It's officially been 740 days since I last gambled. Over 2 years.
There has been a lot of good in the last two years. Debt is going down, even though it's still quite large and relationships have been rebuilt. But most importantly, no urges or desires to gamble. No relapses.
Times are always tough for me around October, due to the anniversary of coming clean and finally breaking that awful cycle of gambling and deceit. But they are especially hard right now due to the cost of living crisis, knowing my debt is putting me and my wife under much more financial strain. I fear for us when we have to renew our mortgage (currently fixed) with interest rates being so much higher.
I know from hindsight, money stress and worry is a factor in my gambling. I refuse to let it lead me back down that path. I try to be more open and talk about my stresses and it does help, but it doesn't stop me from worrying. I keep telling myself that all I can do is focus on what I can control now, which is paying my bills and my debts. Worry about the mortgage when our fixed term is up.
Onwards and upwards. No matter how tough times get, gambling is never the answer.
That’s fantastic 2 years gamble free I’m on 3 months into my journey but I can relate to this but debts are coming down you start to realise that how much time it consumed keep going
Well done on 2 years that really is amazing and more years to come , i know what you mean with cost of living, i have not been gambling for over 6 months now but have the debt still to pay but glad its coming down and not going up in this climate i would be in a bigger mess.
I'm starting my gamble free journey can I ask see in early stages how did you get over gambling urges? I've wrote down a list of negatives and I'm going to carry it with me so anytime I feel like gambling I'm going to read this
Mr Lyndhurst,
Congratulations on 2 years gambling free. I love reading posts like this.
I think quitting gambling takes a bit of blind faith. Faith that things will eventually get better. In your case things have certainly improved. Now you need to put blind faith front and forward and believe that the next 2 years will get better again. Because they will.
Continue to deal with today. Everything will be ok.
RR
Thank you all.
@bank1234 Well done for starting your gamble free journey. I know this sounds a bit odd, but I didn't suffer from urges. When I quit gambling, I was so low and had a breakdown. Gambling was the cause and was now my enemy. My mindset became so anti-gambling, that urges weren't an issue. I would suggest putting restrictions in place, like GamStop and GamBan. Also allow someone else to control your finances if needed (my wife still restricts my access now, just for her own security). It's embarrassing and shameful to begin with, but ultimately, you know it's for the best and becomes part of normal life. When you get an urge, just think about the pro's and con's of gambling. The only pro is a very short lived high. The cons are endless. Less money. Depression. Despair. Loss of trust. Broken down relationships. Once you go through that list, the urge will get weaker because you confronted it and rationalised it. Things do get easier, I promise.
@rouletteregret Thank you. I have always been a "planner" and tried to control every aspect of my life and finances. That's why I struggle with change and uncertainty, but unfortunately, life isn't always predictable and some things can't be planned for. Take each day as it comes. Each week as it comes. Every pay day as it comes. Step by step, little by little, things get better. That's what I have to consciously remind myself when I start to worry, to stop myself from spiralling.
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
