Is there any way to help a gambling addict?
Four main ways exist to treat gambling problems, including psychotherapy, medication, support groups and rehabilitation. If you are worried about a family member or friend, we have outlined how to help someone with a gambling addiction.
Taking steps to help them sooner rather than later is the best approach. Opening up and starting with an honest, non-confrontational conversation is key to getting them started on the road to recovery, and making sure that the illness no longer has such a devastating impact.
How do you get rid of your gambling addiction?
The biggest step to overcoming a gambling addiction is realising that you have a problem. It takes tremendous strength and courage to own up to this, especially if you have lost a lot of money and have strained or broken relationships along the way. Don’t despair, and don’t try to go it alone. Many others have been in your shoes and have been able to break the habit and rebuild their lives. You can, too.
Learn to relieve unpleasant feelings in healthier ways. Do you gamble when you’re lonely or bored? Or after a stressful day at work or following an argument with your spouse? Gambling may be a way to self-soothe unpleasant emotions, unwind, or socialise. There are healthier and more effective ways of managing your moods and relieving boredom, such as exercising, spending time with friends who don’t gamble, and taking up new hobbies.
Strengthen your support network. It’s tough to battle any addiction without support, so reach out to friends and family. If your support network is limited, there are ways to make new friends without relying on visiting casinos or gambling online. You can find like-minded and sympathetic people on the Facebook Recovery Group.
Join a peer support group. Gamblers Anonymous, for example, is a 12-step recovery program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. A key part of the program is finding a sponsor, a former gambler who has experience remaining free from addiction and can provide you invaluable guidance and support.
Seek help for underlying mood disorders. Depression, stress, substance abuse, or anxiety can both trigger gambling problems and be made worse by compulsive gambling. Even when gambling is no longer a part of your life, these problems will remain, so it’s important to address them.
Residential Rehabilitation. Treatment for Gambling Addiction can take place at our residential rehabilitation centre in Kent. Our team of experts will work with you to create a programme to suit your needs based on your unique circumstances and the severity of your addiction.
Is a gambling addiction ‘OK’ if you keep winning?
Is that ever really the reality, though? The crux of gambling is that winning never lasts. The house always wins…eventually.
The problem with a gambling addiction is that it has nothing to do with money. Many habitual gamblers think that if only they win back what they have lost then everything will be okay. You can’t win back everything you’ve lost.
You can’t win back the time with your friends and family that you’ve lost.
You can’t win back the job you lost due to poor performance from being up too late the night before.
You can’t win back security and stability in your life.
You might win money, but as long as you can’t keep yourself from gambling you have a problem. As for everything else in your life you have to be there to make it work. Win back your life: stop gambling it.
How many people are addicted to gambling?
In a survey commissioned by the GambleAware charity, YouGov estimated that up to 2.7% of adults in Great Britain, or nearly 1.4 million people, were problem gamblers.
The report also found that as many as 7% of adults, or 3.6 million people, report having been negatively affected by someone else’s gambling problem.
Overall, the research suggests that nearly 5 million British people have experienced harm linked to gambling, even accounting for the overlap between problem gamblers and those they affect.
Is a gambling addiction as bad as a drug addiction?
Previously, it was thought that addiction could happen only when a person is dependent on some physically existing substance. However, now this way of thinking is changing, making way for new evidence.
The brain seems to have a weakness of getting trapped by either a substance or experience that brings a reward, be it drugs, sex, eating, or gambling. Like addiction to substances, gambling addiction can affect a person of any background, education level, and level of income. Many celebrities are known to be overindulging in gambling. The list includes Tiger Woods, Ben Affleck, and Pamela Anderson, to name just a few.