20 pound sitting in one of the last bingo sites I had left before I excluded myself from it, seeing the money there was really hard, like it was calling me to roulette it. The evil voice was saying 'It's not like you deposited or anything it's just been sitting there, go on have 20 spins at a pound a go on the roulette wheel, you know you want to, you will feel good and you might even win' But then the nicer voice said 'You know you wont stop when that 20 is gone, you know you will probably deposit, or maybe win and win but then just keep going ending with losing and losing some more, you don't want to feel that feeling of loss again, the same feeling you had when you almost lost your family, home and dignity'

I dodged the temptation and withdrew the money, I used the money to buy Russell brands addiction book off the internet and a couple other bits. I was proud that I had used that money for something other than gambling, I thought I had done well and felt good about it. However, that is when I really understood that my husband as amazingly supportive as he has been, didn't understand how I felt proud of that, instead he decided to point out that I could of got the bits I bought cheaper elsewhere, I really see how he doesn't understand addiction at all, he has no addictive bone in his body and is very logical minded. He upset me because he couldn't understand how I felt happy it didn't go on gambling he still insisted to point out I was wasting money because I could of got them cheaper and didn't take the time to look around first bla bla... we fell out, I went upstairs to read my new book and we are still not talking at the moment. When we would fall out before after an argument the first thing I did was gamble, I felt the urge but I fought it off and chucked my head into my book instead, I so didn't want to back to day 1 after coming 29 days either! So I guess I'm proud of that.

Love to all, keep dodging and those urges will subside and we can be proud of ourselves every day x

I'm not a sports enthusiast yet I'm coming up with analogies that are sport themed. Dodge the urges! Hit that ball of urges hard and send it over the fence; take your homerun like a breeze and chalk one up up for YOU. If the urge ball comes at you are you going to catch it? Then take a look at it and put it in your pocket; cash it in like a ticket to gamble or are you going to smack that thing out and over the fence. Smack it. And as always, this message is something for myself that I am also sharing.

lol tara2

Checking in on 195 days!!

Checking in day 4 for me. Tomorrow is payday, and for once I am looking forward to not seeing deposit deposit deposit on my bank statement. All blocks are in place. This forum is a great place to chat as it makes me realise I am not alone in this fight, I have you all behind me, together we are stronger xx

MIDWEEK CATCH-UP - 23rd May 2018

Good evening everyone! How are we all doing? Let's have a catch up 🙂

Tara2 - Thank you for some fantastic posts, have read every one! You're right. We are creatures of habit and that doesn't help matters because we have to wean ourselves out of those habits that cause us harm. And I like your sports analogies, yep, if gambling is a demonic red ball then we have to shash it out of the ground every time. Somettimes, picturing gambling as a sneaky devil on our shoulder helps us deal ith it. Personally, I pick it up by the scruff of the neck and boot it into kingdom come!

Caughtup - Whoooopp Whooooopp! Passing the 30-day gambling-free milestone is always well worth a Whoooopp Whoooopp or ten!). It shows that a payday's come along, or other spendable income, and you've dealt with it. A big high-five to you Caughtup - we're all delighted here because it spurs us all on to better things!

Xangel - Thank you so much for your kind words and glad this thread is helping you as part of your gambling-free strategy. It's fantastic to see you embracing not only your personal journey but those of the rest of our Challenge peeps too. We most certainly can conquer this addiction. And we have, actually. All we need to do, every day, is remind ourselves of the one thing we mustn't do, because it will bring misery if we do (and who wants that). It's simply "not to gamble today!" 🙂 On another point, it's very difficult sometimes getting a partner to understand our addiction. Sometimes, the support isn't there and occasional we're belittled. However, we have to 'choose our battles' and not be too dispirited. The good news is, xangel11, you didn't 'rise to the bait' and gamble, whcih might have been your reflex response. So all bully for you for not taking the wrong road. Keep at it; we're all with you here.

Wardal1979 - It's great that you've self-excluded from as many sites as possible but don't forget Gamstop. Whilst it only covers Uk-based gambling sites it's going to cover the rest of the world by the end of the year. That's the one to register with, for 5 years, Wardal. Whad-da-ya say? 🙂

Stephen - thank you for my thoughts pon only counting gambling days from 30 upwards. I think it makes the achievement - for that's what it is - all the sweeter. You music choice: "I get by with a little help form my friends" is a good one: I think it sums up the lovely spirit we have here on our thread.

Sars2 - And talking of spirit... it's Saaaaaaars! Thank you for checking in, my friend. 353 days! What can I say, keep it going and keep enjoying life, you and your lovely lovely family!

Pink2018 - thank you for checking in and with a week's gambling-free under your belt. That's great, and a pivotal foothold as you start to climb this mountain which gets less steep the more you climb it, surreally. Our minds can and WILL be weaned off this addiction, one tiny bit, one day at a time.

DeterminedDan - thank you for your thoughts. I agree with you - it's when we have money, and don't waste it, is the sign that we, as recovering problem gambliners, are getting somewhere. This isn't an easy journey - we all know this - but with good blockers in place and a good mindset, improving all the time, we give ourselves the best chance of long-term success.

JeffUtd - I agree, we don't want a gambling hangover! No thank you. An alcoholic hangover is bad enough 🙂 Great to see you approaching 30 days gambling free which really means something.

Wardle1979 - in my eyes, gambling takes away three things. Money, time and our personailities. Gambling turns us into shells; that's not good for us, and especially not for our partners, loved ones, family and friends. They are all - I promise you - sick to the back teeth of it, and want to see us back to our vibrant selves. Which we can return to, and, one day at a time, make sure we do. Great to note you've put your blocks in place. Here's to a happy June.

Godoicul - I'm delighted to see, as we all are, to see you hit half a Guru. Just the other half to go! You are really sticking to this and that is to be admired. Your reward? A much better life - all round! Kudos, Godoicul.

Mitch91 - great to see you power through the 30-day gambling-free barrier. You've done it once, and you've done it again, this time with extra 'stickability'. Keep adding and reviewing your gambing-free strategy and there's no reason why you can't continue to rack the days up.

DmPowell - Yes!!! 30 days. It's great to see so many of us passing that crucial 30 day milestone that shows one thing and one thing only - you're serious about this. Serious about wanting a better life. Definitely something to get serious about ... and then have fun and enjoy!

JA72 - It's always great to welcome new members to our Challenge and thank you for checking in. 16 days in the gamblong-free banl and striving towards the target that really, really matters - 30 days. Let's see you hit that, one valuable, hard-earned day at a time.

Slotfool - Where does the time go, eh. Coming up to 200 days - a magnificant achievement, no question. Keep going, one day at a time. By going gambling free, we always guarantee oursleves a better life than the alternative. Gambling is always default misery because we never keep any winnings and lose more, every time. But we recognise that pattern and are always thinking - no more.

Ok, everything's steady, team, as we negotiate payday for those of us who are salaried. Are we going to waste our hard-earned money away this month...?

Good answer, everyone. No. Not this month. We're going to enjoy our money; put what we have spare to good use. Treat ourselves, treat our loved ones, clear debts, or pay for things that need doing. But not shove down the drain; because that's what gambling is to us.

Enjoy the sunny weather and the long weekend ahead everyone. I'll be back in few days 🙂 🙂 🙂

Love and peace everyone.

Mixer