Gambling Addiction:10 Ways To Stop Gambling Before It Is Too Late

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By michelletee

 Gambling addiction is brutal destructive addiction. Gambling addiction takes victims of all ages, including people of different ages, socioeconomic groups,race, creed, and country.

There is nobody that can be spared of a gambling addiction, if the propensity is there. If you are young, old, rich or poor, it does not matter. A gambling problem will not discriminate. This addiction does not care how intelligent you are, how wealthy you are,or how kind you are. This addiction sends people to jail, causes insanity, mental instability,emotional breakdown, financial devastation, and even death.

 It is not easy to quit gambling when you have this horrible addiction. There are some ways, however, that you can help yourself before your life falls into shambles and you get to the point of no return. Here are 10 ways to help you to stop gambling so you can reclaim your life and restore yourself to a healthy way of thinking and living.

10 Ways To Help Quit Gambling Now

Here are 10 ways to help you quit gambling when you have a compulsive gambling addiction and your life is falling apart. These stop gambling tips will help you to get started on your way,

1. Make a decision on a given day when you wake up that you will not gamble. Decide that for this one day you will not gamble. If you have to do it an hour at a time, this is okay. Sometimes you may have to do it a minute at a time. This is okay, as you are promising yourself in a given moment that you will not gamble.

2. Find something at that time to replace your gambling. One of the ways to quit gambling is to be able to find healthy replacements that will substitute for your gambling activities. Exercise, go shopping, go out with friends, or do some cooking. You can also rent a movie, or listen to some soft music or do some reading. Anything, and I mean anything not to go back to gambling.

3. Remember the feeling when you leave the casino or lost a lot of money in an online casino or through sports betting. Think about how bad it feels when you lose a lot of money. Remember that feeling, and allow yourself to feel that despondency when you are having thoughts about gambling again.

4. Read as much as you can about gambling addiction. Educate yourself about the different types of gambling, and especially the type of gambling you participate in. Find out what type of gambler you are. Are you an escape gambler or an action gambler? This is important, because knowledge is power.

5. Purchase self help for gambling addiction books, or courses, or just regular books about gambling addiction. In addition, self-hypnosis for gambling problems are also shown to be helpful.

6. Attend your nearest Gamblers Anonymous meeting so you can receive support and encouragement from people who already have similar problems to you. Even if you do not like the 12 Steps, these meetings can help you tremendously to quit gambling.

7. Have a close family member handle your money. If you do not have money on your person, you will be less apt to impulsively go out and gamble this money away. This may be hard, but this will be an important step in your recovery.

8. Make a list about how your gambling problem has affected your life in a negative way. Write as much as you can and list this in order. Do this on the left column of a sheet of paper so you have room on the right side. On the right side right about how your life will change for the better when you stop gambling.

9. Talk to a debt counselor about your gambling debts to relieve financial pressure and find out how to solve financial problems caused by your compulsive gambling problem. This is important, because the financial stress that you have from gambling addiction debts can actually drive you back to gambling if not addressed.

10. See a counselor that specializes in addictions, especially gambling, and talk to this person about your problem. This is truly important, because if your addiction is severe, you will need as much support as you can possibly get to stop gambling now.

Overall, gambling addiction is one of the hardest addictions to beat. It is also one of the most dangerous, because of the high suicide rate with this horrible affliction.

If you or a loved one has a gambling problem, try to quit gambling now. When you stop gambling, your life will improve, and you will reclaim your life that you once had before.

Comments

Ex Gambler 19 months ago

If gambling gets the best of you.. You are in world of trouble.. it's no picnic when gambling runs your life..

Marilyn Lancelot 12 months ago

The person sitting next to you in church, the man in line at the grocery store, or one of your co-workers; any one of these could be involved with a gambling problem. Imagine your grandmother committing a crime to support her gambling addiction. I am a recovering alcoholic, gambler, and have recovered from other addictive behaviors. I published a book, Gripped by Gambling, where the readers can follow the destructive path of the compulsive gambler, a prison sentence, and then on to the recovery road.

I recently published a second book, Switching Addictions, describing additional issues that confront the recovering addict. If a person who has an addictive personality, doesn’t admit to at least two addictions, he’s not being honest. These are two books you might consider adding to your library. I also publish a free online newsletter, Women Helping Women, which has been on-line for more than ten years and is read by hundreds of women (and men) from around the world. (www.femalegamblers.info). I was interviewed and appeared on the 60 Minutes show in January 2011, which was moderated by Leslie Stahl.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Lancelot

Agnes Penn profile image

Agnes Penn 2 months ago

Some people might not consider this, but faith helps. There is one aspect common to all addictions: control over situations. Having a competitive nature doesn't help either.

I've learned that giving all to God and believing He has everything under control, even bad things, gives great comfort. And seeing others the same as myself, good and bad, also gives peace.

Great hub. Voted up.

Michael P 8 weeks ago

I found some really helpful information in iStopGambling's guide (www.istopgambling.com). They give you practical information on how to stop the bleeding now, without the need of support groups, counseling or Gambler's Anonymous. I found it extremely effective and easy to implement. Best of all, the system is designed to help you by YOURSELF, so you can keep your problems private.

OrielGour profile image

OrielGour 8 weeks ago

Oh dear! It's really horrible! My x-boy was a player. now he is in a jail. I warned him...and it was a really a big problem!

STOP GAMBLE!

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