Healthy gambling habits are essential to staying in control and avoiding problems, including: not using credit cards; setting cash limits with someone in charge of managing it all; and staying away from online gambling sites.
As mood disorders like depression, stress and anxiety can exacerbate or cause gambling issues, seeking professional counseling and support groups is important.
Delay the Decision to Gamble
Gambling can provide relief from boredom and alleviate emotional discomfort, distract from everyday tasks and bring excitement and satisfaction. To remain healthy and overcome gambling addiction, it is necessary to find long-term coping mechanisms which can replace gambling as an addiction coping method.
This could involve trying new activities or hobbies, seeking professional assistance or spending more time with family and friends. Furthermore, it could involve treating any underlying mood disorders that are contributing to or initiating your compulsive gambling behavior.
Avoiding triggers will help you regain control of your thoughts and emotions. For example, if your typical commute includes passing casinos on your regular route to work, try switching it up a little; leave non-essential cash at home; limit how much cash you carry when out; avoid viewing sports betting ads on TV; limit credit card usage when possible and limit what cash is carried with you when out. Avoiding triggers also prevent negative thinking habits from developing such as the gambler’s fallacy, illusion of control or irrational beliefs from emerging.
Avoid Your Triggers
If you find yourself drawn to gambling on sports events, try taking an alternative route to work or switching off the TV when watching games. Also consider leaving credit cards and non-essential cash at home as additional ways of curbing temptations.
Be mindful to challenge negative thinking habits like illusion of control, irrational beliefs and gambler’s fallacy to stay healthy and in control.
Finding new ways to relieve boredom something many problem gamblers use as justification for their gambling habits – is also key in recovering from problem gambling. Reading, taking classes, exercising or spending time with friends are all healthier activities that could replace betting for your needs. For instance, if gambling used to help pass the time when bored, try doing deep breathing or going for a walk/jog instead; your aim should be something similar but without all of it financial and emotional-costs.
Replace Problem Gambling With Stimulating Alternatives
Problem gamblers often become adept at asking others for money through various forms of pleading or manipulation, making the issue worse and necessitating support. Gam-Anon, for instance, provides support groups specifically tailored for families of problem gamblers which offer guidance.
Gambling causes the brain to release neurotransmitters, leading to feelings of reward. To break this cycle and stop the addiction cycle, opt for activities which elicit similar brain-body responses without risk. Exercise is one such activity; it activates endorphins and serotonin release.
Other activities that could provide similar feelings of reward include recreational hobbies like art, cooking or gardening; meditation and breathing exercises may also prove helpful; therapy to address depression or broken relationships is important as well; Better Help offers online counselling that matches you with an experienced gambling addiction therapist.
Stay Active
Exercise, musical instrument playing, joining a sports team or engaging in social activities that support healthy emotional and mental wellbeing are all ways individuals should find relief for unpleasant emotions and boredom. Not only can such activities reduce stress but they can also foster personal development while creating a sense of community involvement.
Gambling may provide an exhilarating adrenaline rush, but it’s essential to recognize its risks as it provides only temporary relief from reality. Seeking help for underlying mood disorders such as depression, anxiety and stress is a proven method for breaking gambling addiction and addressing any related issues that may have contributed to it.
Family therapy and marital, career or credit counseling can also assist gamblers with repairing their relationships and finances as they identify more productive habits than problem gambling. Inpatient or residential treatment and rehab programs offer 24-hour care for those who require it.
