Ground zero

Day 79: no gambling today.

Such a long day. I was working between 11am-1pm, 3pm-5pm and 6pm-11pm. Shattered. Got another busy day coming up, but at least there is no time to gamble. I am really looking forward to reaching 100 days gamble-free in early February. I am also planning to attend a GA meeting within the next few weeks to provide myself with more support for my recovery. In the meantime, I think this site is excellent.

Hi P

Glad you are going along well. Work is a great distraction from the gambling. Sometimes we overdo it but not sure what the answer is. Let us know how the ga meeting goes for you. Some people get more than othere from them. I found AA uplifting to start with and was walking tall afterwards for a day or so. Take care

Yes, it's important to get the balance right between work and plenty of chill out time for yourself for reflection. Working long hours is great to keep the gambling demons away but it's not the only answer.

Hope you manage to get some chill out time soon, in the meantime, don't work too hard, eh?!

GT

Day 80: no gambling today.

Back at work today for a rest after a terribly busy weekend, which was spent working, studying and looking after my in-laws. Anyway, I smashed through the 80-day barrier yesterday. I have not had any gambling urges but am constantly on my guard, especially following payday the other day. I have money in my account for a change, but most of the available funds are provided by my overdraft, which I want to stop using as soon as I can. It should be for emergencies only in my opinion. Still, at least I am not using it to gamble away thousands of pounds on horse racing like I used to do.

Good work i get paid on friday and currently have 23 pds credit in my account ,doesnt sound like much but if i can make it to friday it will be the first time i wont be overdrawn on payday for five years,the last time i had a long break from gambling.

Good luck in your recovery

Denis

Day 81: no gambling today.

Bad start to the day. Got up at 5am to say goodbye to the in-laws and then made the mistake of going back to bed. Overslept and woke up late for work with the rain pouring down outside. Had to order a taxi, which then took ages to arrive so I did not save any time compared to using the tube. It just cost me a load of money. The knock-on effect means that I will be late for my language class tonight.

Day 82: no gambling today.

You'll be at 100 on Feb 11th.

Do you still get the urge these days? Or have you got it beaten (without being complacent, of course)?

I have had a few gambling urges over the last 82 days. Most urges come at random and are totally unpredictable, which is why I am always on my guard. Self-excluding myself from B**5 was a blessing as I lost tens of thousands of pounds on their website during 2011 and probably would have lost more had I not self-excluded in November. I am taking each day as it comes and am looking forward to reaching Day 100 in the near future. That is the point when my recovery will really feel likes it is getting somewhere - a personal milestone. I am planning to get myself out of my overdraft by the end of March as cannot afford to be maxed-out each month only to have NatWest asking for it all back as soon as possible.

well done 100 days almost in sight, no what you mean about o/d just reducded mine this month

not good to be in them all time,

keep working at it that 100 days is close

gl

It is eleven months until Christmas Day and on the 25th day of each month between now and then, I am going to check my Experian Credit Score in order to monitor the state of my finances. Staying gamble-free must go hand-in-hand with an improvement in one's financial stability and a reduction of one's gambling-related debts.

My current Experian Credit Score is 731 (Fair). It has improved by 80 points since last month. The amount of outstanding debt (excluding mortgages and defaults) is £10,151.