10 days in, all good. Have enough money to enjoy myself this weekend in Melbourne and then I get paid next week.
Going to join some groups on here to motivate me to get to 100 days. I think once pay comes in and I'm settled I should be ok.
Was going to check in at 20 days but it's suddenly 22. Things are really looking good. Have money, enjoying my free time with friends and getting addicted to other things like TV shows so I can have some great conversations at work.
Good to hear you're doing well.
It's a good idea to set yourself goals. A month or 50 days is also a good marker and not as far away as 100!! It's also a good idea to treat yourself every now and again
Surely, being able to go on holiday with friends cannot compare with sitting alone and gambling.
You're young with your whole life ahead of you. The choices you make today will dictate your life tomorrow.
Stay strong, keep making the right choices, wishing you happy days ahead.x
Great stuff mate, keep at it.
Wilsy
I have been reading your thread regularly. The way you live your life and enjoy it during recovery and burying the debt inspires me. Thanks for that, mate.
Little miss lost, Wilsy & Merlins, thank you for your messages. It means a lot as I didn't know anyone actually read this, it was mainly for my own record.
Anyway 30 days in (only 20 away from 50), should be easy.
Update on my life in Australia, I have applied for and successfully got a job working June-October at a ski resort which will include free ski pass and living in staff accomodation so chance to make some good friends.
The last few weeks have been up and down, so happy to not be gambling and feel like i'm getting on the right track at last but a girl I was seeing is having second thoughts about staying here and so has stopped seeing me as she doesn't want to get too emotionally attached.
Ah well I can't have everything, one step at a time.
Good progress and a great attitude.
Life should be about adventures, making friends and having fun.
The job at the ski resort will give you ample opportunity to develop new skills, discover your true potential and live life to the full. You will be gamble free but you can still go on the piste now and than.
36 days in, just bored at night so thought I'd come on here to reassure myself. Only 2 weeks until half century time. Longest I've been gamble free for a while although I've had times when I've not been counting just dipping in and out but I realised that didn't work.
I do tend to find myself less interested in sport as it triggers too many emotions of wanting to gamble. I wish I could go back to how I was before all this as I loved all sorts of sport and just saw it as intense competition and I used to love seeing the underdog win (when I was gambling the underdog winning was my worst nightmare and led to a lot of unnecessary pain).
That was before I knew anything about gambling and it was a much, much better time.
40 days in. Spoke with one of my credit card companies about my gambling problems a few days ago and they have massively reduced the interest rate I was paying for a whole year.
It may affect my credit card score but that was pretty poor anyway. At least I can clear off that debt quicker or have a bit more spare money to do things I want to do.
Feeling ok but still don't like spending money on anything really but I'm still on track with my saving strategy so all good.
50 days, that flew by.
I think this time round I finally have an understanding of what I need to do in order to keep myself gamble free.
Take responsibility of my debt and realise its not going to go away with betting more.
Work hard, this can ease down time and distractions, plus earn more money to pay off my debt faster.
Finally focus on my well being, I can now treat myself every now and again and not punish myself.
On to 100.
Congratulations on 50 days since your last bet.
Great progress on your gamble free journey.
Thanks Stephen, now day 67 and reading back to my earlier entries I am happy that I am actually following through with what I said I'd do. Have $2/3k saved for travelling and things are looking very good this year. I'm still at a loss in where I want to be in my life (do I want to go back to England and find a job or try somewhere else like New Zealand or Canada). My visa runs out at the end of October and I will have work up to the beginning of October so have a few weeks to travel after. Fingers crossed I make a little bit of money at the ski resort but I hope to really enjoy myself and not be counting every penny. That starts with being sensible now and putting the right plans in place.
See you at 80+ days. Should have been pay day and I'll be in a very good mood.
3/4 of the way to 100. Can't wait. Things are going really well in terms of saving for an East Coast trip of Australia. Able to send money home to cover my monthly credit card bills. Going to ring one of my credit card to see if they can reduce my payment but even if they don't I feel on top of things.
Looking forward to a good gamble free weekend.
Dan.
Checking in day 83. Spent well over a grand this week. But I'm so glad it wasn't on gambling but instead on a holiday for myself doing crazy things like skydiving, scuba diving and travelling up the East Coast of Australia. I just need to be careful and not feel like I need to make that money back. I've earnt it from working so hard over the last 3-4 months.
I know I probably should put that money to cover my debts but I want to live a little and not be forever in this boring working just to pay off debt routine.
What's more I'll be celebrating turning 30 in a month and be well on the way to 120+ days gamble free (1/3rd of the year).
Took a big risk today in telling my mum about one of my credit cards. She only found out as she opened my post (which is sort of illegal and I'm P****d about it but what can I do).
It's for 4k and I'm currently worried about the interest rate on it which is about to shoot up. Have just said it was something I was paying the minimum on and didn't realise how high the interest cost was.
Hopefully she will take it on and help to pay a bit off although then I need to pay her back plus others and I'm worried she will find out how bad my situation is.
At least this will take my mind off the interest worry on this card but I'm still in deep water and I have 3 other cards my parents don't know about.
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