It starts here and now.

A week gamble free - wow ! Bet you didn't think you could do that 7 days ago. There will always be a self exclude option on the website they have to by law. Normally under 'responsible gaming' (what a joke that phrase is ! ) think you need to do that to take the temptation away . You've done a week there is nothing stoping you doing a fortnight . Were all right behind you - all the best

Self exclusion done. I have to be honest and say that making it to a week GF for myself has never been a problem as when I gamble most of my wage for the month I have no option but to abstain. Which is the situation right now. So the real test for myself i suppose will be when that next wage goes in at the end of the month.

NW

Hi never win.

Lovely to hear that you are still gamble free and fighting those urges off.

Pay day was always my one biggest trigger and at my worst times, I had gambled almost all of my hard earned salary in just a few hours!! It's the worst feeling ever, one I do not want to ever go through again.

Having the blocks also helped me and hopefully, this will be the same for you too.

Take care and stay strong and focussed on your goal to remain gamble free.

Thanks Lady. Just need to stay strong and keep on the right path. Day 8 in motion. Delighted i made it through the weekend GF.

NW

Having a few urges at the moment with a big card of football betting available tonight but trying to tell myself its not worth it. The devil on the other shoulder is telling me just one bet and I can bump up my cash for the month. Striving for double figures tomorrow.

NW

10 days GF! Glad to reach the double figures mark but as I've told myself already, its only because I gambled the majority of my monthly wage already so I will only begin to feel like I am really achieving goals when the next pay day comes.

NW

Nearly time for the dreaded saturday again with a full list of football fixtures! Not much urges to go and gamble at the moment though, so hopefully this mindset will carry on over the weekend. 12 days GF

NW

Well, at least I've made it through another weekend GF. Just trying to maintain the focus and not slip back into my old mindset that I can go stick a £50 bet on to cover someof my outgoings for the month, because next thing will be another £50 bet to chase the money i've lost and so on....we all know how that ends.

Today was one of those days. As i was driving past a bookies on my way to pay a bill, i suddenly realised i had £100 cash on me and i had a sudden impulse thought...."i can go in to the bookies and just double my cash and walk out" then i had got rid of the bill i was going to pay for free. I managed to keep driving but this was one of the first times i have had a real strong urge in a while.

Hi never win, well done on driving past today! That is a big thing and you did it. I cannot offer much in the way of helpful tips that got me through as I'm back after a relapse BUT what I can say (and please do not take this the wrong way 🙂 ) is from experience of relapsing....if you don't have blocks in place and our guards are down bad things can happen, so is it worth self excluding from the bookies too? That way your not allowed in if you did feel tempted? I have a partner that is looking after money so that I cannot physically access cash, and I have complete block on my phone so i cannot access any gambling sites at all. I hope I haven't come across all negative because you really have done amazingly and I truely hope you continue too do well 🙂 Alice

Just thoughti would put up a post today. I am now 24 days GF. I am starting to feel some little benefits. Money is still a little tight at the minute but i know this is only because i'm paying so much towards gambling debts. If i had gambled even just £100 each of the 3 weekends i've been GF things would be that much tighter. Hopefully i can keep this mind set and keep it going. Having this outlet to write something down every now and then has helped me so much. I wish i had joined years ago.

NW

Well here I am back at the start, skint and angry that I've gambled away more of my hard earned money. It just goes to prove this site really does help as i stopped using this site around a few months ago when i was getting close to 100 days gamble free I just fell straight back into all my old habits and losing all the money I had saved during that GF period. Hopefully I can stay stronger this time. It was the same old routine again. I initially won around £1300 in a few days then thought thats it i can finish on a winning note, but as always I went back for more....lost the £1300 and more!

Hi NW,

Just read your diary from the start. You were doing an awesome job and like you say maybe recording every day no matter what is the way to go to avoid complacency? I don't know as I am only at day one today too. Perhaps we can spur each other on seeing as though our day count is the same? Good luck this time around. You can do it I am sure.

Jay