My New Life - 22nd Oct 2017

Day 59

I’m off work now for the next couple of weeks so I’ll use that time to relax, enjoy my Christmas and to try and get myself fit again.

Happy to report that there’s been no urges since my last update.

I had a heavy night last night with friends, so I’m looking forward to a quiet one tonight.

Got paid today and my finances are looking healthier than they were 59 days ago (or 3 pay cheques ago). Fortunately, I am one of those lucky ones who hasn’t aqquired any kind of debt over the years. I’ve always had some ‘willpower’ to avoid that and to stop gambling when my money ran out.

Some may see this as not hitting ‘rock bottom’ and to be fair, I couldn’t disagree. But for me, someone who has always been used to having a healthy amount of savings in the bank, I’ve hit a particular place where I have identified that I am simply treading water and heading towards a life of misery and struggle. I don’t like the feeling of uncertainty. Not knowing if I’ll need some money to pay for an unexpected bill. Having zero savings only makes me more anxious.

I live on my own and don’t earn a particularly great wage. So I cannot afford to waste money each month gambling.

Today, I will not gamble.

I'm the same, on my own and earn peanuts but always had savings in the bank which I've gambled most of away. The thought of not having a safety net for a rainy day terrifies me. And with 2 kids there are always unexpected expenses. This week I am putting 177 quid away towards rebuilding my savings. Day 5 and feeling strong. I wish you all the luck and a happy Christmas x

Lh8609 wrote: I'm the same, on my own and earn peanuts but always had savings in the bank which I've gambled most of away. The thought of not having a safety net for a rainy day terrifies me. And with 2 kids there are always unexpected expenses. This week I am putting 177 quid away towards rebuilding my savings. Day 5 and feeling strong. I wish you all the luck and a happy Christmas x

Well done on reaching Day 5. That first week is always tough because the memory is still relatively fresh in your mind. But the days will soon stack up in good time. Keep setting yourself small, achievable targets.

Think how great you’ll feel on Christmas morning if you’ve still not gambled.

Stay strong and have a lovely Christmas too 🙂

Day 60 - 2 months Gamble Free

I’m feeling pretty good about things this morning. 4 days until Christmas, finances looking a touch better recently and now I’ve hit the 2 month milestone.

2 months felt like a pipe dream to me. I never thought I could achieve that. My head was way too obsessed with gambling.

The only downside to not gambling has been that I’ve put an extra stone on in the process. I’ve obviously got more of an appetite when I’m not gambling and it’s taken me until now to realise that. There were times during my gambling where I’d skip meals because I was either too focused on gambling or I’d just lost a lot of money and therefore lost my appetite.

So I need to rectify my weight before it gets out of hand.

Otherwise, I’m feeling positive 🙂

Moorey

Day 62

2 days away from my initial Christmas target. I honestly never thought I’d get this close.

It’s taken a lot of strength and determination on my part but I’m feeling much better for it.

I’ve kept myself busy, ridden the waves of temptation and generally warned myself of the consequences of gambling.

I go back in my head to that dark day on Sunday 22nd Oct where I felt like utter ****. Do I want to go through that again?

I’ve had some great days/nights over the last 9 weeks that maybe couldn’t have happened had I still been gambling.

Hello Moorey. Hope your ok and keeping well. Looking forward to me you all and our GamCare friends, shoulder to shoulder, going for a full calender year gamble free. It will be challenging, but life is a challenge anyway. Take care my friend.

Hi Moore, how are you my friend?