Author:
Lewis Jackson
Date Of Creation:
10 May 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Gambling addiction is associated with a lack of restraint in gambling, which can lead to psychological, financial, professional problems and legal consequences. Gambling can stimulate the brain's "self-rewarding" system, like other addictions, making it difficult to quit. However, you can effectively cope with gambling addiction by recognizing your problem, coping with it, controlling triggers and getting help.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Realize your gambling problem
Know what exactly your behavior is. Acknowledging the problem is an important first step in dealing with it. If you notice signs of a problem at first, then you can learn to correct your behavior.
- The signs and symptoms of gambling addiction include: feeling happy while gambling, bigger you are, obsessing about gambling, reminiscent of past gambling experiences (through imagination or storytelling), using gambling as a way to escape troubles or negative emotions, feeling guilt or regret after participating in gambling, and repeatedly failing in an attempt to break away from gambling silver.
- Other gambling-related social problems include: cutting off work or family time to gamble, hiding or lying about your gambling, borrowing money or stealing to gamble.
Accept the consequences of your gambling. Excessive gambling can cause problems, including relationship, financial, legal problems, career anxiety (job loss), substance use, poor health and health problems. mental health (such as depression).- Do you cut your work hours to gamble? Are you spending more than you can afford by burning all your money on gambling that would have been spent on rent, installment or other bills? Do you use credit cards to gamble? Do you make a secret about where your money is spent after gambling?
- Make a list of all the consequences you may experience from gambling. In addition, you should also point out people you have hurt by your gambling, such as relatives or friends.
Understand the dangers of gambling. Being aware of the dangers of gambling can encourage people to weigh the consequences before deciding to gamble.- Excessive gambling can lead to depression, anxiety, aggression, suicide risk, relationship problems and stress-related illnesses.
- Gambling also increases stress levels (via the stress hormone cortisol), which increases heart rate, which can lead to health risks.
- Gambling addiction can lead to a decrease in decision-making skills and an ability to assess the consequences of one's actions.
Be honest about your gambling habits. Make no secret of your finances or gambling. Be honest with yourself and others about the money spent gambling.- Pay your bills right away when you have the money to spend.
- Add up the total loss and always keep a reconciliation. When adding up your losses, list things that you could have bought with that money, or debts that could have been covered.
- Admit to yourself and others about your gambling habits.
Method 2 of 3: Control gambling triggers
Identify triggers and deal with them. Knowing what triggers are can help you better cope with the urge to gamble. Triggers such as thoughts, feelings, situations and behaviors may make you want to gamble. For example, being with friends or gambling is a powerful stimulant for many gambling addicts.
- Identify your triggers through journaling your thoughts. When thoughts of gambling arise, stop immediately and jot down thoughts (thoughts about gambling), feelings (perhaps boredom is also a gambling trigger), and ways that you will deal with.
- Do negative emotions like stress or depression lead you to gambling? If so, you may need to find other ways to cope with these emotions.
- Do you often gamble when looking for excitement? If so, boredom can be a huge stimulus to you. You can keep yourself busy by participating in other interesting (and safe) activities to satisfy your excitement.
- Try listening to music. Music can help calm you and relax you to reduce impulses and deal with gambling triggers.
Do not put yourself in gambling situation. People with gambling problems cannot gamble rationally because they can be motivated by the adrenaline rush, which involves "chasing". It can be difficult to control if feeling coming from an activity takes up your mind.
- If you are invited by your friends to come to the casino to play, confess to yourself and to others that, for you, the gambling is beyond entertainment. Please recommend an activity or option other than this particular game.
- When you first begin to recover, you need to avoid even going through gambling districts.
- Avoid going to places that encourage gambling like Las Vegas, Nevada. If you are in the middle of the gambling environment, it will be difficult to resist the urge to bet.
Change your mindset about gambling. Negative habits of thinking such as irrational beliefs, delusions of control, and misconduct can lead to increased gambling behavior. Reduce these negative thoughts by identifying and correcting them.
- The delusion of control is common among gambling addicts. They believe that they can somehow control the outcome of the game. To combat this thought, remind yourself that no strategy or ruse will control the results. You have no control over the game (whether it's poker, online poker, betting on sports or horse racing, or slot machines). Each roll of the dice is contingent on chance.
- The gambler mismatch is when he or she believes that a random event is unlikely to happen due to a previous event.For example, a person may believe that he is less likely to lose a hand because he has just lost the previous game; hence he thinks that this time he will win. However, the statistics show that the possibilities are exactly the same as before.
- Superstition is also a common thinking habit associated with gambling. You can believe that randomness has a meaning. For example, if you bet on horse racing, you would probably choose any horse with a special name because you believe it is lucky. Remind yourself that superstitious thinking comes from coincidental events; It's really no luck.
- Reduce reckless behaviors by thinking logically about the consequences and outcomes of the situation. Every time you want to gamble, think about how much money you could have lost and what could be lost if you bet.
Have some words to say to you every time you want to gamble. Setting out things to tell yourself every time a gambling addiction emerges can help you with a strategy when it is needed; This strategy can help limit or erase your gambling desires.
- You can start by saying to yourself, “Gambling is too reckless. I know that once I get started I can't stop. I must avoid it absolutely ”.
- Examine different ideas to talk to yourself and choose which ones are most effective. You can write on the cards if you can forget. This way you can take it out and read it aloud every time you have a surge of urge to gamble.
Limit the use of stimulants. Substance use, including alcohol and drugs, has been associated with an increase in gambling behavior. Drinking alcohol and using drugs lowers your ability to control and make sound decisions.
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol. A few drinks may be harmless, depending on your alcohol intake and weight, but binge drinking is a major risk factor for gambling. Your ability to cope and resist the urge is greatly reduced if you are drunk.
Increased ability to tame impulses. Some gambling addicts may have obvious problems with impulse control. Impulses are like craving, they automatically urge us to do something like gambling.
- When the urge to gamble arises, stop and take a breath instead of jumping into action immediately.
- Take a step back to examine your thoughts and feelings. What are your thoughts? How do you feel?
- Find coping strategies or other activities you can engage in. Do things that work for you.
Control your mood. Negative emotions, especially depression and anxiety, can be directly related to gambling behavior in some people. Learn better ways to deal with negative emotions.
- Try taking control of your emotions by writing it down, portraying it by painting or dancing, or talking to someone.
Method 3 of 3: Get help and support
Get social support. Social support is an integral element of the gambling addiction treatment process.
- Tell your family about your problem if they don't already know. You can say, “I want to tell you that I have difficulty controlling gambling. I know this is troubling me and I want to stop. I would appreciate it if you support me ”.
- Tell your friends about your problem and let them know. They can help you avoid triggers. You can say, “Hey man, I just wanted to let you know that I have a gambling problem and I want to get rid of it. If you can support me in this it would be great ”. This way your friends will understand if you don't want to go to a casino or Las Vegas.
Join a support group. Support groups can provide you with a safe environment to discuss your gambling addiction. They can also help you meet people who are struggling with issues like you; These encounters can be comforting and help you feel less lonely during your recovery.
- Gamblers Anonymous, for example, is a worldwide 12-step program that has helped many people with gambling addiction problems.
Talk to a therapist. Gambling addiction can get out of control if: it affects your relationship, finances, professional or academic life, the more time and energy you put into gambling, the more you fail to work. try to cut off gambling, you try to hide from family or others, you resort to theft or fraud to get money gambling, or you have to beg others to save you from poverty for burn money on gambling. These types of problems need to be taken into account, and professional help is available if you open your mind.
- Contact your health insurance company for a list of therapists who accept insurance payments. If you don't have health insurance, you can search for low-cost, flexible or free mental health clinics in your area.
- Ask the therapist questions like: What are the best therapies for my gambling addiction? Should I go to a psychiatrist, psychiatrist, addiction counselor or other mental health professional?
Explore different treatments. Understanding the possible treatments will help you decide which works for you and your needs.
- Behavioral therapy is a popular form of treatment for gambling problems. This treatment uses systematic exposure to the behavior you want to give up (gambling) and teaches you skills to reduce your urge to gamble.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is another effective form of therapy that focuses on identifying irrational, negative, and unhealthy beliefs, replacing positive and healthy beliefs. strong.
Consider medication. Taking medication prescribed by your doctor is also an option if you find your gambling control efforts are not working. Antidepressants and mood stabilizers can help with the conditions commonly associated with gambling addiction, but may not directly treat the condition.
- Discuss your options with your doctor (general practitioner) or psychiatrist.
