What a day!

Hey Irene,

A year g free is great achievement. And it's all added up by day at a time. Be proud 🙂

Hope you have a good day girl

Speak later

Sandra x

Thanks S x

Day 358

An uneventful but satisfying day for me.

Hey Q.I

Satisfying is much better than uneventful by far. You should be more than satisfied with your brilliant achievement so far!!

Have a good week and catch up soon.

Lady Feb.xx

Thanks Feb- thought you'd called me a slob!! x

Day 359

No gambling issues 🙂

Mood OK. Again, nothing much happening........

Sorry Q.I - typo error. Have corrected it now.

Lady Feb.xx

Hey Irene,

A lot happening! You are g free, you navigating well in your life and feeling better for it. Not much pressure, no dark cloud over you. You can function your everyday life and should be proud for it my friend!!!:-)

Well done you!!!

Woofs to paddy 😉

S x

Thanks wee pal x

Day 360

Its still a great feeling to reach a "zero" day! Just home from work/gym and doing OK.

Day 361

Just a quick update.......I popped into "chat" session this evening. I find those sessions really helpful and another of the few places that I can express myself honestly. Its great to catch up with GC friends old and new.

I'm doing OK- back into my gym routine, although jelly belly going nowhere fast! I did miss a class this evening however as I dozed off on sofa after work- oops!

So good to hear things are going well despite all the financial S***e you have had to deal with.

My son and his partner coming to stay next weekend so some good things happening here as well as hardly ever see him these days.

Three more days to a year, what an achievement !!!

xxx

Great stuff darling 🙂

Should be so proud of yourself...a year will go and the next and so on and so on 🙂

All the best girl

Sandra x

Wow ..a year coming up....that is fantastic Irene and what a thing to be proud of :-))))))

I hope you so something with your family and friends to recognise this milestone and achievement xxxx

Thanks my dear GC friends x

Day 364=52 weeks since I last gambled

Well, tomorrow is the 1st anniversary of my life abstinent from gambling. I've been reflecting lots over the past few days of how my life's changed.

It was a Sunday, 52 weeks ago that I lost lots of cash which spurred me to seek help. I read a post early on that this is relatively common reason for stopping and rarely does this motivation last. This post was one I wanted to prove wrong!

Initially, I was very focussed on the financial loss and grieved the cash that I'd spent. It was hard to accept that it had gone....today, I accept that gambling will never solve financial problems for me, only make them worse.

The initial realisation that I was a "problem gambler", combined with the associated financial loss had my head in a spin for a long time. I spent days and hours crying- this forum and its members and staff kept me going.

This realisation was described by Flagg as a "lightbulb moment" in my life- it truly was. At the time, I felt that Flagg was bonkers.....this was surely one of the worst times. I am happy to say he was right!

As the days/weeks passed, my mood settled and I accept now that I'll have up and down times, unrelated to gambling and which gambling will never make better. Again "progress not perfection" is commonly cited on this forum- for me, that's what life is all about.

Asking for help has been another biggy for me, I now rely on Citizens Advice Bureau to help with my financial doodoo. I use Netline and the advisors help me to sort out how I feel. I saw a counseller. I now don't pretend that "everythings OK" when its not and escape into gambling to "cope".

Although I don't follow the GA treatment model, I do take aspects that fit my life. For me its been useful counting days- taking one day at a time and aiming for abstinence. I've not really followed any "model", just developed ways that have helped me cope with urges and with life. I set myself mini goals and have a "toolkit" of coping strategies to hand. I firmly believe that there's space in recovery for anything that works for the individual......for me, this includes a wee dog who loves walking when my urges get bad, cheesy pop songs loaded on my car CD to divert my attention and this forum easily accessible on my phone!

Phew, its not been an easy year. There are numerous people who I'd love to thank individually for their support and love. Virtual GC friends and 3d friends, who will probably never know that they feature in my diary which has been one of my main tools to keep me focussed. My diary is often just about my daily life and apparently unrelated to gambling (some may say its irrelevant to write like this). For me, its very relevant to my behaviour and how I cope. Its been useful to look for patterns in actions/ thoughts.

My life has improved immensely since "that day". Actually, maybe it hasn't, maybe I'm just seeing it with fresh eyes and a new attitude.

Whatever..... I'm enjoying life without gambling.

I can never say I'll never gamble again. I am happy to say that today I don't want to gamble and that makes me happy and proud.

For me, every day has been a "milestone" and a cause for celebration.

Today's been an opportunity to say "goodbye" to the past 52 weeks. Tomorrow, I'll be welcoming the year ahead.

Needless to say, I feel truly thankful and honoured that I've been offered unconditional support on this site- Thanks xxx

Good morning Irene,

Wow...let me be the first to congratulate you with a year g free !!! 🙂

Girl you should be so proud of your achievements. You have come very far in this recovery and i can see you trully tried everything to make it work. And you succeed!! A real inspiration for many of us as well as true honest friend.

Thank you for being here and sharing your story of good and bad.

Darling, recovery is bespoke and by taking it day at a time you will go miles and miles. And i wish you all the best, because you deserve it so much. You are trully amazing wee pal 🙂

Take care and treat yourself with something nice on this occasion 😉

For many more gamble free years to come!!!!

Sandra x

Good morning Irene,

Maybe I be the second to congratulate you with your year gambling free. Very well done indeed! 🙂

Despite the various pressures and conflicts you have faced you have held firm in your resolve. Onwards and forwards one day at a time. Warm regards... S.A 🙂

Hello my friend,

Huge huge congratulations on reaching 1 year bet free! Recovery they say is a bespoke process and to a certain extent I would agree but in my experience to date those who succeed get certain things in place which really aids in their recovery! Filling in spare time, adopting routines, and being consistent I believe are integral in recovery!

Consistency for me stands out and if you keep some nagging reminder of past misdemeanours close you are less likely to return to that past! Whether it be a diary or a meeting it's about keeping the enemy close enough to always keep half an eye on it!

I say all this today because I feel you got all of the above just about spot on! Enjoy today, it's a wonderful milestone and 100% deserved! Tomorrow is day 366 and remember that's just as Important as day 1! Ensure that 'lightbulb' stays on and anything is possible!

Flagg x