Day one 14/12/2013

11 days to go till 100 and I am really looking forward to bringing up three figures. 89 days in and on reflection its been easier than I thought and also far more rewarding than I thought it would be.

Sadly today is my last day off work and normality returns tomorrow. No doubt I will return to people wanting to tell me all about how they did at Cheltenham. Will be asking them nicely not to talk to me about it.

No bets for me today!

Feeling good today, 90 days without gambling has come around. When I started this diary I struggled to get a few days together without gambling. To have now reached 90 is a huge achievement for me.

Now to work on the other aspects of my life that need fixing. Throughout this process my ex has held me back and and messed with my head. I need to move on from her. I need to focus more time on my career and my health. New diet starts today and I will be back running tomorrow night.

The future is bright for 2014 Phil. All I have to do is focus in the right directions and my journey can be a lot more enjoyable than my old life was.

No bets for me today!

A huge congratulations and well done on your 90 days. Not long now before the big milestone. Good to read you are doing well and staying positive.

x

Thanks for the kind words babybluesky, its nice to have some support along the way.

Day 91 today and ever closer to three figures. I managed to negotiate work yesterday without hearing anything about last weeks events in Cheltenham. I did have one guy who knows I don't want to know anymore start to tell me what odds certain football matches are this week. I just thought are you for real! He knows I've stopped and shouldn't be telling me his tips and what odds they are. Anyway I'm not as weak as I used to be and it would take a lot more than hearing a few odds to tempt me back.

I'm in a good place right now and its only going to get better for me. At the start of my diary when Mr B invited me to join the 2014 challenge everything changed for me and I became more focussed and felt part of a group of positive people that I wasn't going to let down. I look forward to the rest of the journey and becoming a better person.

That's me for today, shortly off to work. No bets for me today!

92 days of living rather than the bleak existence that I used to suffer. Got a busy day ahead of me, need to get some food shopping done this morning and then into work early for a meeting. Not too happy with work at the moment, my boss is spineless and is making life so much harder because he hasn't got the balls to make a decision or discipline anyone.

Right just a quick one today as I have loads to do. No bets for me today!

A week away from 100 days 🙂 I think I've now stopped for longer than ever before since I was a 16 year old boy. I have absolutely no urges to gamble at present and have loads of barriers in place just incase an urge did come back. It's also really nice to see that other members of the 2014 challenge are hitting big numbers this week. My focus is on rooting for all of us to do well rather than rooting for the dogs or horses.

Had as expected a tough meeting in work yesterday. My boss is causing splits in our team because he's spineless and tries to keep everybody happy. I will sit back now and let them all fall out, I'm not going to get involved.

Last day in today, really looking forward to my two days off, especially a football away day on Saturday with the lads. Feeling really good at the moment and no bets for me today!

well done keep the effort going

stopping gambling im learning is all about being honest with myself however i do it

well done born again 1 more gamble free day to add

Thanks for the post Triangle. As gamblers we do need to be honest with ourselves and others as when we lie and deceive that's when we end up back gambling again. For a few minutes last night I was thinking about what rugby was on live tonight, when I remembered the match something clicked in my head and I started to think I could have a one off bet on the game as I believed that it would be easy money. Just one bet its buying money and then I wont bet again! Luckily this only lasted a few minutes before I realised how stupid I was being, if I had that one bet it would lead to more and more and more and I would start destroying myself again. I have worked too hard and made too much progress to slip up like that.

So its my day 94 and life has changed so much in a short amount of time. I've had my ups and downs especially regarding my ex. She's now taken a new job out the area and moves away on Sunday. Its really going to help me to move on with life. Her mood swings and the pressure on me to be with her has really messed me up and it will be good to have a normal routine without someone begging me and guilt tripping me into doing things I'd rather not. At one point I desperately wanted things to work, but there's just too many issues on both sides from the past and its for the best we both have a new start.

Not too sure what I'm doing with myself today but I certainly won't be gambling!

well done again bornagain

stopping this addiction is so tough isn't it

its not just a case of not putting on a bet its dealing with life issues that can drive me to place those bets sometimes

thanks for your support triangle

Eughhhhhh serious bad head as I type this! Missed a post yesterday which is rare for me but I was at the football and had a fair few too many. I need to make it the last time I do that as I always end up watching my team get beat, spending far too much money and feeling ill the following day.

So I'm now up to day 96. Surrounded by lads checking phones and coupons during the match yesterday and even had to wait outside a bookies whilst my mate put a bet on. but I stayed strong. I wont slip up, I don't want my old life back! Same old stories, this team and that team cost the lads so many hundreds of pounds. I'm glad I no longer have the stress on a Saturday afternoon of a last minute equaliser or waiting on a team to win.

Just a quick one today as I'm running late and need to get to work. No bets for me today!

Hi mate just wanted to say a massive well done on reading your diary and your now so close to 100 days

I stopped gambling on 11 November last year and now am 132 days gamble free and today have come the closest to betting out of all those days. Stay aware and stay strong. Exactly as you put it, we will not go back to that life!

Who's your team? I'm a united fan so finally happy to see a turnaround the past 2 games. I had to sell my season ticket due to my gambling but i managed to get to get to the olympiakos game. City and bayern might be better saving my money! It's the stress that was the worst bit. I nearly bet on Tottenham today and although I was then upset to see they'd won, I could only imagjne how stressed I would have been at 2-2 with no time left.

Stay strong and stay gamble free

Stu

Thanks for that Stu, I have left a post on your diary.

Its day 97 and I have not slept at all well. Didn't help that I had to go back to work again late last night because a file had gone missing in the system and I was the last one to use it. Then this morning I was woken up early by the phone. I will be tired at work tonight.

I'm on my two weeks nightmare shift. 5 days in 1 day off followed by another 5 in and 1 off! Additionally more graduate area managers working with me so endless questions which really will slow me down, especially as we are seriously short staffed the next two weeks. Got two things to keep me going this week, firstly my century on Thursday and then my day off on Friday and a very big rugby match. Been a great start for Saints, 6 wins out of 6, but the injuries are mounting and Friday will be a big test.

I'm feeling no strong urges to gamble at the moment which is good. Its payday week and I would usually be full of excitement and counting the days down, but its different now. I have money in the bank and I'm not gambling so payday is just another day for me.

Feeling strong, could walk past 100 bookies today and they wouldn't tempt me in!

Hi

Congratulations on nearly making your century. It's a really good sign that you can bat away those gambling impulses and even wait out side a betting shop when your friends are having a flutter. It's my pay day tomorrow, I use to get excited because I thought there would be a chance of make some extra cash, but you are right it's just another day and those digits on a computer screen will be put to good use. I won't waste a penny on gambling.

All the best in your recovery.

Thanks Westsider, hope your payday doesn't tempt you back.

Its day 98, 14 weeks without a bet. Wow I didn't think this would be possible. I used to feel powerless to stop my gambling, I wanted to stop for so long but just kept failing time and time again. Now I am finally in a good place and taking control of my problem.

Right only a short post today, I have a few things to get done before work. No bets for me today!

WOW i didn't read all of your diary as it's a long one skipped quite a few pages but then again read some really interesting posts by you. You sir are amazing and strong and if i could be 10% of you i would be happy. Well done Fella please keep going you are another one who i want to follow.