Back to basics

Great work Phil Look forward to hear from you when you are up and running again. Stay strong. Mark.

After so long with such an empty life its good to have had such a change in my fortunes. I should be off today and tomorrow, but I'm in work for some overtime today, at the rugby tonight and then have the football tomorrow and also a gig tomorrow night. At some point I also have hours of work to do on all the data I have lost, and of course the update for the 2015 challenge on Sunday. The old me would spend my two days off skint with very little to do. Nice to be busy, not so nice to have work today!

No urges today, no bets today, was offered raffle tickets in work, gave them a few quid but said I didn't want any tickets.

Just a quick post, I'm feeling good today, off for a quick haircut, then a few pints before the game and then a gig in Manchester tonight. No urges whatsoever, under 30 weeks till New York which is my reward for not gambling. If I was to spend a pound on gambling then I don't deserve to go. I am strong and I will be staying strong! No bets today!

Hey Phil,

I expect (and hope) that you're 3 sheets to the wind right now as you're at a gig in Manchester! So, just dropping by to see how you're getting on and of course you are doing fantastically well with no gambling urges or thoughts. Good work soldier!

Rach x

Thanks Rach and NT! The gig last night was absolutely amazing, it was a up and coming band called Hudson Taylor and they smashed it! The old gambling Phil ten weeks ago would have had to knock the gig back because I would have been skint, the same way I turned down so much over most of my adult life. Infact I'm so used to saying no that it's hard getting used to saying yes. But that's what this year is about, me taking back my life and saying yes to every opportunity that comes along.

Ten weeks today gamble free, I feel strong, I've had no urges, life is good, it's in my hands, make that choice not to gamble and the rest will take care of itself.

Phil

fella good to see the gift of abstinence keeps giving.

enjoy all it brings my friend.

As for you 'frustrating' week running the 2015 challenge,my advice simple,lead from the front,enjoy walking side by side with the folk here,don't feel personally responsible for anyone except yourself.

You can't alter anyone's life choices except your own, I know that is is frustrating at times but use it to feed your own resolve.

We have all walked in those shoes,f**k I failed for far too many years to accept gambling was ruining my life,that the addiction I fed was without progressive,that one punt would never satisfy it,it wanted all I had and more.

Look after yourself,from it you will have a proudly positive effect on more folk than you will know.

be proud of that.

Abstain and maintain.

We got a win saturday,lol for 93minutes bored them off the park!! terrible to watch,but hey a wins a win!!!.

Duncs stepping forward never back

Day 71 today and I've just watched Better Call Saul, wow its seriously good, if you like Breaking Bad you will love it. I can't wait to wake upp tomorrow and watch episode two. My long list of things I want to do as a reward for my recovery includes a trip to Alberquerque to go on the Breaking Bad tour.

Still feeling good, no urges at all and a couple of messy days in York to look forward to at the weekend!

Good Afternoon Phil,

Great to see that Netfilx is keeping you busy. I was about let you know that the first episode is already up and ready watch when I read your last post. Many thanks to absitinence will be bringing home a few treats for the family and reacquainting myself with Saul this evening. I will have a look at the Americans - but before I have dispensed with Saul. With the next Series of Walking Dead starting on Fox tonight and with Fargo (10 episode series on Netflix whihc is fantastic and absolutely better than the film so far) I will have plenty to keep me occupied. Amazing that there is such a thing a a Breaking Tour - if I can go 500 days undefeated I think I would join you! I will be pleased to share my throughts on BCS when I have seen the first episode.Until then stay strong! Best, Mark.

Hi Phil,

Well done on passing the seventy day mark, and continuing to embrace the things that make life worth living. I've got four gigs lined up over the next few months, and I know that I will be buzzing for each one. The first one is on Friday night, but I'm working on Saturday so not too much partying for me that night!

I've never watched Breaking Bad, but it has been on my to-do list for ages. There must be four or five pages on that list by now!

All the best

Ryan

Thanks leedso and Markman. Its day 72 and just a quick post as I'm due in work soon. Things are good I can honestly say I have no urges whatsoever and gambling doesn't enter my head. Long may it continue! Just watched the second episode of Better Call Saul, I'm really excited to see where this goes. I also watched American Sniper last night which I enjoyed.

So on I go, things are good, the only thing I would change right now my job, but I'm struggling to find anything which pays the same, so I'm trapped for now. No bets today!!!

Day 73 and I've had a really bad nights sleep. Nothing to do with gambling, just got something on my mind. Theres been too many mornings over the years that I've woken up early because I was excited about a days gambling, those days are gone. I am choosing recovery! Things are changing, things are getting better for me and i'm not destroying all the hard work.

I'm going to try and get some sleep now before work. No bets today!!!

Hi Phil,

73 days of winning, and I luv your choice which is recovery,

Well done on your days and your hard work is paying off now

Stay strong and positive,

Suzanne xx

Thanks Suzanne, its now 74 days of winning!

Just a quick post as I've been so busy and am off to work shortly. Can't wait to get today done as tomorrow I'm off to York for a couple of days. Really looking forward to it and in the years gone by I wouldnt have been invited along as I had spent so much time in a bookies that people forgot I existed! So things are changing for the better.

No bets today!!!

Hi Phil,

Great to see you are still rocking!

Saw first epidose of Better Call Saul last night... "that car wouldn't be worth $500.00 if it had a $300.00 h**ker stiing in the back!" Already a classic line! Look forward to episode 2!

Have a great time in York - be good!

Best,

Mark

Wow born again such an inspirational story, sounds like you've had a real difficult time but are doing great in ur recovery and also ur weightloss. I'm in the same boat, payday comes then skint, fine all month when skint then get some money and boom it's gone, or win and can't stop thinking about gambling until I've lost the lot.

well tomorrow is day 1, I pray that I can be as strong as you and knock this addiction and also some weight loss would be nice ha.