Post Number Of Days Gamble Free

That is awesome family first, congrats on the non smoking and the non gambling. I am happy to say i just passed 120 days gamble free. I am having a dilemma, my brother in law invited my wife and I to his wife's birthday party. The issue is that he is having it at the casino. I know I am strong enough to go and not gamble but I am not sure if I should even put myself in that position. It might be too early in my recovery to test myself like this. My brother in law is not aware of my addiction and I see no reason to tell him. I also do not want to be disrespectful and not go.

NSR, a big thank you to you for your support always.

Familyfirst, keep up the good in your hobbies, and away from addictions.

UnluckyHank wrote: It might be too early in my recovery to test myself like this. My brother in law is not aware of my addiction and I see no reason to tell him. I also do not want to be disrespectful and not go.

I recall my last relapse, it was a relative's birthday (also just before my birthday) when we went to buy lottery tickets (although I didn't want to spend a dime initially). Although this was not my main game, but it gave me ideas (triggered) on how to get back in my other main play.

Hi Hank ,

Congratulations on 120 days !

I feel like it is too soon . You may get through the day without gambling but like RicardoG noted , it will likely be triggering . Remember those first few weeks of recovery when your addiction was bombarding you with nearly non-stop gambling urges ? There's a very high risk of you getting catapulted back into that situation . Whether you gamble or not , it could end up feeling like you have to start the battle all over again .

Plead illness , send apologies and a nice gift , then offer to get together when you're " feeling better " .

People have birthdays every year . Your recovery comes first .

I totally agree with NSR on the solution.

I personally wouldn't risk myself or give that chance of any relapse.
You come first in this case.

The birthday party at the casino is tomorrow night. I know I can handle it but I don't want to. It will make me feel uncomfortable. The only other problem is i do not lie so i dont want to make something up. I think i am going to give them a vague excuse that is not a lie. In the long run i think it is best.

I think you're making a good choice Hank . In the early days , our state of recovery is fragile and it's a battle to stay strong even when we're nowhere near a casino .

I believe this decision will serve you well in the long run .

I agree NSR. I think my fiance knew I was having trouble with this. She told me she was not in the mood to go but I really think she was giving me an easy out. I feel good because there were no lies and I did not put myself in a compromising situation. The struggle continues but I feel like this was a win. I am sure there will be many more to come and I will address them when they do. Thank you everyone for your support. I have to run because i am taking my daughters roller skating. It feels good to be able to appreciate the little things in life.

Congrats to Familyfirst,Cantdoitalone,Hank and RicardoG on your recent milestones. Today I am 75 days gamble free. It has been a tough enough 75 days personally with a lot happening. This time period has coincided with sustained non stop bills to be paid and I haven't saved as much money back as I would hoped. The upside is most of these bills have now been paid and I will now have only the ordinary day to day expenses for the bulk of the remainder of the year. I haven't relapsed and I haven't forgotten what a dirty little thieving demon gambling is. The demon robbed me the mistake of robbing me once too often and as a result will never catch me with my guard down again. Just slightly off topic but Familyfirst I have no doubt you can give up smoking as you have done a great thing in staying gambling free for the past 6 year. You probably have good strategies in place similar to what has kept you gambling free.I hope to buy a real cake for my 100 day milestone. I think treats are a good incentive at various points on the journey.

Congratulations Sconced !

75 days a fantastic achievement and one you can be proud of . We'll be here with your 100 days cake , ready to celebrate with you !

I highly suggest creating a budget . It helped me in a number of ways , not only managing my income to its best advantage but it give me goals to work towards . There are a number of online budget templates that you can use for free or you can just create on using an Excel document .

In the first year of my recovery , I started regularly moving some money to an online bank as an emergency fund . In the beginning , this was not linked to my local bank ( to prevent me transferring the money to myself in case of relapse ). It gave me a lot of peace of mind and I was really motivated to watch it grow . My goal was to have a minimum of 6 months living expenses .

I found that having a budget enabled me to plan and planning made me look to my future . So much of my gambling life had me locked into the present - How can I pay this overdue bill ? How much will I have left for food or gas this week ? How much can I keep to gamble with ? . Any unexpected expense was enough to ruin me . A dead car battery meant that the electric bill couldn't be paid . A trip to the dentist for a filling left me eating ramen noodles for a week . It was stressful , unhealthy and had me living in dread of unexpected expenses .

You are doing great ! Stay strong and look to your future . it will be what you make it .

Sconced wrote:Congrats to Familyfirst,Cantdoitalone,Hank and RicardoG on your recent milestones. Today I am 75 days gamble free. I hope to buy a real cake for my 100 day milestone. I think treats are a good incentive at various points on the journey.

Keep it up Sconced!!! I'm proud of you and honored that we are all in this journey.
Please do reward yourself. You deserve it.

Despite this victory, keep our guard on ...it is still a lifetime journey which we all must succeed.