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Solutions For Compulsive Gambling: 10 Solutions To Get Help Get Your Life Back

Updated on October 10, 2015

Stop Gambling

Self Help For Gambling Problem: 10 Stop Gambling Solutions

Do you have a compulsive gambling addiction? Are you looking for self help for a gambling problem and have put off gambling addiction help? Have you sought out solutions for compulsive gambling which have only proved to be futile for you?

If you are looking for how to overcome a gambling addiction, you are not alone. There are thousands to perhaps millions of people in the world that now have a compulsive gambling addiction and many are looking for help for their gambling problem on a daily basis.

Gambling addiction has the power to cause tremendous pain, suffering, and despair on the part of the compulsive gambler. It has the highest suicide rate of all addictions and there are reasons for this.

I give you a lot of credit for seeking out compulsive gambling solutions for you or a family member. It takes a lot of courage to quit gambling and it takes work, commitment, and dedication, and frustration to conquering your problems with gambling.

Remember, that your gambling addiction problems did not happen overnight, and solutions for a gambling problem will not happen overnight either. Overcoming a gambling addiction takes time, effort, and strong determination even if you do not succeed as quickly as you would like to.

If you are looking for self-help for a gambling problem, here are 10 Compulsive Gambling Solutions to help you begin the process of quitting gambling and reclaiming your life.



Decide You Want Gambling Addiction Help

Decide that you want gambling addiction help. Make that decision now so that you have conviction and determination to solve your gambling problems. If you are not ready for help, be honest with yourself that you are not quite ready yet.

If you are not sure, however, seek out help anyway to get some clarification over what is going on with you. Some say “fake it till you make it”. It does not hurt to stop a behavioral addiction that is harming you and your life.

Only you can be the one ready and willing to make a change. And just remember that it takes time to recover from this very virulent addiction. This is okay. You may get help and then fall back and lapse into gambling again. That happens and is quite common. Just remember to never give up trying to help yourself and live a better life.


Write Down The Negatives Of Gambling On A List

Write down how your compulsive gambling addiction has effected your life in a negative way. Then write down how your problems with gambling have contributed and enhanced your life.

You will most likely see a strong imbalance. Keep this list, as you will expand on it. You will definitely see a lot more negatives that you do positives. If you do not have a problem with the behavior you may not see any imbalance at all. This, however, is not usually the case.

For the most part you will see that gambling has affected your life in many ways. As a matter of fact, as you sit with the list and keep adding to it, you will most likely see that gambling has had consequences in your life that you may have not realized.

Divide Your List Into Parts

Take the list on how your gambling addiction has effected your life in a negative way and divide it into social, emotional, spiritual, mental, physical, and financial. Write down the effects of your compulsive gambling in all these areas of your life. You may need a large notebook for this!

You will then see the different areas of your life that have clearly been affected by your gambling. You will see that gambling behavior as created many consequences in not just one area of your life, but many.

Look In The Mirror

Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you will not continue destroying your life anymore and that you will find out how to overcome your gambling addiction and learn to quit gambling. Tell yourself that you will start taking better care of yourself as you start reclaiming your life.

This is important to reconnect with yourself and show yourself some self-love and self care. You do not want gambling to continue destroying your life, because it really can.

Seek Out Professional Counselor

Seek out one on one professional counseling for your gambling addiction, especially if your are very depressed or suicidal. The support is more important than you may realize.

Problems with gambling can cause extreme depression, despair and suicidal thoughts once progressed. This is very important, as your life problems and feelings will resurface when you stop gambling.

Counseling can help a lot, because you can share your thoughts, feelings, and deepest concerns. It can also help set you on a path for growth, change, as well as set goals for yoursel.f

Use Your List As A Tool

If you have the urge to gamble, pull out your list of how gambling has effected your life negatively and read it. If you have to, read it a few times. You may lose the urge very fast. In addition, visualize how you felt driving home from the gambling casino after losing a lot of money. You may begin to feel that horrible feeling just through visualization, and this may stop the urge to return to gambling in it’s tracks.

Join A Gambling Addiction Support Group

Join a self-help group such as Gamblers Anonymous or Smart Recovery if you find that you benefit from group support. This is another form of self-help for a gambling problem. Many people benefit from group support and the 12 steps for overcoming addiction.

If you are not comfortable with the 12 Steps look toward Smart Recovery or Rational Recovery as an alternative. There are pros and cons with the 12 Step philosophy. This is why I believe in finding alternatives if this is not helpful for you.

Look For Online Gambling Addiction Forums

Look for online forums on gambling addiction These forums provide excellent support systems for the looking for ways to stop gambling. The forum above is one of the best stop gambling forums online.

Some of these forums can be very helpful and you will meet people all around the world with similar struggles to your own.

http://www.psychforums.com/gambling-addiction/

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Gambling-Addiction/forum

Start Replacing Your Gambling With Other Hobbies And Activities

Begin looking for new hobbies to fill the void that your compulsive gambling addiction created. You will have more money and more time to embark on these activities. When finding solutions for compulsive gambling addiction you will need to fill this void.

The importance of this solution cannot be understated because you will have a lot of free time on your hands that you filled with gambling.

Write down some of the activities that you currently enjoy or used to enjoy before your gambling became a problem and start participating in these as soon as possible.

Visualize What Your Life Will Be Like Without Gambling

Visualize what you would like your life to look like when you stop gambling. Think about how things would be different for you,and most likely better. :)

Think about feeling healthy, and picture what you would look like as a healthier person without a gambling addiction.

Visualize your life without worry and anxiety about money and how you will pay your next bill. Picture yourself peaceful, content, creative, and living an engaging life.

Life is truly better without this nasty addiction.

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