Post Number Of Days Gamble Free

Welcome back to the forum Angel,

I think you have put in some great barriers between yourself and gambling. They are actually very similar to mine!
- I also banned myself from casinos
- I give my paycheck to my wife and only have credits cards that she monitors monthly. I also carry $20 in case of an emergency
- I went for therapy, group therapy and also did an in-patient program
- I also went to GA for about 6 months. It eventually started eating too much time in my schedule (I have 2 young kids). I am a big fan of the program and its steps.

One extra thing I did was to give my wife a credit report each year so that she knows I didn't take out any extra credit cards.

You've got the recipe that worked for me and I wish plenty of success with it!

awww thanks Aries , i read many of your posts as well and truly inspirational ! i wish i had internet and wifi at home so i’m limited on my time here when i’m off from work . i will probably stay in the GA program for quiet some time . Even with all the barriers in place i feel it’s important to stay connected with people going through the same struggles and especially avoiding judgement, when one wants to express themselves

I m 4 months and one week GF.

Almost 130 days.

I’ve tried counselinh, but i’m not sure that helped much. What did though : was tbe fact that they told me that i can take some pills that would “stop my gambling urges”.

That was the tipping point for me. Did i reached that point where i need to take a pill for that? No. I refuse to believe that.

One other idea that helped me was : i was fortunate to lose enough to make me try and quit for good, while i still can. The amount overall is big, from all my gambling years, but i better focus on getting my life together.

Still struggling with ads & casually gambling discussions, but i feel way better than 4 months ago.

-- Tue Jun 20, 2023 1:20 am --

To everyone else who came here for some peace of mind:

The most important thing is to stop gambling today and tomorrow. And do the same the day after tomorrow.

Debt sucks, you feel down, you feel scammed - most of us probably felt the same way. But the only way you could win is by quitting it for good.

And that’s the hardest part to do - but it’s worth it

Bravo BillyHope !

We're really proud of you and you should be proud of yourself too . Gambling is one of the hardest addictions to overcome and you're doing great . Stay strong and it will only keep getting better . Here's what my timeline looked like :

1-6 months : Man , was it rough . I was constantly fighting my urges , searching for and employing every distraction I could come up with , altering my previous routines to avoid encountering the casinos and friends that I gambled with . I spent a lot of time at home , mostly because I was broke and also I was afraid to have money .

6-12 months : It started getting easier . The urges , which used to be constant and unrelenting , began to slow down . The intensity varied , from really bad to pretty easy to fight off . I experienced increasing moments where I realized I hadn't had the urge to gamble in a couple days . As time went on , it stretched into weeks without an urge.

12-18 months : The periods in between gambling urges became longer and longer . Months would go by before I thought about gambling and the urges became weaker and weaker . They were still popping up but came on as random thoughts that were easy to dismiss instead of overwhelming compulsions that I had to actively fight off . I started to recognize the situations and feelings that triggered them .

18-24 months : The urge to gamble is no longer an urge . It's powerless to compel me now . I'm wise to the lies and I understand in the moment why I'm getting those intrusive gambling thoughts . I address the cause now and ignore the addiction's pathetic attempts to suck me back in .

24 months to present : I feel ...normal . Like I did before I ever even thought about gambling ( I was in my 50's the first time I gambled in a casino ) . I don't "miss" gambling and I have no interest in gambling again , the same way I had no interest in gambling before my years of addiction happened . I might get a gambling thought out of the blue once or twice a year if I'm in an extremely stressful situation . It comes and goes in the blink of an eye . Zero impact .

This is how my journey to recovery has progressed so far and I understand that it's not over . I'm on it for life but that'a not a bad thing . My awareness that I cannot gamble is no different than my awareness that I cannot drive a car blindfolded . That may sound silly but it's the same level of acceptance. It's also the same level of risk . It's not even worth considering .

You'll get there BillyHope . It's not an easy road but it's the one that leads to freedom . Keep going !

Great post NSR!

It nicely captures the progression from the early white-knuckling days to our complete change of thought in the later months / years.

Day 1
-samkko

Bravo Samkko !

Well done on making the decision to take back your life . Not gonna lie , the coming days will be hard . But I want you to know you are not alone . Everyone here has been through this struggle , many of us time and time again . We're good people with a bad disease but there is hope . There is healing and freedom from addiction . It's not fast and it's not easy . But it's not impossible either .

We're here for you every step of the way . You can do this !

Hi all ! Day 4
Its rough , had to a walk outside and try shake my withdraws off ,small relief but today is 4 day that i dont need spin a wheel. Every morning i say my self today is not gamble day. I going to starve death my inner beast that craving for spin. Every day without gambling is winning day my soul and i want to win every day.
-Samkko

Great job Samkko!

That first week is tough. Thoughts just kept on bombarding my mind. I often has to take it hour by hour. "This hour, I will not gamble'. Try to also put as many barriers between you and gambling as you can. I am huge fan of self-exclusion! Use that determination and self-exclude yourself!

100 days today! It always gets better. One day at a time.