5 days away from my original 30 day goal. I just re-read my first post in the thread and all the comments. Wow I feel totally different than I did when I wrote that. Can you sense the despair, the pain, the regret in that post? A lot of that has already faded away.
Not 30 days yet, so don’t want to get ahead of myself!! However I just wanted to touch on how things have changed for me since that first post:
– Estimated $4,000 saved by NOT gambling (my average 2014 monthly loss was $4,000 – disgusting I know)
– Healhier and more energy. I am back to working out almost every day, eating more home cooked meals, getting lots of sleep
– Improvement in my work. I’m not sitting there freaking out over how much I lost over the weekend. Not getting anxious. Just focusing on doing my best work for today.
– Less Anxiety/negative thoughts. Something I think goes hand in hand with a gambling addiction is depression and anxiety. I am feeling more self confident now and just ready to attack life.
– Control over my money. My strict financial controls not only including cutting up the credit/debit cards but living on a strict financial budget. Every dollar has a job – I use YNAB for this. Investments, savings, debt payments, groceries, rent, fun stuff, etc ,etc. I have a bunch of categories and every dollar is assigned something. About $100 over budget this month – still learning. It’s a great feeling when you get a bill and know the money has been set aside!
That’s just after 26 days. I hope that encourages some of you who are still trying to quit and eliminate your addiction. In case you don’t want to read through all the posts – summary what works for me:
– Read Allen Carr’s ‘Easy Way to Stop Gambling’ NOW – this book will change everything for you
– Put in the effort and put in the STRICT financial controls. Cut up/close the credit cards. Deposit paychecks into another (safe/untouchable by card) account immediately. Keep only a bare minimum in your debit card account at any one time – for me it’s around $200.
– Finally set some written goals. Don’t go overboard, do anything – just write it down. 5 days, 10 days, 30 days, 100 days. Start small and work up. I know some people here say only this day counts, but you do need to look further than just 1 day. Give yourself something to aim and fight for. Fight for you!!
Have a great weekend.