100 Day Gambling Recovery Challenge

The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (Australia) have launched an online service to help people with problem gambling issues to work towards recovery.  As the name suggests, it is a 100 day program.  The service requires a very simple registration (email required).  Simply click on the link to get started: www.fightforyou.com.au

The main elements of the program are:

• Check-in: Here users can track how much time and money they have spent gambling this week.  This section also includes a 'Rate Your Mood' element (Great, Good, Okay, Not Great, Pretty Bad, Awful).  Data from the check-ins is charted under My Progress and the Mood Indicator, so users can easily visualise how they are getting on over the course of the program.  
• My Diary: The program developers recommend making a diary entry at lest once a week.  This can be done in either written or video format.  Videos must be no bigger than 10mb.
• Gambling Quiz: A nine-question, multiple choice quiz to help users better understand their gambling behaviour.  
• My Support: The program developers suggest nominating a person (or several people) close to you to support you through the program.  (This is something I would always encourage in my own counselling practice, when treating problem gambling.)  Simply enter the name(s) and email(s) and they will be able to see when you've checked in and if your're feeling low.  They won't have access to your private page or your diary entries.  
• Inspiration: This section shows the completed journeys of 4 individuals who chose to make their journey through the program public.  This includes diary records and charts of their moods and money spent on gambling of the course of the program.  

The program really looks like an excellent tool for anybody considering working on reducing the harm caused by their problem gambling or, indeed, to work towards abstinence.