Well done on your excellent progress Anon. It might just be 11 days but it is a new beginning for you and the start of what will be a life saving adventure. You have shown great courage, wisdom and integrity.
Good that you have a debt management plan in place. I respect your positive approach and also your determination to rebuild your life.
As well as registering with Gamstop I have a Gambling Freeze on my Halifax bank account. That has given me peace of mind and now I feel in control.
I might be stating the obvious but sometimes a compulsive gambler finds it difficult to accept that monies given to the gambling companies is gone and will never come back and some poor souls destroy their hopes and dreams by forever chasing losses. It is ok to glance back but best not to stare and keep your eyes focussed on the here and now and on what lies ahead.
Wishing you every happiness as you continue on your journey.
Stephen
Thank you this is a lovely comment. I too have the gambling block on my halifax account I have tried so many times to stop and haven't gotten past a month gamble free for the last 2 years, which is really sad. But it's never too late and this is the time I will stop!
Day 13 - Technically day 13 as it's almost 1am and I really should be sleeping. I'm starting to get a little bit more stressed out than usual but hopefully it will blow over soon. Some deadlines are approaching for my university work which really is the least of my worries.
My car failed its MOT today so I'm without a car at the moment, which also isn't a massive deal as thankfully I can get around by other means. But it's just another bump in the road (no pun intended), car insurance is expensive as a young buck. Eventually I'm going to have to get around to getting a car and insurance again and it'll going to pain me to see my savings sort of diminish. But I guess it's just one of those things.
I also have a review with my debt management plan people and I don't think I'm doing as well as I could be at the moment in reducing my debt. But all the same it is slowly going down. Apart from all of this I'm still on furlough leave so this is another thing always in the back of my mind, will I eventually lose my job... But anyways, I still haven't gambled. Still gamble free. And that's what I will remain.
Day 14 - 2 weeks gamble free!
Day 16 - The days are starting to pick up now. I'm still gamble free! Here's to 3 weeks gamble free. Hope everyone is doing well on their journey.
Cracked at silly o'clock in the morning. Hate myself. £200 down the toilet. Got a random urge and caved in, sent money to a friend who let me use his account. How do i close that avenue. I've told him I want to stop, P****d off with myself only have myself to blame.
Dear Anonymous11,
Clearly you regret what has happened, but you have not undone all the previous good work and gamble free days. The recovery path can have some twists and turns and you can learn from this lapse. You can have a chat with us on the helpline or netline if you feel that you need more restrictions in place and more support. Other forum members will be supportive, this is a strong forward for you now.
Best wishes
Fiona , Forum Admin
Day 1 - Hello all, thank you for the comments about my relapse. Still frustrated. But nothing will change unless I make a change. I have told my friends that if I ask to gamble using their account, to not let me, or ignore me for a few hours. I am also in the process of making Monzo my primary and only bank account. I have a limit on there, so I can't send over £50 a day to someone, but on my halifax I have no limit, so that's the issue. Hopefully once I get this sorted I'll be back on my way to getting gamble free. I probably won't post everyday. But every so often to put down my progress. Here we go again.. Good luck everyone
I've put the barrier in place so that the same mistake cannot be made again. Still very upset with myself, but what can be done now. I just need to keep pushing forward. Must take each day as it comes. I look too far into the future, already thinking about my next payday which is 27 days away... I'm going to not post tomorrow and come back fresh on May 1st. Thanks all.
Day 2 - As mentioned before I said I was going to return on May the 1st. Here we are. I'm ready to go gamble free again. The only possible way for me to gamble has since been blocked. So there shall be no more. I'm stressed, anxious, scared. But what more can I do then take each day as it comes.. See you tomorrow. Stay gamble free.
Dear Anonymous11,
Well done for talking to your friends and asking them not to enable you to gamble. That can't have been easy. It's also good that you're setting things up so Monzo is your bank account. Will you be using their gambling transaction block feature as well?
You haven't said whether you're using any other strategies. If you haven't already, you might want to look at putting additional blocks in place. For example, you can self-exclude from gambling sites and you can install blocking software to stop you opening sites at all. Here's more information about these options:
Self-exclusion
https://www.gamcare.org.uk/self-help/self-exclusion/
Blocking software
https://www.gamcare.org.uk/self-help/blocking-software/
If you'd like more info on these and other options to help you keep to your goals, you'd be welcome to contact us on the HelpLine on 0808 8020 133 or by Livechat. We're here 24/7.
Best wishes
Deirdre
Forum Admin
Day 3 - I am signed up to gamcare so cannot use any gambling accounts online in my name. My Monzo account also has a gamble block on it! More barriers in place the better. Good luck everyone, here's to a gamble free month.
Day 4 - Still gamble free folks.
Day 5 - Close to a week now.
Day 6 - The days are slowly topping up. Have a small catch up meeting with my debt management plan providers tomorrow in which we'll review my income and expenses and adjust the plan where necessary. Not looking forward to it to be honest because I hate being reminded of the amount of debt I have. But I can't run away from it. But hopefully my dmp hasn't changed too much. Tomorrow marks a full week gamble free too, so that's something. But I've been here before, but I won't fall into the same trap as last time..
Day 7 - One week in and I had my review with the DMP company. All went well thankfully, just don't like these review things. I have increased the amount of money I am paying back per month and if I stay on track I can be debt free in 2 years. Hopefully in a years time I can increase the payment again and shorten the time even more. But I will continue to take each day as it comes, I feel better now, bit of a weight lifted.
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