Lost 1k today for the last time

2 months gambling free. i still regret ther money but i kept my promise.

I understand . I haven't gambled in 10 years and if I let myself think about it , I still regret the money I threw away . But what can I do ? Gone is gone. Hanging on to the thought of it just holds me back and weighs me down .

That promise to yourself that you're keeping is far more valuable than whatever cash you could maybe , possibly but highly unlikely recoup through gambling . You're denying a destructive compulsion its control over your life . You're recognizing the lies it tries to tell you in order to keep itself fed with its endless demands for your money .

There's a reason addiction is described as a monkey on your back . It's a horrifyingly accurate phrase , IMO . Stay strong . Life is better without the monkey .

You can do this !

3 months gambling free

That's great! Congratulations!

Also- I know this isn't my normal forums, but I moderate in self-harm, and, well, being on the wagon, is being on the wagon, no matter what it is, because habitual self-harming is a kind of addiction- don't let the increasing time since the last time you gambled feel as if it's any great burden, like don't let it make you feel pressure that screwing up would be a total disaster. When a person stumbles, it's not about how long they'd gone before they screwed up, it's getting back up and starting again that matters the most. And, if it's like other things I've had to rid myself of in my life, the longer I can go without doing it, the easier it gets- it never goes away, but it's at least manageable. When I stopped self-harming, I had to go a few good months free of it, before I got to the point where I wasn't really wanting to do it bad. And if I slipped, I didn't beat myself up too hard over it, I just reset the clock and kept at it.

That's great news and you should be proud of yourself !

3 months without gambling is the beginning of the clearing of the brain fog , the point where we begin to see how delusional the addiction's thought processes are . It amounts to throwing your money into the wind with the slim hope that the same wind will blow even more money back in your direction.
In the meantime , your addiction is whispering " Keep going , you've still got a chance . " .

It's not only a lie , it's unsustainable . I've lost thousands of dollars trying to win thousands of dollars .
I not only lost my money , I lost time with my family , my friends , my life . Nothing can get that back .

Stay strong PoorGambler . It gets easier , clarity will come and the addiction's lies will become more and more apparent. You are on the road to freedom and you're not alone . We're with you on this journey and cheering you on , every step of the way .

Still me. Lost my login details for the previous account.
4 months of gambling free.

PoorGambler2 wrote:Still me. Lost my login details for the previous account.
4 months of gambling free.

Congrats!

Also, if you want to reclaim your first account, let us know and we can ask you some security questions privately, with instructions on how to respond- or else we can just deactivate the other and you can continue forth with this one.

5 months gambling free

That is a FANTASTIC update PoorGambler2 !

Congratulations on reaching your 5 month milestone. I hope you do something nice for yourself to celebrate .

What helped you get here ? What positive changes have you seen ?

My 6 month milestone saw a noticeable decrease in the urges and a much easier time ignoring them . I also started re-discovering a lot of stuff I used to enjoy before gambling consumed my life . I started to become more social too , meeting up with friends and family more often .

Keep going - you're on your way to a gamble-free life and it just gets better from here . You got this !