18TH JAN 2013 - Time to let go.

Well done Feb, good to see you have managed a month gamble free - certainly dont need those terrible feelings to return, keep up the good work.

Take Care

Blues

Hi Feb

Again, congrats on the gamble free month. Sorry, I did forget the Elmis treat......I've booked myself a wee taster facial at a local salon (never had 1), not nearly as posh as yours though lol.

Keep up the fab effort!

Irene

x

Congratulations feb!

Well done you on everything you've achieved, for your positivity and for being so supportive to everyone else. I've got a week until my first gamble free payday and hope to make a dent on my debt. That'll be a mini goal achieved reaching this first payday but I look forward to many more gamble free paydays!

Congratulations once again and keep going x

Thanks to all my Gamcare friends for your kind and encouraging words. Let's all stay strong and positive together.

Feb.

It's another day, it's going to be another "NO" (to GAMBLING)[ = 32 DAYS.

This time tomorrow, my salary will be just going into my bank account. Can't wait to pay all my bills instead of giving it to the online betting sites - Like they don't receive enough!!! Well no more from me Im happy to say. Me and my friend Will (Power) are keeping it for ourselves and will be happily skipping along 'The Bright Side of the Road'

Take care everyone and stay strong and focused.

Feb.

Congrats Feb,

Way to go, I really like your diary, stay strong! The support is great on here, we can truely all help each other out with the power of positive thinking.

Sincerely,

Chicagoguy

Its another day, its another "NO" (to GAMBLING = 33 DAYS

Well pay day is here and just about to check my salary has gone in before I happily go off to sleep.

How different (for the better) this is. For a long time before me quitting, I possibly would have already spent part of my salary on gambling by this time of the morning!! Accompanied by a tensed feeling in my stomach, reaching a crescendo when on several occasions, I had lost nearly all of my money before the sun had risen!!

NOT ON THIS OCCASION Me and my friend Will (Power) are walking down 'The Bright Side of the Road" complete with wage packet!!

A very relaxed Feb.xx

Again way to go Feb, great job! I really like the goals idea, going to start doing some short term ones in my diary, stay thirsty my friend, for a gamble free life, day 43

Chicagoguy

Feb,

Really inspired by your journey so far, keep up the good work! I am now on day 3 and got through a tough personnel challenge last night of not having a football bet! Hopefully i can do the same at the weekend!

Keep it going! Have faith in each other! and defeat the beast inside us all!

Regards,

Cloud.

Thanks Chicago and cloud for your kind words. Will post later this eve.

Take care both of you.

Feb.

Thanks Feb! Take it easy in the garden though next time, hey? I too love a bit of gardening and find it the closest I can get to meditation whilst not in meditation, if that makes sense. 🙂

Well done though, Feb. I'm really happy for you. I can tell this is a positive life changing journey for you.

Stay strong.

All the best

Alex

Well then - DAY 33 Time to check whether I achieved my five mini goals for my first month since quitting gambling for good!

1. To pay ALL of my bills with my next monthly salary on 20th Feb. - most comming out by D/D on the same day. - TICK

2.To budget wisely with what little I will have left (this will improve in time). - TICK

3. To re-focus on something else - cooking and baking more (which I love and have let slip) and just a simple thing like taking a paper to bed. - TICK - made a lovely spicey Lentil and Vegetable soup and a delicious Curried Chicken pie topped with Filo pastry!

4.To allow myself a little luxury, inexpensive treat on payday, whether that be a magazine, a facial scrub - just something that I can have for ME. (My last pay day presented me with some of the worse feelings of my life!! and I now want to look forward to payday instead of dreading it, as I did, knowing what would be about to happen. - A BIG FAT CROSS!!! More in a minute....

5.To allow myself to just BREATH if it gets a little difficult and not think too much about what I HAVE done but focus more of my energy on what I AM going to do. - TICK

Right then, getting back to my pay day treat. I had set up a very posh facial (one of my 50th Birthday Presents) for payday. All booked and could not wait. Then yesterday, I decided to spend a few hours in the garden - it's amazing how quickly the time goes by when you are working in the garden!! Anyway, I had achieved a fair bit, pruning, digging and re-organising my pots. Was just about to move a very large, heavy pot with a small tree in it when the next minute - TWIST!!! That was my back gone!

I was in agony all night and was up until 4am. Today has not been much better and tonight has gone really bad again, hence me typing this now to try to distract myself from the pain. So that was the end of my facial (until next Thursday, I have re-booked).

Anyway, just want to finish off by saying, "what a difference a month makes" (when not gambling)!! For the first time in a long time, I have paid all my bills with my salary, I have gone and bought some lovely food, two bottles of quality wine, my big purse is back in action with a crisp £20. note in it - for ages, I have been going round with a poxy little purse with nothing in it virtually. Most important of all though I think, is just the complete feeling of relaxation, no stress, panic or anxiety. Do you know how good that feels?!!

All in all, a very good day (minus the back injury of course)!!

Stay strong and positive everyone - just like me and Will (Power)!!

Feb - Grimicing as I walk along "The Bright Side of the Road"!!

Hi FEB2013

Well done on achieving your goals. My payday is the 28th and like you I will be paying off all bills and some debts and hope to have a little left over, quite nervous about it though as I usually go mad on the slots on payday and don't want to go back that road and since I've had no money to spend on the slots payday will be a real tester.

Happy belated birthday and sorry to read about your back, hope you recover from it soon.

Keep staying positive your doing great x

DAY 34. One month over! one pay day over! All is well. MONTH TWO - MINI GOALS:

Shall I continue with days, weeks or months from now on....??? I think I shall now continue with number of weeks gamble free for now and take it from there.

SO THEN... 5 WEEKS this saturday, I will have been gamble free. Having successfully used my gamble free salary accordingly and achieving nearly ALL of my first 5 mini goals (one mini goal not achieved due to back injury) I am now going to put some mini goals into place ready for next pay day.

I do however, also want to keep at the forefront of my mind when considering these goals, the reasons why I decided to quit gambling for once and for all on that day of: 18TH JANUARY 2013. These reasons were the following:-

After I gambled, spending virtually all of my salary on the day of being paid, the emotions and feelings i experienced were the worse I had ever experienced to date and these were: terrified, stressed, panic, desperate, guilty, remorseful, ashamed and sad. All of these emotions which played havoc on my mental and physical state at this time, were enough to make me realise for once and for all that" THIS REALLY IS IT"!! Enough is definitely enough (it just had to be)!! In a way, it was such a lovely thought as well) I just wanted the "old me" back - strong, sensible and confident!!

So then......

MONTH TWO/PAY SALARY No. TWO - MINI GOALS

Hi Feb,

Great work on what you have done! Keep up the good work 🙂