Articles about Gambling
How to Begin To Quit Your Compulsive Gambling Addiction Today
Get on the Road to Quitting Your Gambling Addiction.
I want to do this! What's This?
Gambling addiction can be a hard habit to break. There are some different strategies that can make quitting easier. Gambling gives an addict the same kind of feeling a heroin user gets after a hit. The withdrawals are similar as well which makes it hard for people addicted to gambling to quit cold turkey. Here are some tips to help you begin your journey to recovery.
Difficulty: Challenging
How to do It
Tools to Use
* The will to quit
* A good support system and dedication to quitting.
The first step like in most addictions is to admit that you have the addiction to yourself. The way you get better is to face your addiction, not run from it. You make the decision to get better, and then you reward yourself with every step.
You know things that you have given up because of your addiction. Think about the things you will have now that you have planned to quit. Use that as the motivator for your day to day struggle. Having future goals to look forward to is an excellent strategy to staying on the wagon.
You should disassociate yourself with the friends who are members of the casinos. You should not hang around with the same crowd you are familiar with, because they will try to talk you into going back out with them. Finding friends who do not gamble and surrounding yourself with family will help you through the beginning of your recovery.
It will be hard to get rid of the people who have been in your life, but if they are not willing to help you then they were not your friends to begin with. Keeping yourself busy with the people who do care about you getting better will help you avoid being tempted.
Keep only as much money as you need. If you think having a credit card is too tempting, give it to someone you trust to keep you from making cash advances. If you think you will still try to get to it, cut it up and tell it goodbye. Have some closure with the card, it sounds silly, but it will help.
You can also join a support forum online or a group specifically for your addiction. Gamblers Anonymous is a good choice to go for support with no judgment, and lots of empathy. You will more than likely meet someone there that can recommend a good therapist to help you with your psyche during the beginning stages of your recovery. Educate yourself with books and articles about the disease so you will know what to look for and how to cope during recovery.
Beware
Rome wasn't built in a day, and you are not going to wake up the morning after you quit not wanting to go to the casino. Give yourself a break, at least you are trying. You may not be able to quit the first time. The point is you are on the way to breaking free. Don't give up and you will beat your addiction.