[Emma8]

Hi LewisK12

Firstly, well done for finding this forum and having the guts to admit you’re not doing well. It’s so difficult to do!

You know you need to make the change, you just have to work on remaining gambling free now. Block yourself from gambling in any way possible and check in here at least once a day. Speaking to others who are in the exact same position will help you so much!

Wishing you all the best on your journey 🙂

[Emma8]

Oh I know that feeling of stressing out over assignments all too well. Even now with work, I’m the worst for procrastinating until the last minute sometimes. 

One way to help tackle getting started is to do a tiny tiny bit. Like, say it’s a written assigment. Set up the word doc and get any notes/research/relevant material organised and ready to go. That alone can help. Then throw a couple of rough thoughts on the page. I always find doing something tiny with no expectation of getting anywhere with it often results in me getting a good bit of work done. Probably because I’m taking pressure off of myself. 

Hope the sickness shifts soon for you!

[Emma8]

I’ve just realised that I’ve not been onto the forum in almost a week and I’ve not flown past the three week mark.

Maybe it’s a good thing that I’m not feeling the need to jump online every day. I haven’t had the want to gamble since I blocked myself from the online casino.

I have been worrying though. Work has been busier which means my account is looking a bit healthier now. Normally that’s my trigger to think “oh I have some money to spare, time to try and win all of my losses back”. I need to stay on top of things over the next couple of weeks and make sure I don’t start to slip back into old habits.

[Emma8]

I hope the self exclusion tactic has worked well for you 🙂 I’ve found the block on my internet is working best for me. Although, I’m not sure there were many casinos left for me to register with anyway.

Can’t believe we’re almost at three weeks now! My budgets tight too, but it feels good to be in complete control of it instead of seeing a bank balance of £0

[Emma8]

Just wanted to check in to my journal today now that I’m about two and a half weeks into being gambling free.

I’m shattered tonight, but that’s thankfully down to a busy day of work. I think I mentioned before that I’m self employed and my income can vary a lot from one week to the next. This busy week will really help to repair some of the damage I’ve done to my bank account and I’m really looking forward to seeing the numbers going up for once.

I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’ve been too busy to even think about gambling, which feels wonderful to say.

I’ll check in again soon 🙂

[Emma8]

Thankfully it’s the opposite, I have been really busy with work and completely distracted from the thought of gambling! 🙂

[Emma8]

I’ve now managed to go two weeks gambling free!

If I’m totally honest it feels like longer. But I’m so happy I’ve made it this far. The blocks are definitely helping me. I’ve had two or three moments when I’ve tried to go to an online casino but the blocks have stopped me getting any further. I’ve noticed too much of a benefit in my bank account just yet but I need to be mindful that it’s only been 14 days. I imagine in another months time I’ll be feeling much better about my finances!

[Emma8]

Of course, always happy to support others!

I’m going to look into the book soon. I’ve had a very busy week with work so I’ve been distracted from everything else. Even gambling, which can only be a positive thing!

I’ll make sure to share my thoughts when I finally get round to it 🙂

[Emma8]

Absolutely. I think we can make it more difficult for ourselves when we set huge goals. Focusing on the next small step, whether that’s a day, a week or a month is far more manageable. We’ll also get the satisfaction of achieving it sooner too. Here’s too the next week!

[Emma8]

Thank you so much for sharing. I think that is one of the hardest things, feeling like I’m missing that high that gambling often brings. Realising and then remembering that there are so many more things to be excited about when I’m free from gambling is so important.

I really appreciate you both taking the time to message me, I’ll be sure to get that audio book now and have a listen to a little each day. That seems to be the best way for me to process things.

Thank you again! 🙂

[Emma8]

No, I hadn’t even realised he had written anything on the subject. Thank you so much, I’ll look later today!!

Money arriving in your account can be the hardest can’t it? All of a sudden you feel like you’re in a great place financially and the triggers begin. We just need to keep pushing through and acknowledge the importance of holding on to our money for ourselves instead of sending it off to the casino!

[Emma8]

I’m new to gambling therapy and have just come across your thread. It is wonderful to hear from someone who has now reached 18 months of being gf. I’m only on day 10 myself!

I hope you’re finding a way to manage your debt which is helping your health too. It does worry me, having so much to pay off, but we can only tackle it one day at a time can’t we?

Thank you for sharing your story, it’s really encouraging!

[Emma8]

I’m on day ten today and I’m feeling a bit flat. I don’t feel like I want to gamble but I’m not seeing the bounce back I was hoping for yet and so my motivation is collapsing a bit. I know it’s only been a short time since I last gambled, so I just need to give things a chance. I’m just very impatient. Maybe that was an issue that has caused me to go back to gambling in the past. Going to keep busy for the day and hopefully push through it.

[Emma8]

I’m on day 9 and I’m feeling really good. Full blocks are now in place so I can’t access casinos, even if I wanted to. I’m also getting into the habit of moving money to my savings account as soon as it arrives so that if I did get tempted to deposit I’d have to move money around. All these small hurdles definitely help! Looking forward to celebrating day 10 🙂

[Emma8]

That’s incredible! Now that I’m past one week I’m feeling good about being able to stay away from gambling. I know it’s only a short time but it does get a little easier with each day. Blocks are in place and I’m recognising the positive impact of removing it from my life is having. Just need to keep going!

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