Can't wait to see you post, you've made it to the 4 week mark tomorrow.
Great to see your husband is really supportive, can make such a difference, when you know someone is completely on your side.
Well done Mindy also, you're well on your way to 1 month as well.
mindy77 wrote: Well done Orp. Your story sounds a lot like mine. Well done for making it this far. It's a good feeling. I haven't gambled for 21 days and I am enjoying the pride and happiness a lot more than the shame and guilt. Keep it up and well done you.
I know exactly what you mean Mindy. Well done! 21 days is a great achievement.
Day 28. 4 whole weeks! I'm feeling proud today, proud and positive! Husband's birthday is coming up and despite being in our thirties we're still a bit young at heart so I'm currently designing a treasure hunt with clues for him. I've also ordered him a cake with his favourite Adventure Time characters on which is going to be amazing and that's my surprise for him, with money I've saved up from not gambling it all away. It's a small gesture I think, but one that I'm proud I have managed to achieve. Little steps, one day at a time! Hope everyone is staying strong and gf. Thanks for all your support people x
Day 33 - just checking in really. Haven't felt much like I either wanted to or needed to update this diary for the last few days. Busy weekend and busy day at work today. Just staying on track, taking one day at a time and keeping clear of anything gamble related to avoid any temptations. Not though about gambling at all, just being cautious!
So into the second month for you.
Sounds like you are in control of it at the moment. It's always good, when you have a clear mind, to work through with yourself, what you are going to do, when any urges appear. Just keep reassesing your blocks, particularly after any thoughts of just having a quick gamble.
Always remember the diary is here and so are many people who are willing you on to a gamble free life.
Day 41.....thanks Steve, support is much appreciated. I've had a couple of counselling sessions now and it's making me look at things in a different way. We've started to talk about things that resonate with me. I can understand how some of these things can be linked to gambling and the urge to do it. Part of my trouble though is that I find myself saying, well, 'you can't blame your actions on things that happened x years ago' or some other way of trying to rationalise thoughts and feelings. But what I started to realise is that it's not one thing, it's a multitude of difference experiences and coping strategies that led me to this place. The good news about this is that my counselling sessions are making me think a whole lot harder than I used to when it comes to thinking about gambling. I have had a few fleeting thoughts but no particular urges so far. I don't know whether it will resurface in that way, but if it does I feel slightly better equipped to deal with it now than I did a few weeks ago, and that is a big positive. I feel so much more content than I did 6 weeks ago. My husband continues to be very supportive and encouraging. I spoke to him about my counselling session on Friday which I never thought I would do. I'm mostly a closed book and so it was good to share my thoughts with him, to maybe show a bit of vunerability which is something that often crops up as an issue in my sessions. I'm in it for the long haul, I want to make these positive changes so I can reduce the risk of stepping back to a place I do not want to be. It was husbands birthday on Saturday and that was a great day, I'm always happiest when I've got something fun to do for someone else! It was a double good day as well as I was offered the job I went for so things are certainly looking brighter for the coming weeks. I continue to relinquish all my financial responsibility to my husband and that is working well. It was really difficult for me at first, being a total control freak and not ashamed of that, so I'm happier now we've settled into the routine of it and things are good. I needed the time to realise that I haven't lost anything. I only have to ask and I can still have all the things I would have, he transfers if he's at work and I need something before he's home, the modern ways of banking mean it's really not a problem. I feel like I have gained a little trust back and continue to work on that. I don't expect or want that financial responsibility back any time soon anyway so things are good. We've planned a few good things to do this month so I'm looking forward to those, particularly because I know that if I was still gambling, we wouldn't be in the stronger financial position we are in to be able to do them. Anyway, felt like a good catch up this morning....sorry for the waffling to those still with me! I wish everyone a good gf week x
Day 43. Been feeling a bit down today and despite this I haven't thought about gambling. That's a new situation for me, it's usually when I'm down that my thoughts start going there. I like to think that this is progress, that I've started to try and address the issues that make me feel down. Not sure I feel any better than earlier but still gf and not wanting to go backwards. I'm on guard every day, no complacency here. Hope all is well. X
Yes, even if you are feeling down, you'd be feeling more down, if you were still gambling away hundreds of pounds.
You're just a week away from 50 days, which is a great achievement, so keep strong and keep posting.
Day 47 - staying gf. Nothing really to report. Had a great weekend and feel like things are moving forward well. Thinking a lot about things brought up in my counselling sessions and trying to make sense of them. Feeling positive. Looking forward to the big 5-0. Hope all is well with everyone x
Just a quick, well done keep it up post from me.
Look forward to seeing you reach the big 50 in a few days.
Steve70 wrote:
Just a quick, well done keep it up post from me.
Look forward to seeing you reach the big 50 in a few days.
Thanks Steve, much appreciated. Day 48....2 days to go!
Day 49 - looking forward to a milestone is a good thing. It's the big 5-0 tomorrow, 50 whole days. I've not got counselling this week as my counsellor is on holiday i think but I'm still positive and thinking about the bits we talked about to help make sense of things. I didn't realise how little I was doing and how much time I was devoting to gambling. I feel so much more productive now and get some sense of achievement rather than the depression of losing another few hundred quid. Anyway, I am feeling good and looking forward to tomorrow's milestone. Hope you're all keeping strong and gf x
Congratulations on the 50 days Orp123.
Stay positive, keep spreading that positivity around the forum, you're doing great, keep learning, keep it up and krack open the Viscounts.
Well done.
Glint
Well done on day 33, you should be very proud. Very happy for you and it's a massive step. I'm starting day 2 today so little steps for me.
Well done on day 33, you should be very proud. Very happy for you and it's a massive step. I'm starting day 2 today so little steps for me.
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