New Year's Day challenge!!!

Yeah second that new beginnings. Keep it up.

Well lads and lasses hope all is going well. Change I too am trying the holistic approach to recovery but in the beginning I tried to do it all at once. I thought surely this way is better than the opposite (procrastination) but in truth it's all about balance. Balance in our lives is difficult to achieve especially for a CG but we must try.

I'm back playing footy now which is helping. Still a lot of stuff to sort out in my life and my own head but I feel in a far better place to achieve what I set out to now I'm not under the gambling fog.

I must say GA has really helped me with this. Before I went I assumed it was just a group of men sitting around talking about money and bets they had lost then I came to realise it was so much more. It helps in all aspects of life, sometimes during peoples thereapy they don't even mention gambling! For me it's a big help and I'm very grateful to have a place to go and speak to like minded people to aid in my recovery.

Nice to hear that your recovery is going well Sam Crow. I totally agree it's a slow process but ultimately a worthwhile one. It takes time to pay debts,build bridges,change mind sets etc but I'm sure we can all do this. For I know today I will not gamble 🙂

Well another day gamble free and under the belt. Relatively easy today no major urges and I hope it remains this way but my problems occur when I've been paid or I'm out at the pub and none of them are happening till end of the month so in the mean time lets hope I can get my gamble free days up to at least double figures and stay away from fobts and online temptation! Hope everyone is doing ok,cheers

That's brilliant "uncertain outcomes" your doing great,and slowly does it! It takes time to undo all the bad stuff we've done sadly the quickest thing we've done is lose money! Another new day lets make it a gamble free one! Remember we cannot win for we cannot stop. For today I know I'll not gamble

Permission to come aboard captain

Welcome aboard deano 🙂 and hopefully to a brand new start! Hope your doing ok. I had some major urges today but I'm currently off work which makes it worse but I actually fell asleep for a while and that helped kill a few hours and some urges ha ha at this early stage in my recovery I'll take all the help I can get!

Hi new beginnings.
Are you off work through illness or holiday?
That's when I mostly struggle when I have spare time

Great to see all the to and fro on here today. Thanks so much for contributing and adding to the thread. Really will be worthwhile if we can all get to the new year.

Pleasure to have your contributions Deano. Thanks again.

Off due to illness nothing serious just old footy injuries lol all I can suggest deano is take up a hobby. Now that the gambling haze is starting to lift I'm amazed at the amount of time and energy it takes up. From the countless hours in bookies on fobts or spent online to the mental anguish about having lost all your money and having to rob Peter to pay Paul! I swear with the amount of money juggling I've done over the years I reckon even carol vorderman couldn't do better lol That's not to make light of the matter it just makes me think of how all consuming gambling is. It steals your money it changes you as a person,it makes you become secretive and selfish and at times your view on life is all wrong. I'd find myself happily losing £100+ on the fobt but having a go at my missus for spending £5 on a bottle of wine! But most of all it steals your time. I'd be spending countless hours gambling telling my missus lies about the traffic was bad or I worked later etc when I could've been at home with my kids. I'm more aware of embracing life now as tomorrow isn't guaranteed! Sorry for waffling on a bit deano lol but for your boredom deffo try and keep occupied. I hope you've self excluded from the bookies and have put blocks and barriers in place. One day at a time,dig deep we can do this! 🙂

Awesome stuff uncertain outcomes keep it up! The weekend is upon us a tricky time notoriously 🙁 keep busy keep active and keep out the bookies! Have a great weekend everyone

On Day 74 myself but I can still remember Day 0 and I don't want to go back there. Things going pretty well at the minute and I'm loving being back at footy. Won 5-1 the other night and I managed to last the whole game! Just need a bit of fitness and I'll be back running the show in no time 🙂

Well done Sam on 74 days keep it up! I'm sure you'll be bossing the footy pitch in no time 😉 lol still very early days in my recovery but hanging in there. Found it really really tough today but didn't succumb just kept myself busy etc it's tough but I can't go back to fobts and the deceit and time wasted,just felt quite low today and lacking energy. Still it's another day gamble free and I'm thankful

Well done guy's just sliding in to day 3 for me 142 to beat.
So the year end will get me over my previous

Thanks uncertain outcomes 🙂 so far so good today few beers and just watching footy etc sport daft thankfully that was never a problem it was always the roulette. I'd kid myself on and say I was popping in to do a football coupon and I think I truly believed that but I always ended up on fobt. So no gambling at all as I think it's the only way for me. Just having a beer and a quiet night. Hope we're all still going strong. Remember we can't win cos we can't stop