Post Number Of Days Gamble Free

UnluckyHank wrote:I'm not sure what to do but I am sure what I can not do.

Distractions , distractions , distractions - I wrote down pages of 'em . I tried them all and kept what worked . Some of them only distracted me for a minute or two but that's why I made pages of options . I needed every possible edge I could get .

I suggest thinking back on some of the things you used to enjoy before you ever even thought about gambling . For me , it was reading , jigsaw puzzles , short hikes around parks and public gardens , riding a bike . Some things were just not possible to take up again ( sorry rollerblades ) but a lot of the stuff I used to do was comforting to come back to. I found myself muttering " I forgot how much I enjoyed this ... " quite often .

Try to reach out to friends or family for meet-ups too . Gambling addiction tends to isolate us from people . Re-connecting can help a lot .

You're doing great ! It will get easier with every GF day .

Thank you for the support Ricardo. I am on day 19 and it is getting a little easier each day. I am keeping myself busy with work and family. I am going to start looking at options for dealing with my debt. It feels good to move in a positive direction. I know it is a long road ahead and I am ok with that. I am being patient and I am literally taking this one day at a time.

3 weeks..great progress Hank! You will gradually forget the amount you last placed.
I have still have debt. It will be there for a while, but I doesn't keep me awake at night like before.
Instead, I'm focusing on my sales job, to get the commission part. I'm able to clear some debt with my next comm.

End of this month will be 1 yr of gf for me.

Congratulations 1 year Gamble Free Ricardo! That is absolutely huge! I can not wait until I hit that milestone. Right now I just hit 6 weeks which I am very happy about. I am starting to get used to the normalcy of not gambling. I am completely focused on my job and family. I have also decided to declare bankruptcy. It is going to kill my credit but with my debt I feel like it is the best choice. I feel guilty doing this. I feel like I am not paying the consequences for my actions. Hopefully I can get over this. Right now I am just happy to have 6 weeks of being gamble free.

Thanks Hank.
6 weeks is great progress. If you could double that, 3 months is pretty awesome.

2 weeks ago, I had to buy some lotto ticket for someone who wasn't well. While buying it, I didn't any urge at all to buy any for myself, as I knew it is futile doing so.

Other than that, I still have debt to clear. Hope to make some progress in the next 3 months.

I am happy to hear that both of you have started some good stretches of gf time. All it takes it one good stretch to reach the point where we are good for 3+ years and lets hope this is the one

UnluckyHank wrote:I have also decided to declare bankruptcy

I am sorry to hear that Hank. When I was in therapy, they taught us other options other than bankruptcy such as a consumer proposal. I remember that it wasn't as harsh as bankruptcy and that it was a viable option in certain situations. I don't remember the difference between the two, but it would be worthwhile to check it out.

Hello all. I am 6 months gambling free today. It hasn’t all been plain sailing but I’ve reached this particular milestone. I had some unexpected financial setbacks such as machinery breaking down and having to buy new machinery. Still I am in a far better position than I was on December 27th. There will be most likely be setbacks for everyone on the gambling recovery journey. Don’t let the frustrations make you return to gambling. Non gamblers have setbacks in life too. Practically everyone has. What I am saying is don’t expect it to be all roses when you give up gambling. Unluckyhank I hope you are still going strong after your relapse.A relapse is a horrible feeling as many of us know.RicardoG thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I assume you have passed the 12 month milestone at this stage and confirm on your next post.I always fear the worst when posters go missing for a while. But sometimes life just gets in the way and they haven’t relapsed. I haven’t posted myself in a while due to various goings on in life but will try to post at least once a month from now on. Stay strong!!!

Congratulations on your 6 month milestone Sconced !

It’s true , setbacks in life are to be expected but for gambling addicts they are a particularly trying time . As my gamble-free time accrued so did the understanding that trying to “quick fix” my way out of a financial set back by gambling was risky at best and practically guaranteed to make my bad situation worse .

Well done for recognizing the reality and dealing with it head on . Today , the idea of attempting to gamble my way out of a financial hole is simply ridiculous to me .

Stay strong ! You’re doing great and we’re looking forward to celebrating your 1 year milestone with you .

Great update Sconed!

I am always so happy to hear when people reach this milestone. Those first few months are one of the toughest... Looking back at your previous posts, I think this is the longest gf period that you've had. Well done!! I am glad you mentioned some of the other members. We are a community who are trying to support each other and we all fight for the same goal. We want to rid ourselves of this addition.

I look forward to you future posts and I can't wait until you hit 1 year!

Great work Hank and Sconced. Keep it up.
I believe that both of you can overcome this addiction.

I'm still around. Sometimes I come in to see if there is something new to read. And I don't post since I don't want to create a thread of only my post. Lol

Work has been keeping me busy, plus family and church.
I wish I could manage my time to have more of it for workout.
I tend to procrastinate at times, probably because of overthinking or wasting time on the internet..socials.

Anyway, looking back at a year ago,
I have more peace now
I'm in better financial position although still have debts to clear
I sleep without financial worries

What I wish for the coming 2nd year of gf,
Clearing all the short term debts
Have more time for workout, to be a bit more fitter
Going for a bit more of travels
Start building up my nest egg