Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction (also called gambling disorder) affects many people’s lives, frequently in very destructive ways. Gambling addiction is a behavioral addiction or compulsion. It can ruin your finances, career, mental well-being and relationships. Support is available in the form of helplines and support groups. These are often run by reformed gamblers, who really understand what you are experiencing. Let’s look at how to get help.

How to Stop Gambling Addiction

Overcoming a gambling addiction is not easy but it is certainly achievable. You need to be committed to giving it up completely and permanently. Like a smoking addiction one slip up can mean you are back in the grip of the addiction so it is critical to see this gambling addiction as a phase of your life that you are moving on from.

The good news is that you will feel really positive about this once you conquer it. This will be a fantastic achievement and you will benefit from the inner strength you get from beating it.

Help Gambling Addiction

Let’s look at all of the many ways you can help yourself to overcome gambling addiction and move on with your life. To begin, like any addiction, it requires an acknowledgment of the problem. This is very important to be aware of if you are reading this for someone else – They need to be committed to the process – however well-meaning, you can’t do it for them. If you are reading this for yourself, you know that admitting there is a problem is the first step to recovery.

1. Admit that you have a Gambling Addiction

Admit to yourself and others that you have a problem with gambling addiction. Acknowledge the impact it has had on your life, the anxiety, stress, the strained relationships and the financial issues. Think about why you do it. What happens in your life and in your mind that makes you want to gamble?

2. Understand Your Triggers

Learning how it happens is the key to dismantling the process and undoing the patterns. For example, is boredom a trigger? Is it social gambling or online gambling alone? Understand your processes and triggers in preparation for change.

3. Get Help for your Gambling Addiction

Take a look at some websites that offer support and help for gambling addiction. Select ones that you feel resonate with you. If you think a support group is worth a try, find a local one if available. If there are none in reasonable distance for you, there may be online self help forums available. Make some calls, sends some messages because you need support with overcoming this addiction.

4. Take Positive Immediate Action Today … Now

Stop now, right now. Delete apps, block gambling websites. Consider getting a basic phone that does not have internet access and hand over your smartphone to a trusted person. If you live with someone, let them know what you are doing and accept help if available.

5. Self-exclusion

If you usually go out to play games, go to casinos, or betting shops, try self-exclusion. Make other plans, don’t go out. Try to plan activities to keep busy. Consider keeping a journal, monitor how you feel, what are you thinking. Re-reading your journal a little in the future will probably offer clear insights into your triggers and your successes.

6. Block Apps, Websites & Payments

Avoid your triggers by ensuring you unsubscribe from gambling sites, delete any emails offering gambling, delete apps. Gambling support services can help you block yourself from gambling sites. Some banks also allow you to block gambling transactions. Try Gamstop, the number is at the bottom of this article.

Hand your finances over to a trusted person for a temporary period. Or, pay your bills and get groceries and all purchases immediately when you receive your income. This will reduce the money you have access to for gambling.

7. Get Professional Help

NHS UK offers help in the form of peer support and CBT. Use their helpline whenever you need to. Numbers are at the bottom of this article – keep the numbers on your phone ready.

8. Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you see your triggers and thought reactions clearly. Identifying these patterns can help you take back control and change those habits. This is usually used in combination with other help such as talking therapies and support groups.

9. Try a Support Group

A support group can help you by sharing your stories with others who are having the same difficulties. Talking can help, especially in a situation where the listeners understand what you are going through. It can be very motivating and inspiring to meet others and hear their stories. You can get helpful advice by learning how others gain control over their triggers and break them down over time.

10. Try Counselling

Counselling can also help. Ensure this is a counselling service that specializes in gambling addiction. Talking about your feelings can help you understand why you became addicted and how to stay free from it. It can also help you address other issues such as anxiety and depression.

11. Support from friends and relatives.

If and when you can, tell people about your problem. Ask them for support. This way they can help you by ensuring they don’t facilitate or enable you without realizing it, such as going to places that could trigger you or lending you money that you might intend to use for gambling.

12. Avoid Triggers

Avoid people associated with gambling. If you have friends where all you do is gamble then you have to back away perhaps permanently but at least temporarily for now. Avoid all places and situations that cause you temptation.

If you get a desire to gamble, sit it out… Wait and it will pass. It can be compared to giving up smoking. Smokers experience a craving in the early stages, and it is really not that terrible to just sit it out and wait for it to pass. You know that if you get an urge to gamble (and you will get the urge) you have to become skilled at letting it go without acting upon it. This is something that gets easier with practice. This is something you have to go through to heal your gambling addiction. The more you let it go the weaker it becomes until the urges will stop or become very occasional.

13. Positive Coping

Find ways to use the time you used to spend gambling. Think about what you could do instead? Find engaging activities for example, start a new hobby, do something creative, play a video game, read, watch movies or binge watch TV shows in your free time. Start an exercise routine, do some home improvement or decorating. If you feel anxious or stressed try meditation, mindfulness or self-hypnosis. We have many calming titles including mindfulness meditations as well as a Gambling Addiction hypnosis audio.

14. Other problems

You may be coping with other issues as well such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, isolation and financial concerns. Get therapy, see your doctor, call helplines, talk to someone. Seek help and advice. Dealing with these issues will help you on the road to recovery.

How your Gambling Addiction affects others

People close to you may also benefit from support and counselling and there are groups and organizations that run meetings for this. They can help you and people close to you understand and help.

Hope for the Future

There is a day in the future where you will be free. When you get there you will look back and realize you have done really well. Things will get better. Nothing stays the same, so when things are tough, that can be a very helpful thing to remember. Because fear of change is something people with a perfect life are afraid of. You have everything to be hopeful about and you can look to the future with optimism.

One Day at a Time

Each day reaffirm to yourself that you are an ex-gambler. Each day affirm to yourself that you will not be tempted today. Do this each day…. One positive step in the right direction each day…. taking it one day at a time.