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An automatic response to a simple stimulus which does not require mental processing is known as reflex. Gambling involves factors which entices people to spend more time and money than intended thereby neglecting friends and family, skipping classes or work in order to gamble.
In reflex gambling, however, it is simply gambling without prior thoughts to variables involved all due to the brains response to a gambling stimuli.
It is known in gambling that, whether one wins or lose, the brain releases chemicals like adrenalin and endorphins which gets one excited. One may want to play again to try to get a different score or outcome - and end up making some decisions they wished they hadn’t made.
So, for a friend, roommate or family member who  gambles at the slightest impulse, these tips should be kept in mind:
• Set and stick to time and money limits.
• Prioritize responsibilities such as classes or work over gambling.
• Be aware of signs of a problem like lying about the amount of money or time spent, withdrawing socially from friends and family, and negative effects to mental or physical health.
• Use money set aside for entertainment, not for rent, tuition or other bills.
• Spend time doing other activities, not just gambling.
• Remember that mixing gambling with alcohol or drugs can be risky also.

https://checkyourreflex.ca/

This is very important, going beyond your time and monthly gambling budget means nothing more than addiction.

That is true, but someone may be very social and be a gambling addict. Staying on phone followed by mood swing or reduction in exciting talk and slight sudden change of behavior during that moment can be used to know if someone is a gambling addict.

The enjoyment in gambling should be recreational, not addiction. Having other things you are doing makes life more recreational for you. I agree.

aside from the message you can see on the webpage I think OP should highlight what the website is about. the message that you can see on the website is already good but the game they have to test your (RE)Flex is great and I suggest members trying the game out. anyway,  at the end of the game, it will ask you what you felt while playing and whether you think you'd do better if you play again(which is what a lot of gamblers think when they lose).

I think the best thing to do is in the title,reflex action in gambling which means to gamble and not expecting anything in return.This I do every time I get the signature campaign earnings,I play 25 dollars and no matter what outcome winning or losing once I have lost this amount I quit and withdraw the money,when I win of course I play longer as then it is not anymore reflex gambling but is gambling with an aim,I think why not try to play in order to get that maximum pay line in the slot machine or even the jackpot and this keeps everyone going,I mean the slot players I don't know for other type of games but slots are ones of the most addictive so it is good to play a set limit bankroll and not expecting anything in return.

This reflex gambling is sounding same as compulsive gambling where a gambler is unable to control his gambling, and can sometimes find himself/herself gambling even before they can realises.

if you find yourself being in the category of a reflex or compulsive gambler you must try as much as possible to engage yourself in other activities to distract your mind from gambling. Seek enjoyment and pleasure in other activities, so you will not be idle and then the thought of gambling beseeches you.

if you are the type that cannot handle the intoxication that comes with alcohol or drug use you may find yourself making irrational decisions when you are gambling and you become more prone to overspending.

If gambling becomes anything more than an afterthought in your downtime, maybe you are playing too much. It's very easy to get drawn in and hooked to games like poker, which unless you are carefully managing your finances can be a big money sink as there are a lot of expert players out there who will slowly deplete any money that you put in. You should definitely also have an understanding of the odds involved in your games in choice, because generally you will never beat "the house" aka the casino in casual games like slots. If you think you are the lucky or that you are somehow "due for a win", then it's time to evaluate your whole psychology and stop.

All basic advice is always well received, it is not too later to remember never these guidelines.

By the way  before following or trying to follow these guidelines, you should ask yourself or analyze if you have ever been able to maintain routines such as:
Go to the gym.

• You are Save to buy an important good or asset.
• He is a social drinker or he is not, either one requires control.
• Manages some type of monetary responsibility.
• You have been able to achieve a personal achievement that requires a time-demanding routine.
• (....etc.)

If you do not have at least one of the above, nothing prevents you from being successful in managing the destination of your money when betting it, but previous experiences are useful, sometimes we do not fail because we are unlucky, it is that we do not know how to follow routines, execute plans, etc.

Gambling has always given us excitement to gamble more especially if we are the in the verge of winning, and that is normal to us for gamblers. However, if you gamble for a living, that’s another thing, you will lose eventually and worst is you might get addicted to gambling. The reason why every time we gamble, spend an amount you can afford to lose so that if you win or not, you will not regret on it. And always gamble for fun, that way you will never have problems in gambling.

Most of this tips already discusses before but of course it’s always good to highlights the importance of this to avoid gambling addiction, or else you’ll be on a big trouble if you let yourself lose a lot of money. Following this tips and suggestions will make gambling more enjoyable, this only means you are not too focus with the money and whatever the result of gambling is, you can easily accept it. Self control is a must, gambling is a game of trick you should not fall on that trap.

Thanks for the tips, but it's no secret that we have seen this kind of advise here in the forum. And I would say it's good but sometimes majority of us here don't follow a set of rules. I mean we already know the downfall of gambling from the beginning and yet we try it isn't it. So for sure, many of us are aware of this so called reflex action and yet we still can't avoid the pitfalls. And it's really hard to really get out of gambling so maybe the best thing to do is to really stay away from it in the beginning.

If you are a gambler, you'd know that it is easier said than done. Oh yes, even a responsible gambler too requires an extra measure of self-restraint.  We tell ourselves that we'd 2 hours, 3 games, $60 and I am done. After an hour and 45minutes, we begin to negotiate with ourselves and before you know it, we have talked ourselves out our set time. That is why I usually recommend that you let someone who is non-judgmental know about it so as to hold you accountable. It works.

This enable us to spend less and have more time for our daily activities outside gambling.

This is a no brainer but mostly forgotten by gamblers.  We must prioritize our responsiblity over leisure.  Having leisure once in a while is not bad but forgetting our responsiblity will often put us to an unfavorable situation especially when our gambling activities affects our jobs or schooling.

Pretty much it all goes down to self-control, priority, and responsibility.  We should always control ourselves in everything we do.  Having balance is the key and most of all knowledge on gambling and gambling addiction is a must whenever a person is to engage in gambling activity.

These are good points to follow to avoid getting stray, the bottom line is monitoring and strict allocation of your time and money, you have to be strict in your allocation because gambling addiction happens when you least expect it, most of the time it just happens and it's too late for you to stop it and you need outside interference, so don't let excess time and excess money spent in gambling, follow your allocation and you will be safe.

Note: You need to quote posts that you copy from your source or your thread will be considered plagiarism.

The main issue with gambling is money and greed impair judgement and decision making. Gambling with money is very similar to driving a car drunk with alcohol.

That's what makes it so hard to stay composed and disciplined when gambling, money and risk are involved.

If a person's normal IQ is 120. Money and gambling might reduce their IQ to 50. A significantly reduced amount.

When people gamble its common for them to only see the money they can earn for guessing correctly. No matter how much they're losing. The high yield of gambling means they're always only a few wins from winning back their losses. This mental image impairs judgement and decision making in a powerful way.

Greed and emotions definitely also have strong negatives effect on logic and consistency. This applies not only to gambling but also stock market trading, investment and anything involving money and risk. To have a chance of success requires mental discipline. Those who are impulsive and lack self control might best steer clear and find something else better tailored to their natural impulses and mentality.

True, a gambler once started his session often plays depending on his bankroll.  Worst, players tend to top up when their bankroll got depleted early but failed to stop when he is winning and his game time is extended for so long.  

I have several experiences breaking this setting limit thing and oftentimes ends at a loss.  This is a simple reminder but too hard to execute and it needs a lot of effort and self-control.  I bet many of us break this thing lol.

You should indicate what is the posted website all about, don't just put it there like you are a newbie who is promoting his site after a long post.
If you copy-pasted some phrase from that website you posted then indicate it as the source of your post's points.

Back to the topic, hmm yes, most of these are really important to be kept in mind when doing gambling.

This helps all the time, having your budget in gambling can prevent you from too much addiction, and focusing on other also helps you to forget to gamble. I experience some problem like this before, I just focus my attention to other things like playing video games and hanging out with my friend, I can say that it helps be forget my losses and make me realize that I should control myself from time to time, being a responsible gambler is really hard but we have to do it.

Setting money limits is definitely a smart move. It’s basically a stop loss for gambling. You see it a lot in tv shows and movies where the main character will give his wallet to a friend and then gamble away his gambling money only to then beg his friend to give him back his wallet. Nobody likes to lose everything, so be smart and remember it’s all about paying for entertainment.

Interesting comparison as it is easier to visualize in another perspective.

The nature of gambling makes it so risky to the point that your initial response to a loss is to recover it quickly. Now it begs the question: "what is the fastest way of recovering it on the spot?" Some might suggest to quit gambling and call it a day but majority would respond and answer to gamble again and try out your luck!

With this kind of vicious cycle, a person would get stuck thinking that the only way to recover your losses is via gambling again in the same situation. Unfortunately, only a few can get out of this circle while many remain hopeful that by gambling again, they would recover their losses (which is the ideal scenario but they experience otherwise).

Or maybe if you are really into gambling and can't control yourself, this tips are not going to be effective, just saying. And so the gamblers in the beginning should understand the pitfalls and the actions that they will have to take course.

As for the addicted one, as I have said before, it's hard to get out and they really need the help they needed specially from their families. It's only them that can help themselves though, to admit it and then seek help and go into rehab.

I assume, this will happen when a gambler becomes a professional or has been gambling for more than a year, because when still a beginner or newcomer he will spend much time on the laptop. something that makes him interesting will take time to learn how to control and continue to make money, if only he can, if not he will be in front of the laptop for a life

Seem like a bit contradictory if someone must drink alcohol first to get excited because I have a friend who before playing he must drink at least 1 shot but of course not drunk, he can still control it and even much better.

Those are some great tips from OP, if we follow them then our loss of money and time will be minimized.

And i would like to add another point for those tips:

*Play with the brain and not with the feelings.

That feeling about a win getting close could be a huge risk for us, and most of the times it will end with a huge loss in the run.

Some people just want to play in gambling casinos just for fun and entertainment most of the newbies in gambling which is get feared to lose a lot of money always set a limit to themselves like there's a specific amount only they will play that's why still they can control themselves and also there's are some gamblers who is already want to take revenge in the game those who already losses a lot of make a loss because of too much greedy in the game, by that they are the one who wants to make another game as long as they can get their wager back and stop again if they hit it or make another jackpot, sometimes becomes too much greedy in the game makes the player play more and loses again those profits.

What OP said can be summed up as simply limiting everything related to gambling, whether it be time, money, investment, etc., which is true in a sense, but in the end, the activity itself actually entices people to do more of those (instead of being limited, unlike other sorts of entertainment most of the time) so really, the best advice I can give to someone who's going into gambling or wants to get into it is to actually not get into it. If they're already into it, then well I suggest taking everything at like a really light level, don't get so invested in it, maybe get help from friends/families if needed.

I think this definitely exist with hormones messing some brain wires in humans. OP's suggestions are overall good but most gamblers won't be easily limiting themselves. That's why I think video games should be suggested to gamblers as rehabilitation at first. They may continue their habit without losing money at least. Experience is similar anyways. After one point, through communication, gambler may be convinced to self limit usage.

If it's a reflex then the best thing to tackle it is to avoid the stimulus, or learn how to anticipate the stimulus and be prepared for it. It will be hard to combat these kinds of actions especially if your brain is wired to do the same thing over and over again to curb or to counter something. In gambling, this may be a quick max bet after losing for a lot of times. To avoid this, you have to be calm and cool about it and try to leave your gambling session and just continue once your head clears. It may not be a great approach but it helps you in a way since it prevents you from doing something crazy.

The gambling industry is based on gamblers taking sudden impulsive illogical decisions that eventually lead to losses because they are done reflexively.

So advising people to not do the reflex actions is like asking a alcoholic to not drink. This is the effect of addiction and recovering from it is tough. While most coin owners are not having any place to spend their coins gambling becomes a major source of spending.

Because people cannot control their habits (good or bad) they end up giving their money away to this industry and therefore the casino business flourishes.

Setting up limitations for yourself with your budget and not going above it is the main thing which can help you a lot to be financially stable and not becoming addicted towards gambling otherwise we have seen the bad consequences for it in many cases.Although it's tempting and hard to control yourself sometimes but play with practical approach instead of becoming emotional and losing your sense seeing money and greed over power you so don't ignore these things.

In conclusion "have a great self control". Once you have a great self control on anything you do including gambling, there will less chance for you to get negative effect from what you are doing. It is what I usually tell to my friends, I do not need to tell them too many tips or advices, I'll just give that bold sentence and I'll let them to find it out themselves because I have tried to tell some people with a list of tips like what you write here in this thread but most of them did not want to hear it (maybe because it sounds like that I'm talking too much).

I have done this long ago when I was still young. I am not telling the truth about how much money I lost in gambling because I don't want them to think I am not good at it or that I spent too much money on gambling.
It's a battle of pride and ego and them thinking bad about my habit.
That's also one of the reasons I stopped gambling before. I don't like telling lies and I am not really good at it.
Now, I always tell my wife how much money I put in and the budget, and it feels better unlike before when sleepless nights will visit me thinking about the lie.

Just be a responsible gambler and all those factors will come together combined and will become a habit that you're aware of what you do. Because if you're a responsible gambler, you're making yourself aware of those pitfalls that will affect you not just temporarily but permanently if you're not careful enough. Start from being a good budget person as you gamble and don't go that much when the budget you've made lost all of it within the single day.

There's many thread created over and over just to give a common guide to avoid gambling addiction, I don't see any reason why it's need to be discussed since it mostly about self control in your real life. Just like how you love with junk food while you're already know junk food isn't good for your health, does you must not eat and avoid all junk food? not really, you can eat once per week and don't eat too much. That's all, there's no need to be discussed anymore.

I haven't read enough literature or research on this but I don't agree about all this reflex gambling thing. I mean, reflex is something that a person does unconsciously. It's basically unplanned and involuntary. Gambling, on the other hand, is something that we do very consciously, planned and voluntary. When we gamble and forget about the time while on it, that's not reflex. That's simply lack of discipline. When we chase our losses, that's not reflex. That's simply irresponsibility.

  This is the worst,in anything you are doing in life you don't make decisions when you are high. When you are on drugs or alcohol you should not gamble because there is a higher probability that you might end up gambling all that you have at that moment and will might not be able to resist stopping. Some persons will say they can do best when on alcohol or on drugs, yea you can do well in any other aspect but not on gambling. I love these tips,it will make you have self control and discipline yourself on gambling but the addicted gamblers will ignore them.
 Gambling is like a spirit that needs to be controlled or else you will become its victim.

and not only ruining your funds but with other bad vices mentioned, you may do things that are harmful to other people because if you lost and in bad temper along with drugs or alcohol, whoever you will encounter is in dangerous position. with such situation, you may not know what you are doing, and may regret after your hangover. the pointers are great but each gambler should know their limitation when it comes to this vice.

These are good guidelines but not everyone can practice this, when we are playing we are more focused on the excitement of the game and the projected money that we can win that we don't realize or remember all of these guidelines even if we are fully aware of this, experience is the best teacher and the best guidelines are those coming from experience, we will only keep this in our minds and heart after we suffer a lot of loses, but if we keep on winning these guidelines are useless to us.

I agree, people who just started to something tend to spend a lot of effort during the first few days or weeks, they are experiencing such emotions that will keep them to gamble again and again especially if they really want that thing they are doing. Soon enough they will need to manage their emotion since it is the primary concern and also their vices.

I remember the days that I was still an addict, I do most of the opposite on the list of tips. I don't have a power of control within myself anymore because of gambling, There were also a time that I play gambling while drinking alcohol and you know the expected outcome of my behavior that time. Now I can happily say that I've changed and been doing most of the tips on the list. One of the best things you should to recover yourself is to focus on yourself and your own growth and see the environment outside where you are currently in. Doing gambling session isn't avoidable but there a high chance that you won't be the same.

most people lie about the amount of money they spend in the game for privacy reasons, if the person says: "I take 100,000$ and I play" other people may be criticizing, but if the person who took 100,000$ to play is a rich person who earns millions of dollars a month so taking 100,000$ and playing is something that's okay, we've seen rich people playing with a lot of money in casinos


in this part people need to look at the game as anything else they use for fun and it makes no sense to take money from renting a house to play or take money for food and play, when the person does that then that person is already addicted to games unlucky, he needs urgent medical treatment


I agree, but I have to remember that other activities also cause addictions


this is the worst combination, is the bottom of the well that a person can hardly get out of

Putting a limit and following it is a gesture of being a responsible gambler who knows how to control your emotions. Self-discipline is necessary no matter how overwhelmed we are while enjoying the game. We should always be mindful of our actions.

If gambling is getting unhealthy for you, then focus on the necessary things that you should do. You can put your attention on other things that will distract your urge to gamble such as socializing with your friends, spending time with your family and loved ones, focusing on your careee or doing workouts.
Seeking comfort in gambling will only make your situation worse. Don't rely too much in gsmbling because it can only povide temporary comfort but you'll still end up in chaos. If you'll gamble with negative mind because of your personal issues, it will affect your decision making which may bave a long term effect.
Be wise in spending and manage your finances well. Make sure that you'll only gamble the money that you can afford to lose and don't ever risk the funds that is allocated to your necessities. Gambling is risky and don't disregard the possibility that you might lost everything you have in it.

Checking yourself first (especially behavior) and your pocket should always be the priority while gambling. I think everything comes into place if you have these two as your priorities. I think there are more to this list but OP just highlights the few things that should be taken into consideration by most gamblers.

It's a good thing that you were able to change from a problematic gambler. One thing that caught my eye was your gambling while in drinking alcohol which is a common scenario in a physical casino to lessen our senses and make bad decisions. I was also a problematic gambler back then when I was just starting out and exploring various online casinos, one of the causes of my problem was that I had a lot of free time, and I often used it to gamble whenever I have a chance. I don't have anything to do which is why I easily got addicted to playing various games on a gambling platform however things change when I hit my biggest loss.

Things changed and I was able to allocate my time and made myself busy with other things and with my family. As of now, I'm only allocating a set of time and budget for my gambling leisure and stop whenever I reached either of them. Also, I've been saving and investing more funds for much more important things to better my life as well as my family.

When it comes to reflex, I assume you actually mean the tics and behaviorism you have accidentally picked up, in your time in the world of gambling?

In which case I do not think its anything even remotely easy to avoid or get rid of. Its really your brain controlling you and not you controlling your brain. So anything that happens out of your control is just one more thing to TRY to avoid. But don't blame yourself too hard for times of falling into the same pitfalls. You need to know that you're only human and we are extremely "out of control". The best course of action is to work hard on creating positive habits. Which can take weeks or months.

• Set limits is not easy, we must be able to control ourselves, in order to success, I personally still can't control myself (difficult).
• I agree to prioritize is important and that's also mandatory, gambling is only a distraction when there free time.
• That's right, gamble with money you can afford to lose, not money that is a necessity in life.
• Doing other activities besides gambling is also mandatory, even a good gambler only once a week to gambling.
We already know these tips, but that it's hard for addicts to doing it. As a gambler the most important thing is responsibility, if you can be responsible then gambling is just for fun.

You provide useful tips, but basically gamblers already know this.  In fact, when a person is addicted to gambling and is in the game, they will completely focus on the related game.  advice from others or have their own principles that do not want to be addicted, in an instant they will be forgotten and only focus on being able to win the game to double the capital spent, even when they lose they will assume gambling is just for entertainment and fun, but in the end they will  regret it.

instant reflex, regret experienced but will keep trying again (gambling addiction)

correct, no other than! . Because we are the one whose suffering the pain at the end.. So it's our consideration and we need to think about this two rules before playing to prevent regrets or should i say before taking the risk or whatsoever it is. For me this is actually the most important than what @op first said above so this must be added on this thread. Just saying.  :D

The tips which you have mentioned are well known to everyone and every gambler is aware of them, however, only a few gamblers follow these golden tips and rules.
Majority of the gamblers play emotional gambling and therefore you will not find them considering these tips while gambling.



Pocket and money come first when you are gambling. If you spend funds on gambling which you need somewhere else (like in your household expenses or paying bills/rent), you are doing big mistakes which can make you bankrupt and very poor. Gambling is not just about making money, you need to be disciplined first.

We should always be mentally prepared for our gambling activities, we should have the right mindset above all and with this, we can have a good gambling experience which we don’t need to worry about because we are mentally prepared for that. Actually everything is good and we have to consider everything, we don’t want to become addict in gambling so better to everything seriously and gamble only with what you can afford to lose.

There are still imstances wherein these two aren't enough to deter you from going wild in your gambling habits. I know a lot of people and heard a lot of stories about other people that caught debt because they bet the money they don't have and went over budget on their gambling allowance. Being aware is one thing but keeping yourself aware when worse comes to worst is another. It's a good start but it can still be improved IMO.

This is a very important advice. It's perceptible we tend to gamble more often or feel more impulsive and tempted to gamble when we don't have appointments and responsabilities in life. It's like that saying: an idle brain is the devil's workshop.

So we have to always occupy our minds with useful goals to be accomplished on short and long terms. This way temptations like gambling without limits, guidelines or rules tend to decrease and even disappear within time.

That a kind of training for your reflexes to work at your favour and not against you.

A nice set of tips you shared here however, those tips can just be properly followed once a gambler experiences the worst.

Since they didn't know the actual experience of having the worst day in gambling, they think it was just simple to withstand it.

The key now is how they will survive. Once they were able to get back on their track after that worst feeling in gambling, those tips mentioned will now somehow be properly followed, slowly but surely.

• Use money set aside for entertainment, not for rent, tuition or other bills.

If you could just simply stick with this basic principle, then you wont really be putting yourself into a huge mess or headache with gambling.
Spend on the amount which isnt really intended for priorities.If you could really just stick into that then there would be no problems in terms of financial.
You wont really be making yourself fell into those possible problems ahead.Stick into your means and dont go beyond borders.
Always have limits and be wary on actions that might be changed up later on.

The problem with most people is that if you put this money aside which is for day to day expenses, tuition and / or bills, then there is no money left for people to gamble. In short, due to high inflation, people do not have extra money with they could spend on gambling or other extra activities.

Therefore people take risks and spend this money in gambling. If they win, then it's well and good but if they lose it creates a big problem for them and their lives get even more miserable. They may take loans to fulfill their daily needs and this situation is beyond imagination.

Again, because there is no gambling reflex really. You can actually plan everything ahead. You can actually properly organize your finances, your time, your hobbies vis-à-vis your responsibilities, and so on. This so-called gambling reflex is simply lack of self-discipline, which I guess many of us gamblers unfortunately are challenged with. But there's really nothing unplanned and involuntary about pulling that slot lever one more time or clicking that roll button.

Not just that but other tips in the op are all useful and must be applied so that we can attain the full effectiveness of responsible gambling. Whenever I earned my salary I always think about my expenses first like the bills and then the groceries. I set aside the money on them and left only a little amount for myself to try my luck in gambling.

I am very thankful that I already beaten my urge in gambling. I am a different person now compared to before where I can use the money that is already separated for important things. It gives me a lot of stress, regrets and other negative emotions. I don't like living that way, that is why I tried my best to fix myself.

And don't use the money that's already been set for those bills. Because you're making a mess if you're thinking of using it then you're able to lose that.

Too many experiences have been shared when some gamblers did that and they've been rekt by their greediness and negligence due to the want just to gamble.

It shouldn't go like that, so you won't fall into that mistake that you'll cause another problem to exist.