Hi, my name is Paul, I'm 26 and while I started typing this I realised I have been gambling for 10 years already. 10 years. wow.
In the last few years my life has been pretty amazing. I got on really well at work and managed to get numerous promotions to store manager. While there I met the most amazing and beautiful girl I ever met. She has become my best friend, and nothing makes me happier than seeing her smile. She took me to Gran Canaria on my first holiday abroad, which was amazing. This girl is now my wife, we got married in June.Our wedding was phenominal. Then we went to Mexico for our honeymoon, this was unbelieveable. Since then we have began to plan the rest of our life together.
We paid for 90% of our wedding ourself through saving hard, and it was hard. Now we plan to continue the hard saving and raise enough for a mortagage. Our time scale is 14 months. Then it will be time to grow a family of our own, again very expensive.
In between these two events, we decided we should have one big trip of a lifetime before all of our funds are absorbed in a mortgage and children of our own. We instantly agreed on America. I love everything about the country from the cuisne to the sport and we've already planned our route, time spent in each state and where we are going to stay.
All thats left is the saving, and lots of it.
Here's where my concern is. Recnetly my gambling has begun to get out of control again, from placing a £50 season long bet to the odd £5-£10 a few times a week. Saving is becomming very hard and the last 2 months I've actually had to dip into the savings fund to pay bills becuase I've gambled some of the money away. A few times in the last 6 weeks I've blown out at the bookies and lost over a hundred quid a time. This is my wake up call.
Moving out will happen, it just depends when. We desperatley want our own space but are thinking long term so don't want to rush into renting so that's why were saving for a mortgage. The trip to the USA doesn't have to happen though, this is money permitting and If I have to miss out on a trip I've wanted my whole life becuase of my casual gambling I would never forgive myself. Worst of all would be denying my wife the same trip.
So this is where my journey begins, I've used this webiste before, and it works, I just need to stick with it. I want to see out the remianing 6 weeks of the year gamble free and have a resolution of placing only 1 bet all year, a bet on myslelf that I can do this.
I wanted to see how serious I was about this so waited for my first test before placing, that came last night. Football, tennis, cricket, basketball, all the events I would normally bet on. I came close. I even had bets in my betslip, I paused. Thought about my upcoming journey, closed the app and smiled,
my war has just begun, but the first battle is won. Today is day 3, hopefully I'm still posting months down the line.
No more gambling my dreams away,
Wish me luck
Paul
Good luck paul
You have a plan and your right, keep posting.
Well done for coming on here Paul. Im the same age as you, and going through a similar stage!
Im planning on proposing to my gf next year and we are looking to buy a house in January too! Keep the good work up and look forwardto seeing many more gamble free days/weeks!
Sounds good Jason, I hope all your plans come together.
Day 4 today, a day off. Normally bet throughout the day on pointless c**P trying to accumalte money for the weekend. Not today, done all the jobs I wanted to do, caught up on some TV and now just chilling, gamble free.
Good luck
Paul
Day 6.
Nearly a whole week gamble free already. The real sporting action is back this weekend though and there's lots of. I'd normally get through my days work then sit in front of the box watching all the action unfold, accas in hand, before normally s******g them up in annoyance when 'that 1 team' let me down. £20-£30 accas combined I probably got to on a Saturday, and not does that soon add up.
Taking it day-by-day but getting through to Monday would be a huge step for me.
Keep strong
Paul
Day 8.
I made it through a huge sporting weekend. My football team (Tottenham) gt a thumping victory, but my American Football team (Redskins) got thumped. All in all it was a top weekend though and th most important thing is I didn't gamble a penny, very proud of myself.
I'm not getting carried away though, I've barely taken a step in my journey, but I'm a determined little f****r, this time I'm winning at any cost.
Paul
Day 10
Double figures. European football came and went last night without even a thought of a bet. Watched my mate place and lose a bet and made me feel happy just watching the results come in as a neutral.
Tomorrow is payday and it will be nice to go a whole month without wasting money on gambling. I'll just waste it on alcohol and presents for Christmas instead, which I don't mind, at least you get something out of it.
Now 10 days is good, but as far as I can see I'm still in the honeymoon period. It's like signing up to a gym at 16. You feel amazing doing something new and go every day and finiding the motivation is easy. It's when it's no longer a novelty that it becomes hard, and this will be the same. But for now, I'm taking the progress in my stride.
Paul
Day 16
Been a crazy busy week so no chance to post but I'm pleased to say that I've kept the streak going. There was so much sport on, and the weekend topped it off with all of sporting supports playing. San Antonio won twice, Britain won the Davis cup, Fury won the boxing, Tottenham picked up a good point against Chelsea and my Redskins defeated New York to take first place. And as I said, all without a bet being placed, as hard as it was, buut I'm very pleased with myself.
Going storng, and I'm slowly starting to see the benefits financially and have also gone back to days of wathcing sport as a neutral rather than worrying over the bets I've placed and the money I will probably lose.
Paul
Day 19
Another long, satisfying day at work yesterday. Almost had a look at odds for some great sports that were on last night. Waking up to see that I called the results correct is a little annoying but I will soon get over it. I'm happy I resisted. Watched a great American Football team as a neutral. The team I was going to back were losing by loads so it would have been a crazy rollercoaster of emotions had I backed the bet.
Now I'm sat here early on a Friday morning, with no work and plans to head into town to begin christmas shoppoing for the wife, proud that I have funds in my bank that would normally be sat in the bottom of a blackjack machine or in the tills of a bookies.
Happy man, happy life.
Paul
Day 21
3 weeks today since I decided to not gamble anymore. I'm not going to lie, today I'm struggling. My brother won a big bet yesterday and wants some tips on today's action which I delivered. I want to have a small £5-£10 bet on tonights NFL so bad. I loaded up the laptop and pondered for about 2 minutes as to whether I should log on to gamecare or a well known betting site. As you can tell I chose the former, for now.
I'll hate myself in the morning so gotta try my hardest to get through the next 12 hours.
very well done to you! Give yourself a pat on the back, great story for me to read as I've just found out my son has been a cg for two years and I can only see doom and gloom for him. Good luck to you.
Thank you. I got through the weekend and it didn't even bother me that the bet I suggested for my brother came in, a tidy sum for him.
Today is day 23 and funds are starting to catch up with me, most of my money has gone on christmas shopping for my wife and family, not the big G word.
Stayed up all night watching American football last night, my team lost, bummer. But I'm happy with how things on here are going.
Thanks
Paul
A week since I posted, it's been a busy week of travelling to family, sorting out christmas and watching some immense sport and working hard. Again I came so close to placing a small bet 'what's £5 I said to myself' but then my head took over and I thought it would lead to much more and put me back in the same stage.
I have just over a week until I get paid and even with it being christmas I still feel richer than I have in previous months so I'm really optomistic for the new year when there won't be so much to pay for.
Day 30, so close to that 1 month mark, and hopefully will make a happier christmas
Paul
1 month today. Anyone that knows me and knows how much sport rules my life will be amazed already at what an achievement one month gamble free is. Sport is all I talk about, and if I wasn't talking about sport I'd be talking about gambling on sports, it was my everything. The buzz was immense and at times unescapable.
Now I've hit a fairly decent milestone, my next aim is to get through to 2016, then 100 days and so on. I know I can do, I've already been through tough situations and am getting more confident by the day.
Thanks
Paul
So it's very nearly Christmas. That was my first target. Watched the Arsenal V City game just now. Text my mate who's and Arsenal fan and said 2-1 Arsenal. I was right. My mind went crazy. That's about £80 I lost out on there. Then I remembered all the £80's I haven't thrown away lately, or all the £80's I would throw away at the weekend trying to win the next bet. It's swings and roundabouts with betting, win one lose 5 and so on. I'm just happy I've kept the streak going.
Day 36 and only a few days to go until I've survived a whole pay check without gambling.
Paul
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