Day 12
The days are beginning to mount up now. Going out tonight which should be fun.
Short update but life feels good at the moment. Staying gamble free is the key.
Hey Dan, thought I’d drop in to say well done on the continued good work mate!
Watch the drinks though... Not as in don’t have too many! 🙂 Just that, for me, a heady night out was often followed straight up by a sobering gambling session. Guess you don’t need me to tell you that though.
Have a great GF BH weekend!
Caughtup - how bizarre that we both logged on at the same time 🙂 I’m doing good thanks. I’ve been the same, doing things that I’d previously neglected. Isn’t it amazing that we have so much more time on our hands when we’re not wasting it, gambling? Have a lovely weekend too...x
Ukds69 - thanks very much for your post mate.
I did enjoy a few drinks last night and I had a great time. For me, Gambling heavily has never happened as result of drinking too much or being drunk. In fact, gambling is the last thing on my mind when I’m drunk. It’s sheer boredom that traps me into gambling. That’s why I’m making a big effort to keep busy and to do more sociable things 🙂
You’re doing great mate. Over the 30 day mark now. How are you feeling compared to 30 days ago?
2 weeks gamble free (Day 14)
It’s a start. But only a start.
Still no real urges to gamble and absolutely no desire to gamble on roulette etc. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick. I’m glad that when I do get those urges, it’s not an urge to play casino games.
I just seem to get suckered into those when I lose a few sports bets.
I enjoyed watching the CL final last night with my cousin. It was nice to watch a game where I wasn’t praying for a 4th/5th goal etc.
I’m enjoying life without gambling. I don’t miss it at all at the moment.
Dan
Good work Dan, we have a similar quit date and same trigger (boredom) so good to see you racking up the days and doing well.
Day 15
Cheers Rugbyman, I appreciate your support mate. Good to see you’re doing well too.
I’ve just been watching a documentary, that has recently been posted on Youtube by Al Jazeera TV, highlighting the fact that there are lots of cricket matches all over the world that are being fixed in some ways by match fixers. The games highlighted in the ‘under cover’ documentary are all games that I have bet on over the last couple of years. Whether these incidents of match fixing are proved to be true (I think there’s currently an investigation taking place) it shows that, as people who are betting on sports, we could be betting on things that are already predetermined in the outcome.
It gives you food for thought on what the point is on betting on sports when they could quite easily be fixed.
I was always a keen gambler when it came to cricket because I love the sport and I think I know quite a lot about it.
Not anymore. I’m beginning to see the light.
Dan
Day 16
Dentist appointment this morning which I’m dreading. Only a check up, but I hate the dentists!
No urges to gamble. I’m enjoying this life too much to let gambling come in and ruin it. I’ve seen how that story ends countless times and I’m just bored with it all now. I want to put my money to better use. To save up for a holiday or a new car possibly.
Payday tomorrow. Hopefully the first of many that I’ll see without gambling.
Things looking up...(apart from the dentists...)
Dan
Great going Dan!
It really is the best isn’t it!? Not the dentist, the not gambling bit 🙂
Why is it that when we give up gambling, we become really tight with our money?....
Today I’ve spent £6 on lunch and £10 tonight on tea and a couple of beers.... I feel really bad about it and as though I’ve just wasted money in the same way I did when I was gambling. I’ve treated myself a bit today yet I feel guilty about it.
Oh well. Another day without gambling can only be good!
That’s the paradox. I’m a Finance Director and am always watching every penny with suppliers, investments etc. The company now turns over in the millions and I am as much of an absolute nightmare with my suppliers now as I was when the company began. I am always renegotiating to get better deals whether that’s with the electric supply or the toilet roll.
Then I go home (or at least, I used to) and throw £300 down the drain by logging onto a gambling site and playing a slot. Bizarre!
That said, I suppose I should just be thankful I didn’t apply the same logic that I applied to gambling as to running the business finances or there wouldn’t have been a business for long 🙂
Strange, isn’t it!? Gambling almost has it’s own set of rules when it comes to us compulsive gamblers.
Day 17
Payday. No thoughts on gambling whatsoever. The thought of it still sickens me.
Instead I’m looking forward to dropping my brother off in town and getting myself a coffee and a paper and relaxing.
Nothing more to add other than today I will not gamble.
Dan
Thanks for posting on my diary Dan. Thought I would pop on to yours to say well done.
Liking your positive attitude 🙂
Day 19
Nothing much to report. No changes in my mindset towards gambling.
I’ve enjoyed my week off this week. I’ve been for long walks every night to combat any boredom during the evening.
I saw somebody else post something last night (or the other day) that rang true with me.
It’s the fact that I plan a spending budget at the start of the month for bills, mortgage, food etc and if I were to get an unexpected/unplanned bill such as a car repair or house repair, then I’d see that as an injustice and try to win that money back through gambling.
So I guess my biggest test will be if that were to happen.
I had a few very minor fleeting thoughts the other night when I suddenly remembered that I had 3 birthdays presents to buy this month. I suddenly panicked and the brain diverted me to the way of gambling. Thankfully, I had enough strength (and the blocks) in place to fight against that.
Another thing I have to be wary of is overspending. Now that I’m not gambling I seem to be spending money on things that I otherwise wouldn’t have. Extra food/treats at the supermarket, coffee’s in town, meals out, alcohol etc. I have to make sure I reign it in a little.
Other than that, it’s another sunny day. Another gamble free day on it’s way.
Dan
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
