3 weeks today!
What really has made a difference to me is doing a lot of reading up on how casinos/lotteries are run, how they are made to lure us in and hook us, and what happens to people who do get hooked. Opened my eyes and really took out a lot of my desire to gamble. (Did you know 80% of lottery profits come from 10% of the people who play?)
I also read up on what I could do with the money. If you spend $25 a week playing the lottery (doesn't seem like much,huh?), after 10 years, you probably will have none of that $25 a week (I didn't anyways - and I spent more than that a week) If instead you stick it in a cookie jar (not even a bank earning insterest!) you would have $13,000. To think I could have that much saved just from not spending $25 a week astounds me.