Happy New Year!
Well, I have now passed my 365-day mark GF and it feels ok but strangely I am disappointed that I did not feel better about it. Still thinking about a good way to help others out here as I feel I have a lot to share. Maybe an app that can share some good words when te urge starts to hit home or maybe a youtube film now and again to bring inspiration to those who are struggling with theirs. There are so many ways to help but what to choose?
I read here about a lot of relapses over the holidays. It makes perfect sense. Seeing the high street shoppers mad frenzy to get all of their gifts in time tells me the stress here is just the same if not worse as the finances are what they are with gamblers. You have to ask yourself about the word called choice. What do you choose to do?
The brain works things out this way. 80% is your history. 20% is your reality. To solve problems the brain goes back to the 80% you have already done to make sense of the task you are about to do. Now if your past is just gambling it will be an easy decision for your brain to look to options regarding that. So you need to be aware that your brain does these things to keep you doing the same thing as you have always done. Once you start to understand it you can give yourselves other options. If you close your eyes and take five deep breathes in slow succession. If only for a short while you become mindful of what is happening right now. That is why mindfulness is a very good tool to use to calm your soul and to think clearly of the present.
Be kind. We have such an easy time of beating ourselves up for every mishap along our journeys. Don´t. We will continue to make mistakes as long as we live. The idea is to learn from them and to take responsibility for our actions and that is hard if you don't forgive them at some point.
You can change by making a clear choice to be responsible for all your actions. Once you claim that responsibility you will start to notice the gradual change. It is an awakening of sorts and it depends on how you manage yourself.
Best of luck in your recovery!
Thank you 🙂
Well done c43h, thanks for sharing.
Well done @c43h
We're on the same journey and I've just completed my year. I've actually found the last few days some of the most difficult (hence several visits here) because I'd seen the year mark as such a big thing. Part of my brain thinks I've finished my journey.
I think that popping on here is a good way to help others, but also helps us to remember how things were a year ago and before. Happy New Year and keep up the good work.
Good for you, well done!
i aspire to be where you are now in 360 days!
i know I’m in the perfect place to achieve it!
Interesting 80% history 20% reality, makes a lot of sense. I'm going to think of that when making decisions in future. Like on Christmas eve just gone i went to the pub in the day, now i don't drink anymore, i don't smoke, i don't do drugs, but i used to go to the pub every Christmas eve...…..I almost gambled soo many times that day and it was a real shock to the system, all because historically where did i go on Christmas eve? the pub lol.
Cool achievment c,
Mulling over the 80% history and 20% reality? Wondering where it came from ?
Am familiar with the 80 -20 rule or as Woody Allen put it - 80% of success is turning up. ?
All the best
Rev the Irrelevant
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
