have to stop for me and also my family :-(

Hi Scotty

20 days today keep going and stay positive

That's nearly 3 whole weeks and that sounds good doesn't it well done

Suzanne x

Hello mate how's it going? Nearly at that three week mark already that's a great achievement. Do you feel it's getting easier?

Stay strong mate.

Day 20 almost done,been working all day now in with kids while wife is at her friends hen night.normally I would have just have got the kids in bed and sat betting rest of the night but not now.feeling lost without betting but know I cant control it so this is the way it will have to stay.1 day at a time for me and keep them going up and up.

Hi Scotty

Thanks for your supportive words

You will feel a void we lived breathed and dreamt of the addiction but well done for controlling it and yes one day at a time we can and will maintain abstaining

Scottys doing it and winning on day at a time

Well done

Suzanne x

Hi Scotty

While you are in a pretty good zone being 20 days free can I ask you how you would go about placing a bet if the urges beat you? Because now is the time to think about that and do something practical.

If it is a local bookies that you drive past, go and chat to the staff - it is there job to help people gamble responsibly and if you ask them to exclude you from the premises they must do that. Take a nice A4 photo of your face as well so that they can show all the staff.

If it is online, I suggest you make a hitlist of all of the online betting companies you know (even the ones you don't use) and when you have a free couple of hours go online and open up the live chat application that almost all of them have nowadays. Chat to them about your problem and provide them with all your card numbers which they will then exclude from their site...again it is their responsibility to do this! Leave no stone unturned.

For me, this is a way of preventing the compulsion. If you put your mind to it, there will always be a way around but if you make it so hard for yourself that you have enough thinking time or you miss the event that you had the urge to bet on, you will be reminded of your kids and your wife and you'll just stop looking for a way.

Day 21 with not one single penny spent on an sort of gambling.feeling great at hitting the 21day mark but with such a void feeling it feels like day 1. 🙁 never mind I will choose to battle on and try and rack my days up and hopefully things will get easier. 🙂 its a horrible illness to have but I have seen on here how it can be beat so that gives me that extra push to follow others and never gamble again because we cant stop.

Good post Scott, I am feeling exactly like you in terms of the excitement and buzz of gambling not being there anymore. But like you say lets just keep racking up the days and hope for that moment when it all clicks. What is for sure is that although we are still feeling low we are not losing money anymore, this is just something we have to go through to get to where we want to be.

In any case well done its a great start.

and yes fantasy league sounds good 🙂

Alrite mate just making sure everythings ok?

Day 23 and still betfree. 🙂 still feeling a major void with no gambling in my life now but am still willing to battle all the way.going to be a hard weekend here as the football starts but will keep myself busy and well away from a bet.

Hi Scottie

Well done on 23 days

in my experience so far the void has faded and sheer determination and positiveness has taken over so be patient just keep ticking the days off one day at a time and the void will fade

Stay strong and positive

Suzanne xx

Well done mate another day gone betfree and like a few people have said the positives will come if we abstain for long enough so lets make sure we do that 🙂

Hi Scottyboy,

Well done 4 not giving up, this journey is so tough but I know ul get there!

Stay strong and keep going x

Now mate hope its still going well. Couple more days then we'll be at the month mark, would certainly be my longest run ever!

Let's get to xmas then go from there 🙂

Hi Scottie

Hope all is well and that you are abstaining and maintaining keep strong focused and positive

Suzanne x

Day 26 going well.have been busy last few days and out at pics with wife lastnight which was good as it would never have happend if I was still gambling.have a few thoughts of football being on tomorrow but then remember how bad it really is gambling and losing so that will be enough for me not to be placing a bet.i really hate this void feeling I am getting the now as am not gambling but hopefully it will ease away soon.