Gambling addiction: how to deal with the urge to gamble?

For those who are addicted to gambling, winning or losing is not a problem. Because even if they win, they will continue to bet to find another win. And if the dealer always wins, why not just risk it all because it's absurdly wet?

Gambling addiction can ultimately destroy your life, be it financially, physically, emotionally or socially. Gambling addiction does not even only pose a danger to the addict himself. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in the United States estimates that bankruptcy, theft, domestic violence and child neglect, confiscation of homes and other investments, and even the suicide of those closest to you are also linked to gambling addiction.

The tips below can help you or someone closest to you who is addicted to gambling begin to eradicate the problem.

How to get away from your gambling addiction

1. Honestly admit that you are addicted to gambling

The first step to freedom is to be mindful and graceful to accept the fact that you are addicted to gambling. Initially, the regular addict gets caught in the denial stage. Emotional turmoil is very common in these times - one side of your personality can act rationally and admit that gambling is destroying your life, while your dark side craves to gamble with even more intensity.

"You have to face the fact that your gambling habits have spiraled out of control and, by realizing with all your heart that you need to get back on the straight path, you will be better prepared to try to get there," says Liz Karter, an addiction therapist, gambling addiction expert and author of Gambling. Problem, quoted from the Telegraph.

When it comes to a point where the problem has so clearly hijacked the lives of gamblers, they can usually stop trying to resist it.

2. Introspect on how your life has changed completely after gambling

Avoid reminiscing about past victories. Those days are gone, if there ever was one. Now you just have to concentrate on how your gambling habits are having a negative impact on your life. The only way to start climbing back on the problems caused by gambling addiction is to reflect on your current situation.

Start by listing all your debts. Include details of outstanding payments, money borrowed from family and friends, credit card balances and cash, blank checks you wrote down, and debts you have to pay to the dealer. If you lose your home or are in the process of foreclosure, give this priority high on your list. The same is true if your luxury items, such as a car, jewelry, or land, have been taken over as a fine in installments.

Also reflect on how your physical health has suffered as a result of your gambling? Have you lost a lot of weight or have you gained more weight because of poor diet and lack of exercise? Did you become addicted to smoking, drugs, and / or alcohol, as a gambling companion? Are you often depressed, anxious or afraid? Do you engage in self-excuse or lie to cover up your actions? Are you filled with guilt and shame about the decline in your family life? Have you lost friends, your spouse, your job, failed to get a promotion or were demoted at work because you were caught gambling? Have you ever been arrested and arrested by the police while gambling, or taken to court for domestic violence or other legal issues as a result of your addiction?

Keep completing your "sin list." The goal is not to make you even more miserable. This is an excellent way to start forcing you to realize that gambling has negatively affected your life.

3. Find out what your real reasons are for gambling

Some of the common reasons people gamble include finding joy and forgetting problems, seeking self-justification (that you are a superior), getting extra money from winning, gambling helps you socialize, overcoming depression or boredom, to long-rooted habits without knowing. the reasons. Which is your reason?

In order to recover from your gambling addiction, it is important that you understand the reasons why you are gambling. You cannot build a foundation for healthy behaviors until you know the exact reasons for your need to gamble.

4. Be candid with people you trust

You should tell a trusted friend or family member about your problem. By garnering the right kind of support from those around you, this will help to reinforce and reinforce your rational side existence and numb your gambling cravings. But indeed, opening up with friends or family members about addiction is often the most difficult and worrying part of the whole recovery process.

Unlike other addictions, such as with drugs or alcohol, there are no physical signs and symptoms that suggest that a person may be suffering from a gambling addiction. This addiction is easy to hide and your close relatives may never smell your problematic signs.

Signs of gambling addiction are very subtle and can be misunderstood as other trivial issues, such as starting to withdraw from social interactions, exhibiting mood swings, or not getting used to hobbies and activities that you previously found enjoyable. Other people may think you are sick, depressed, just tired and lazy, and accuse you of having an affair.

But by sharing your problem with others, both you and your confidant will feel better once the problem is clear. "It's likely they think something's wrong because of your change in behavior, and this way they'll feel a little relieved that what they thought was wrong - even though they're still worried about you," Karter added. This way, you know that you will disappoint someone if you fail to resist the temptation and relapse into gambling.

5. Block your access to gambling

Block your access to the types of gambling that make you addicted, for example online gambling or soccer gambling, to those who need to come to the casino. Then, completely shut down all access to all and all forms of gambling. This will put an end to your habit and - with the help of your trusted person - you will be less likely to stay away from gambling sites and apps than if you were to try to quit on your own.

This step will allow you to realize that gambling is not the right solution. Many people gamble as a form of escape - an activity to distract themselves from the stresses and pressures of everyday life. Ultimately, however, you will realize that this is not a solution, and that there will be inevitable downsides to greet you at the end of the day.

6. Give up control of your finances

Ask your trusted person to temporarily manage all your finances, for example, within a period of four weeks. By giving other people control over your money, be it a bank account or credit card, your burdens will be lifted slightly and this will make it easier for you to move on with the shadow of gambling.

During this time you are also advised to seek debt management assistance. Untreated debt only pushes the cycle of addiction back to life (gambling for money to pay debts). The habit of gambling to cover debt is one of the hardest habits to break.

7. Find other activities that are healthier

Closing your access to gambling resources will not immediately eliminate your passion for gambling. So, as with trying to beat any other addiction, it's important to find a variety of other, healthier activities to keep your body and mind busy. For example, with sports or joining skills classes. This method is also recommended to reduce the risk of withdrawal from gambling, which tends to worsen in the first weeks after gambling.

8. Get professional help

If withdrawal from gambling becomes unbearable and you begin to feel stressed, depressed or anxious, consult a doctor.

The standard treatment for gambling addiction is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in which a therapist and addict work together face-to-face to change destructive behaviors and thoughts. CBT helps addicts build the willpower to cope and develop cognitive skills to help them fight the urge to gamble, such as "fasting" gambling for a set amount of time before finally giving in to the gambling urge. CBT also teaches gamblers how to deal with problems in their personal or financial lives, rather than finding a way out through gambling.

9. Get treatment

Like drug addicts who have become insensitive to the drugs they use, people who are prone to gambling addiction often have a hard time getting the same "hangover" sensation they get when they first gamble and win money. Ultimately, the chronic gambler needs to repeat the behavior more until he gets the sensation he's been chasing.

Addiction is more or less affected by dopamine imbalance, which causes the above. To correct this dopamine imbalance, psychiatrists often prescribe SSRIs, antidepressants that affect the serotonin system. Other drugs that are also prescribed are lithium, which is often used in cases where the person also has bipolar disorder, and opium antagonists such as nalmefene and naltrexone, which reduce the positive sensations of happiness associated with winning from gambling.