[CraigMac6]

Hey,

I thank you for sharing your post. Gambling will never make our lives better. Each time we gamble just makes our life a little worse and a little worse. Whereas if we put down the gambling, yes its a struggle and its a battle against an addiction but overtime that battle will get a little easier. I think putting in a lot of work now for a better life is a better option than making life easy now with gambling without ever having a positive end insight.
You can do this. It’s never too late to start living a better life 🙂

[CraigMac6]

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well today. I wanted to check in. Today marks 27 days of no gambling. I am excited to wake up tomorrow and tell my wife it has been 4 weeks without gambling of any sort. It’s a nice feeling. Even though our finances are in rough shape, I feel things are starting to come together in terms of money. I have a feeling things will work out; whereas before, I lived paycheck to paycheck without any worry in the world for financial freedom because I “will go on a hot streak and win thousands, and we can buy this and pay off this loan, etc” but it never happened. I instead, just kept putting more money into my account until my paychecks were gone!
Things are still very tough. My mind is still trying to convince me I can control my addiction, which I know I can’t. On the other hand, life does seem a lot simpler. There are daily stresses, as we all have them, but there are also moments of enjoyment that come from life instead of an outcome of a game.
I have tried to give all my money to my wife but it didn’t really work out because I am in charge of paying most of the bills and it became too much of a hassle. MY wife does have access to my money and she can see transactions which does help me a little but the truth is if there is a will to gamble, I will find a way to make that deposit no matter what! The key for me is Gamban. That has really helped! None-the-less, I hope all of you have an amazing day!

[CraigMac6]

The best advice I can give you is put Gamban on all your devices. It will block gambling websites!

[CraigMac6]

Good morning,

I just wanted to check in and post for today to hold myself accountable for my quit. I know the next couple weeks will be tough with college football season on the horizon (my favorite sport to bet and easily my most profitable) but I know in the end I will always lose; and when I mean always lose it’s not just the money that I will lose. Its my time and my sanity. In the end, it is really not worth it. It’s not worth it to spend hours upon hours upon hours on bets/games/research/etc. If I could treat it like a job and play for a few hrs and move forward that would be great but I’m way past that in my addiction. I can’t stop and my mind never leaves the opportunity to get action! Needless to say, I’m taking this one day at a time and I’m thankful to be free of gambling today! Have a great day all !

[CraigMac6]

Hey everyone! Thanks for the help Dark Energy! I will definitely try it. I am doing well with the gambling. I have not placed a wager in 22 days! I have been away from the forum due to a death in the family. I am really grateful during this difficult time I was able to give my all to my wife for support instead of being half a## with the support with more of my energy/focus on a game or match. I know for a fact my outlook during this difficult time would have been a lot different had I still been gambling. I am really thankful for that! I will try to post as much as possible in the next few days but they will be hectic. Have a great day.

[CraigMac6]

Hey good morning all!

I just bought a new computer recently due to leaving my old profession (they took it back) and I’m trying to download gamban on it but I’m having difficulty! Does anybody know of another gambling site blocker that would work on a Chromebook? Yesterday was really tough knowing I had a device that could easily access my account. I need to get this figured out as soon as possible. The temptation is strong but my will to quit was stronger yesterday! Heres to another day of success by beating the addiction! Have a great day everyone!

[CraigMac6]

Great job Marcus!

[CraigMac6]

Hi Kin,

Thanks for the perfect post. You are completely accurate. In the past, my regrets and pain became an excuse and reason to gamble. In turn, more regrets would be made and more money would be wasted.
Slowly the savings will be restored and I will be able to provide my family with a better life. Thanks again for helping me keep the right mindset. One day at a time!
Have a great day!

[CraigMac6]

Hello njchoppers

You are in the right place as Marcus has stated. Everyone has different reasons and motivations to quit gambling but all of us have to do pretty much the same thing every day in order to continue to be free of the addiction. One of those things, is definitely putting gamban on all your devices. That app has saved me multiple times over the last few weeks. Another one of those things for success is to be honest with those you love. You, nor anyone else, can live with that regret and coming clean will help you in your recovery. You cannot control how your significant other reacts or takes your gambling set back. You can only control yourself and your choices. I really understand coming clean is very scary because you hurt someone you love; but that is what our addiction does. It takes complete control of our lives and really creates a demon inside of us. A demon that only cares about being selfish by getting our daily fix.
Another huge step to this process is making that commitment daily. No matter what happens today, today will be a success for all of us if we just refrain from gambling. Take it one day at a time and before you know it, those days add up! Come here and rant often. I do it, every day and it helps. I also reach out to others to support them as well; and that again, helps me an strengths my resolve to quit.
In terms of your finances. I think all of us are in bad shape when it comes to our money because we have all lost more than we won. I tell myself this, the day I quit gambling is the worst my finances will ever be. Yes I will have life happens that pop up from time to time to set me back but the constant deposits into my gambling account just kept me broke. Every day, every month, every year. Basically its only up from here. Our finances will gradually get under control over time but ONLY if we stop gambling. 🙂
I’m really glad you are here. Stay strong! Our lives are not better with gambling. Lets make the most of today!

[CraigMac6]

Thanks for stopping in Marcus. I am trying to stay as positive possible with this lifestyle change. I know it will not be easy, because just yesterday I had a few hours where i was really disappointed in myself. My family should be so much better off than we are and it’s a direct result of my gambling addiction. Instead of saving/building for a house, I blew all the money on sports betting; so everyone suffers because of my selfish addiction. Its a tough pill to swallow. This hasn’t been an issue for a few years, its been over 10 and a REAL BIG issue the last 7 years. Costing my family thousands. While the money is obviously an issue, the time that I can’t get back is another. Let me say it like this, my oldest daughter is almost 17 and going into her senior year. We have pretty much lived in an apartment or rented houses her entire life. I wanted to be able to have a house for our family by the time she went away to college. I wanted that for us; I would have had that for us if I wasn’t blowing my entire paycheck (EVERY WEEK) on gambling. Instead, she will leave our nest without ever living in a house that is ours because I’m so far behind on my finances, it will take the better part of a year to get back on track. That is a huge regret of mine and because of time; I can’t simply make it right because next year at this time she will be gone.
I’m a firm believer that tough times help build internal strength that allows for us to grow as people. I know I will be a better man for this and it will help me with my quit; but it impacted my daughter (and she doesn’t know of my addiction) in the process and that’s not fair to her!
Those type of thoughts are hard but our past does not have to impact our future or our RIGHT NOW! Tomorrow will be better because of the decisions I make today. That is not just true of me but true of us all as well. I really thank you all for reading my post and I hope happiness finds you all today.
Be well and most importantly be free of gambling!
🙂

[CraigMac6]

Thank you for your post. It is truly amazing to me when I read our stories of just how addictive our minds are. Many years ago, I quit chewing tobacco. I chewed from 1998 to 2015 and have been quit since. The interesting part is right around the time I quit chewing is when my gambling addiction began to rev-up and get out of control. My chew addiction just transferred over to my gambling addiction and went full throttle into a destructive life. Now that I am not gambling I am looking for healthier alternatives to feed my addictive mind. Now that we took gambling out of our lives our minds are racing trying to find the next addiction for us to grasp onto. I’ve been going to the gym, and personally it has helped me a lot mentally. I wouldn’t be so upset if I became addicted to the gym, I could use a few less pounds 🙂
Nonetheless, I think it is important to know our brains are searching for something to be addicted to, thats just who we are, and we have to make sure that our gambling addiction just doesn’t shift over to another destructive addiction (alcohol, drugs, etc..)
Thanks for posting and I look forward to hearing from you again. ONE DAY AT A TIME!

[CraigMac6]

Good morning,

I really appreciate you stopping by Kin. I hope you are doing well and your kicking the crap out of this addiction.
I had a conversation with my wife the other night about my gambling. We talked, well mostly I talked and she listened, about how my mindset and my goals have drastically changed over the last two weeks. I want better for myself and I want better for my family. With gambling, all i would focus on is my next bet or my next deposit. There were no thoughts of saving up for a car or saving for a house, heck no. I just wanted $100 to put into my account and when I lost that (which I always did eventually) I wanted $200 and before you know it; my entire paycheck was gone without any bills being paid. Incredibly sad but true. Having said that, while it was sad, it feels like a new life with my new mindset and mind frame. My biggest regret is I did not stop gambling way earlier, however, I have tried to not be so hard on myself when it comes to that because yes I caused a lot of problems but maybe I wasn’t ready. I’m not sitting here saying I have it all figured out after 2 weeks because I surely don’t. This addiction can pop up at any moment. I have a long way to go. I have barriers in place to help me (mostly the gamban which has been incredible) and I have a daily commitment to myself; all of which can help me be successful but ultimately I have to make the daily decision to stay away from this terrible addiction.
After that rant, I guess what I’m trying to say is gambling changes us for the worse. We might not know it at the time or in the moment but when you step away, its easy to see how this addiction controls our every move. Yes some people can manage it with discipline but not me. That rush of winning or watching a game with a wager on the line is a feeling that I want all day, not just in situations where I have the advantage (like disciplined sports betters do). I’m not that person so I cannot place even one wager because I will give way to everything I have built over these last 2 weeks. I hope all of you have a great day!
🙂

[CraigMac6]

Good morning

I hope everyone has a great start to to their week as we continue to navigate life without our gambling addiction. I am in the middle of switching my careers and this is my last week of teaching. I’m excited for the new opportunity but I have some a lot of nostalgia going on at the moment. A lot of good times, and as of recent a lot of rough times as well. I will definitely miss the relationships with the students but those relationships have far been replaced by the disrespect which is tolerated way more than it should be.
Anyway, I’m happy to be quit and I look forward to another day of beating this addiction. One day at a time!
Have a great day all!

[CraigMac6]

Good Saturday all!

I had quite a family scare/emergency on Thursday. Everything looks to be going good though now. Thankfully! Today will mark 11 days since I have placed a wager. It feels very good and I’m really happy where I am at. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me but at the same time, I’m doing my best to live in the moment. Enjoy each minute and accept the fact that I cannot change the past, the only thing I can control is the right now. By controlling my right now, I am setting up a better future. One day at a time. I would be lying if I said I didnt miss the action and the rush; but I know I can’t handle just one wager. It will be two then three then four and before you know it, I will be completely controlled by the addiction. Just like I have been controlled by it for the last 13/14 years of my life.
Anyway, here is to a great day and a productive day for everyone! Be well all! 🙂

[CraigMac6]

Good day all. I hope you are all doing well today. The post is late today but I’m here and I havent gambled! It feels good to finally take care of my family without having that addiction causing so many problems in my life. There will be tough days ahead, no doubt, but today I am glad I have made a decision to not gamble. Have a great day!

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