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Gambling is one of the best ways for relaxation but the after-effects of exposure to gambling might turn out to be a disaster.  People who are hooked on gambling might develop a compulsive gambling disorder and might find it difficult to recover from it. Luckily an article[1] I stumbled while surfing the internet have some tips on how to Manage Gambling addiction if not recover from it.  This is an open discussion so it would be great if you will also give personal input or tips on how to recover from gambling addiction.

Btw, here are some of the list of the Gambling Addiction Thread in this Forum, feel free to visit the thread discussion.

• Recognizing Gambling Disorders, Symptoms of Severe Gambling Addiction (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5345516.msg57302609#msg57302609)
• Where to seek help if you need; concerned with gambling addiction. (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5336153.0)
• Right time for gambling addicts to come out of addiction? (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5232687.0)
• Gambling Addiction at its Worst! (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5200442.0)
• Assess your gambling addiction level. (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5227072.0)
• Helpful books for gambling addiction treatment (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5366846.0)

Now back to the topic,  before we go on we should first define what is gambling addiction.  So from the definition:

What is Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction is a progressive addiction[2] that can have many negative psychological, physical, and social repercussions. It is classed as an impulse-control disorder.[3]

Another definition is:
Gambling addiction—also known as pathological gambling, compulsive gambling or gambling disorder—is an impulse-control disorder. If you’re a compulsive gambler, you can’t control the impulse to gamble, even when it has negative consequences for you or your loved ones. You’ll gamble whether you’re up or down, broke or flush, and you’ll keep gambling regardless of the consequences—even when you know that the odds are against you or you can’t afford to lose.[1]

In order to address gambling addiction, the player must identify if he has the signs of the gambling addiction.  He can then check if he experiences any on the list of the sign of gambling addiction.  It was stated that if ever a player experience at least 4 of the symptoms, he might have a compulsive gambling disorder.

Signs of Gambling Addiction:
source: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gambling-disorder/what-is-gambling-disorder

Here is the process of treating Gambling Problems or at least Manage the Gambling addiction:

Admit to Have a Gambling Problem
Once we identify that we had those signs, we must admit that we have a gambling problem so that it will be easier to process a recovery therapy.  Denial won't help because it will only block all the medications needed to recover from gambling addiction.  One we admit the problem, it is the best time to seek help from professionals who specialized in this kind of addiction.

Remember That Gambling Addiction Can Be Cured

Do Not Quit Gambling Cold Turkey
If you are planning to quit gambling, don't do it in an instant.  It is best to quit gambling slowly like making less and less time for gambling until we are ready to stop full time.  Quitting in an instant won't help because there is psychologist behind it.  It is said that altering behavior in a whim is a very hard thing to do unless a person have strong wil to do it.  People who don't will have more problem than usual because stopping on anything a person is fond with won't happen overnight.  It will be a better thing if a person who wanted to stop to go through a process. This way, family and friends can help.

Use an App to stop Gambling

Remind Yourself that Gamblers Change
It was a thing of the pass that gambler don't change.  Many people speculate that once a person is addicted to gambling, they will forever a gambling addict.  But this thing has been proven wrong.  Many gambling addicts who gone through medical treatments are able to recover and avoid gambling all in all.

Assume Responsibility for Your Actions
If there is a will there is a way.  We should take responsibility on every fault we do during our gambling addiction.  It is the most important  parts of tackling the problem, it maybe hard and may take a long period to admit, but it is a healthy thing to do.[1]

Read Gambling Addiction Stories on Reddit

Get Help Online If You Can’t Afford Clinic
If treatment for you is too expensive, there are lots of online gambling addiction help sites that are ready to help us.

Find a Hobby and Pour Your Passion into It
The best way to divert attention from gambling is to look for another interests that requires both physical and mental activities.  This will occupy our idle time and if we put our passion to it, it may replace the urge to gamble by the passion to do more helpful things.

Don’t Go Cold Turkey, But Limit Temptation

Talk with your family or friends[4]

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cold turkey
source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20turkey

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How did you find these tips? Do you think it will help gambling addicts to manage their addiction?  Any additional input on how manage or cure addiction is welcome.

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Source:
[1] Top 10 Tips on How to Stop Gambling (and Save Money) (https://www.gamblingnews.com/blog/how-to-stop-gambling/)
[2] What is addiction? (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323465)
[3] What's to know about gambling addiction (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/15929#symptoms)
[4] Tips on How to Manage Gambling Addiction an Open Discussion Reply (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5403200.msg60397223#msg60397223)

Excellent thread covers a lot of things that haunt every gambler and that is an addiction I need not add more but emphasize that one point I quote and that admitting you have a gambling problem is the first road to curing yourself, the longer you do not admit the longer it will take for you to the road to curing yourself to gambling, everything starts with yourself with the help of your family, without being honest with yourself cure will not come.

addiction is a disease, being a disease only a doctor can treat this disease, reading articles on the internet will not help at all. the person needs to look in the mirror and say to himself: "I am addicted and I need medical treatment and I will seek medical treatment", this is the only way a person needs to go to get treated. In my family, there have been many addicted people who died due to addiction, that's why I know how addiction can destroy a person. and something sad!

Sent to you 2 merit   ;) ;)

This is one of the most good thread opened in this section. Gambling addiction is a very big problem if you aren't able to manage it, and it is good if someone can read this sentences you've published and take some advice.

Gambling addiction is letal, at your post I would also add "Talk with your family, they can help you and stay near to you until you'll be free from any form of addiction", grow with your hobby and also keep away any form of

drugs that can substitute your passion for gambling.

These topics I selected will be the most effective for me. Most of us fall into something and we hardly accept the fact that what will be the result of any action that we are made should be our responsibility, we often blame other people or things if there's a misfortune happen to us. There's a free online consultation every where, therapy is quite expensive as me myself experienced it but not in gambling-related issue, maybe some books about self-help can help as well and lastly, having more things to do in our daily lives makes us more productive and will help us to lessen the time in gambling.

This may be the best way to get past addiction. Admitting that you are having trouble letting it go even just for a day. Looking at the mirror and telling yourself what it had done to you. How it changed you physically and mentally. Are you the same person or have you grown a tummy? How about the way you think?
I had my own mistakes before betting large amounts on dice because I thought I can double the money in an instant but the difference is, that I am not having fun anymore. That's when I decided to stop playing that type of game and just go for sports betting.
A big change did happen as I don't just bet wildly anymore. An analysis is needed and it gives me a lot of fun researching for possible outcomes. There are times I even forgot to make a bet because of being hooked on looking at stat sheets and other people's analysis.  :D
IMO, that should be the essence of it, to add more joy to the game.

Addiction is a serious disease,  gamblers who are addicted don't just stop being addicted by reading stuff. The only way to kill chronic gambling addiction is decision making , and seems to be easy if already the gambling life style is causing serious problems in the life of the gambler.

Assume Responsibility for Your Actions

If you do really have this then you won't really be having any problems in regards addiction since you could already able to surpress once this kind of behavior do comes out.You are already assuming and mindful about the effects or consequences of possible actions that you might encounter if you do really push through.You would avoid addiction if you are really that aware and sensible in regarding with your actions and really very that keen and mindful about probabilities.

For me, this is the most important.  A gambler that doesn't know that he has the sign of being an addict can never admit that he has a compulsive gambling disorder.  Every gambler should be aware of the signs of gambling addiction in order to avoid the problem from worsening whenever a single sign of being an addict shows up.  Like the saying, prevention is better than cure so if a gambler is well aware of these signs then they can easily self-check if they have these symptoms and can do precautionary measures if they do.
Then next important is the admision of being a gambling addict.

Your tips are pretty good OP and well known by people who are fighting addiction for some time. I feel like the most important part is not to be alone with it. Have people who are trying to help you, watch you, support you while you're fighting it. It's even better if you have a friend who is a former addict that made it through. A bit of strong will wouldn't be a bad thing either.
My mother was a smoker and she had a friend who was also trying to quit and they managed to do it together by watching each other. Each of them did not want to be the weaker one who breaks first so none of them did. They made it into a competition and it worked.

Worth to read and these tips are very accurate, unfortunately many gamblers might not appreciate this since they don’t have self control yet but if you really want to be more safe in gambling, better to understand this one. You can be addicted in gambling without knowing it and you will just realize it once you are already suffering financially. Addiction can still be cure as long as the gambler are willing to do so, thought its not easy but its possible. This tips can prevent you from being on that situation, its better to take action now.

Absolutely very good suggestion mentioned - I liked the point where it is mentioned that gambling addiction can be overcomed.
Gambling too much is a serious problem - the sooner it is over comed - the better it will be.

I doubt a person who is heavily addicted now to gambling will seek any advice from anyone or will bother to spend time reading any open discussion threads. They are too obsessed in doing gambling to the point that they won't want others to stepped-in to make them stop.

In that particular situation, the best thing to do is to force that person to undergo rehabilitation. In that way, experts in this field can personally treat that addicted person and they know what's the best thing to do to help that person undergo being addicted to gambling.

Sometimes, we need to force these addicted people to undergo such treatment as their ears are now closed to any advice and suggestions.

I have told someone that is addicted to do something else to forget gambling. I agree with one suggested about using an app to stop.

It is actually a good process to help them and will make them forget gambling. That won't be easy but through the process, it is going to be effective as it is.

Your time will be allocated into other things and will make you stop temporarily untik you stop completely.

Depending on the level of addiction, a hardcore gambler will just go straight to their purpose of making money in gambling without realizing that something sh*t is already going on. I consider myself a regular gambler, losing a decent amount in the process, but still, I'm proud that I'm responsible outside my gambling activity and my monthly spendings are not heavily affected. But not all gamblers can be like that.

For me, once we saw a person that already falls into the wrath of gambling, we should be the one to come to that person and not the other way around. They need help that they can't voice out their problem as they are already out of their mind.

As much as possible, convince them or their family to consult a professional person or institution to help that gambler overcome their gambling problem. I'm sure in any place or region, there's a government agency or private one that helps those people with gambling problems.

Some of the tips that you mentioned definitely help gamblers manage their addiction and i've also used to do the same thing back then when I was still new to gambling, looking for a hobby was one of the best solutions for me as it diverts your focus to another activity until you slowly lose more time to gamble and break the habit completely. It all comes down to mental management and how much you're willing to put in the effort to stop your addiction as sometimes the effects of it take a while before it becomes concerning.

Yes, and the only way to cure it is first you have to admit that you have a serious gambling problem. And then you have to reach out to your family for help because they are first one that will understand what you are going through and is willing 100% to assists you.

Family members can even go as far as going to like an intervention, so it's either the gambler accept it because they want to stop, or simply ignore.

I have experienced any of the symptoms mentioned above. But I talked to my family and now I can get over it although it takes time. sometimes a person will completely quit gambling addiction when he has reached the threshold. i.e. have lost everything. However, the above therapeutic methods described by the OP to try to cure gambling addiction are an effort so that people who are addicted to gambling do not reach their limit. because many things happen that people who are on the threshold will choose to give up and sometimes if there is no despair then what appears is a determination to commit a crime to fulfill the desire for gambling addiction that has fused in him. I often meet people who are addicted to gambling are those who do not have a satisfying job so they are looking for an instant way to get rich from gambling. even though gambling is just a means of relaxation or refreshment or entertainment to entertain yourself a little, not the other way around, which is the main focus. so this is where it is important to know what the function of gambling itself is for. so you don't go wrong from the start.
I think the ways to get rid of gambling addiction described by the OP are complete and clear. so I'm not going to add anything.

One of the most effective methods here imo is finding a hobby. If you have the money, even taking a vacation somewhere for say 2 weeks to a month without any whatsoever access to the internet or anything related to gambling/casino, e.g a farming area/fishing location where you can put in your time doing those activities instead of anything else for an entire day in that 2-week break. It honestly amazes me how those 2 weeks of being away could be a HUGE help in trying to clear your mind.

If you don't have the money though, a hobby is the way to go. Let's say drawing, it may be said as a hobby but there's also a lot of studying and understanding involved that is going to take up a LOT of your time. Heck, it doesn't even need a hobby you can do, you can maybe start finding content creators on the internet to watch and sink your time in.

These tips are wonderful and I am sure that a careful study of this thread would assist an addict to break loose from problems of addiction. But the truth is that most gamble addict are not aware that they have a problem, hence they would not seek help. I have seen gamble addict that would give you perceive genuine reasons why they are gambling. Until one accepts that he has a problem, then there would be no solution. Another challenge that gamble addict face is stigmatization. In some quarters they are seen as criminals and sometimes never-do-wells. Most of them become shy or scared of discussing their addiction problems to people, making them to suffer in silence.   

I was once an addict and I was very addicted to gambling to the extent I even can go hungry because of gambling, but it got to a point, lessons from being an addict taught me to change for my life not be remain devastated and not meaningful, addicts life are not meaningful at all until they change.

But what people do say which is very right is that, for example, you have a friend, he is an addict, you told him not to gamble and told him also how he is losing that gain and how his life has become, but you still see him gambling. You can see other people telling you that gambling addicts do not just changed, that it is difficult to change.

I have never heard that addicts can not change, but I do hear that it is a difficult process and it will take time.

As said, it is a difficult task that takes time as well as requires self willingness. Because, a gambler can change his life on self realisation and not on someone's suggetion. Above user is a clear example. A friend can suggest, but it won't come to an end unless he himself realise the effects of gambling over him.

Myself too an addict, and I'm trying to keep myself in control. I used to stay away from gambling for a month's time, and later I won't be able to continue it. I gamble and and loss. This is routine with me, and I'm happy that I never think of ending my life. Often come across news about youngsters ending their lives after losing big on gambling. The amount lost by me in gambling is higher than the youngsters who've ended their lives.

I tend to disagree on this part , I use to be a gambling addict in the past and yes I really  spend a lot of money and time , I almost spend my family because of this as I also involved in alcohol addiction and smoking , But when I decide to stop? i quit instantly and yeah , I never take a look back , i return to play  again when i finally find myself not longing to gamble anymore and now using this as a way to spend my time enjoying the game and not tending to win.
Maybe there is different approach but what i do believe is depend on how dedicated you are in your plans and decision and how you will hold on to it.

good and informative thread ,maybe some people have experienced or need such guide for rehab.
the gambling company fully provides the best service for a euphoria and celebrates the little things.
the points you mention may not all experience the same thing but some people experience certain points.
if things weren't superfluous it might just be a fill of time in a time void. And this wouldn't burden psychology.

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even something that is done every day if it is not regulated and limited will be more disturbing and more addictive.
I don't think it's from gambling, but from a habit, in a hurry and wanting to find multiples of pleasure (the meaning of a game).
Addiction is a pleasure you always want to do.
So it depends on the individual.

your tips are very useful if those around me need this information, I will provide a reference link to this thread for a study and their reflection.
I think this can be applied in everyday life regardless of their obstacles.

This might be the right thing to do but I don't think it is that easy.  Remember, gambling addicts, always have a denial on their side. Approaching them and telling them that they are possibly a gambling addict might cause trouble.  No matter how much diplomatic approach you do, if he is currently close to any suggestion and in denial may cause irritation and an invasion of privacy to the person.  It might end up in a misunderstanding.


I think we must have patience and time it right if we wanted to encourage him and his family about the treatment.  If we see that the person had opened himself for help then we should do what is needed to do to help him recover from gambling addiction.

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Lol, you didn't quit, you just took a break.  Proof:

I agree with you,once you have build up the self confidence that you are ready to quit gambling and never look back,do it by all means.I was not long ago in addiction to slot machines and every time I told myself this is it I am going to quit gambling but I will do it eventually rather than instantly,I ended up losing everything in those times when I was gambling to just gamble less and less,I could not keep myself at bay and as such for me this strategy does not work.

Once I told myself I am quitting and never looking back,it is then that I know I have a huge self control (except a few cases where I get mad by not getting the bonus round and losing everything) and I am not addicted anymore,I control the money and I am the one to manage my session most of the time.While many gamblers who are addicted they think they are managing the session but in reality it is the session managing them.

Those who gamble and and become unlucky to lose their money - they quit most of the time.
It is like consuming too much alcohol. Only the stronger people come out of these addiction victoriously. Rest either keep suffering or face miserable circumstances.

Nah, addicts doesn't quit when they're already lose all of their money because they can beg to their family or taking a loan or wait the next monthly pay check. They will try to double or triple their money to recover from the previous lose, usually they can do it, but since they're greedy enough, the unrealized profit they got turn become losses. Even gambling isn't a stuff that have a caffeine, but it do have similar effect like caffeine.

Quitting is not a word for a person who got addicted to gambling because they will be in that situation if they are not already addicted. The chances are they will just quit for short term then come back again once they have already funds to play and lose once again. An addicted person doesn't stop gambling as long as he can still have ways to gather money to fund his addiction. The can’t just simply quit because they want the satisfaction they are getting on winning and they will always look for it when they lose. It's just a cycle tbh.

Gambling addiction especially the severe ones couldn't quit easily because their urge and desire to gamble are uncontrollable. They need to seek professional help for them to be treated because it's already a mental health condition. Gambling addiction is just like any other type of addiction which are unbearable and could ruin lives in the long run. If a person is experiencing a severe level of it, he won't be able to treat himself but he needs professional medication or rehabilitation.

This is one thing that prevents many gamblers from admitting that they have a problem with gambling. Those who have problems with gambling will not realize it because they just play continuously and will not even stop even if they have won some money. As long as they do not admit it, it will be difficult to assist them even if they use professional help. It really needs to be brave to admit that they have a problem with gambling.

We don't have to condemn addiction of gambling because that is their own source of of getting whatever thing they need they are the third to gambling because it is only chance of survival in their own way so I will not like a situation whereby some people will condemn it Cumberland as a bad or or negative attitude of life some people get addicted to something because it is the place they survive and please that helped them feed daily and the monthly so therefore you cannot leave it or take it for granted.

Doesn't the bold one take time?  So it means, the plan to quit is there but yet due to the circumstances you needed time to do it.  Then the gathering of self-confidence until you have enough build, and quit.  From that perspective, it isn't an abrupt decision.  It was carefully planned until you meet the status where you are ready to quit  take a break in gambling.

For those who are addicted to gambling, this thread is probably the best place to get help. You will find tips and tricks you can easily implement and see the benefits from it!!  Addicts should be aware that there is a possibility that they have a problem and should seek help. Stigmatization could also be a big problem and must be dealt with before taking any action in order to break free from the gambling addiction.

When gambling becomes a habit and addiction, it needs attention. Gambling addiction is not good and will have an impact on the quality of life.

Some of the things that can stop gambling addiction is to find the real reason why you have to gamble. If gambling is only for entertainment of course and to forget a problem, of course it takes time to stop gambling.

To be able to end the habit of gambling can also block access to gambling, so that there is no way to gamble anymore. must be really aware when all access is blocked because it is a wrong habit.

Gambling is just for entertainment and every once in a while will not be a problem. Must be really aware that gambling will not always win.

someone who is addicted with gambling what the person needs is a counseling not a medical doctor for treatment because it's not a sickness you can treat this only works of information that you need put and brainstorm another one to know what exactly gambling addiction can lead into so I think that doctors don't have any impact to play for addiction of gamblers

Excess of everything is bad. Be it gambling, consuming alcohol or even eating and doing other stuff in excess. There should be a balance between things.
If you are gambling you should know when to stop and when to leave the casino. Being patient and getting crazy for money is not a good move whatever the situation is.

A good thread that can correct or pay attention to ourselves if we are in some of those threads if we read properly will definitely fix it so as not to become an excessive gambler, and this thread is very good for serious addicts to follow.
but back again to them, whether the person has the intention to get rid of the addiction. And also have the determination, intention and passion to get rid of addiction of course you can.

Is there any other way to manage any kind of addiction other than stop doing it?! We are all addicts in some way, but most of us have some control! We know how much we can "force ourselves" and spend without getting into troubles of any kind! When some people lose that control, or can't achieve some level of control they should stop, literally! Remove that activity from your daily routines! Find some other interesting activity or you will just sink deeper and deeper!

I don't believe we can help someone who doesn't want to be helped! Some people (and partially I include myself in that) are simply destructive in some way, so the only way to cure their addiction is to put them in some kind of jail, but is that a good thing to do? Of course not, it's better to work on education, better to prevent than to treat! Simply vices are everywhere around... it's something we all have to deal with on daily basis! And as I said before, it's like playing with fire, and we all like to play with some fire! We need to learn how to do it, or there are consequences!

Agree on this one on which excess on everything is really bad that's why you should always be considerate on what you are tending to do if that one would be ideal or not because excess on everything will be having a corresponding effect specially in gambling.If you don't make yourself aware on that then it would be hard.

Addiction on gambling is really hard for you to get out or even on other things too on which too much involvement or engagement will really result into this outcome.If you don't like to mess up your life then getting some good control of everything should be done.

It is not impossible but really hard, If you are addicted to gambling then it is only you who can help, no other people or no motivation will works until you realize it from your heart.


yes, I agree with this, but human nature is once he loses something he wants to back that thing anyhow at any cost. Once you lose that control you can't stop yourself until you get back your satisfaction.


Until their activity doesn't harm our society or family life we should not put them in jail. But if their activity will go to an intolerable phase and harm other people then it is really a matter of thinking and we should have to prevent them. Sometimes addicted people rob other people to manage money for gambling.

Gamblers are mostly in denial especially if they don't see the possibilities to cure it. But if they open theirselves and start trusting the people around particularly their family, their struggle to fight gambling addiction will not be as heavy like they still hide it to their selves. So self-admission is the key not to fall for worst gambling addiction.  A lot of people would be willing to help, but it takes self honesty to get them treated and be healed.

Addict always believe they can win every game , they don't get tired or give up even if they lose their game. They keep on playing  until they make sure they succeed in winning.  If losing game can make gamblers quit many addict would have quit from gambling  because of  losing in several games.

Social support from family is so underrated. I have seen folks overcame different types of addiction because they had a family, a friend, a significant other who was there with them on the road to recovery. It reminds me of a classmate who suffered from gambling addiction so much that it affected his grades in school. His family had to step in when they found out why he always requested for money every other week. His family pull him out from school briefly. He differed a semester and had see a clinical psychologist for a year. With support from his family. He recovered and returned to finish up with his studies with better grades. Support can never be overemphasized.

All the stated tips to stopping gambling are very much reliable and encompassing for every gambler that's struggling with gambling addiction. Although am not a gambling addict but I clear can remember that for the past three weeks or so, I have had time for gambling due to an interesting project i have been battling to secure for myself  for it's execution. And cause of the interest I so much put in to ensure the success of the project am occupied with I could hardly think of giving myself time to make any bet on even one of the four casinos I use for gambling.

So for sure to an extent when a gambling addict occupied himself with something or an activity that captures his interest for sure his gambling addiction will gradually die away and put under control.

Such very good information.
gambling addiction is sometimes that becomes a problem for everyone in this world.
Recovering from gambling addiction is not easy, very difficult, and it needs help from many parties.
However, if we are trying only by ourselves, I think it will be very difficult to do.

Sometimes, we read some information about how to stop gambling addiction, but in fact, it is not as easy as in the theory. It needs responsibility, hard efforts, supports from others, strong will, and also good control to manage our emotion when going gambling and gambling again.

This is exactly very important, for if this is in the real world, it may be difficult to seek people who really want to help us, moreover if we are afraid or shy because of gambling addiction. Or maybe because we are too obsessed and lost control, being too rude to other people who want to help us, and not willing to visit any treatment.

A self confessed gambling addict is shy to expose himself and go near to his relatives and family to admit that he's got it. I agree about talking to your family about this and it's like a close discussion that won't ever go out.

You know that family is the first one to think of in every single problem that you're dealing with and they're the first ones to help you out to get out of that addiction and to give you tip on what you must do with their accordance.

The best way to manage a gambling addiction is to not gamble. You shouldn’t be reading this section of the bitcointalk forums or using any of the sites here. Find other things that you enjoy to take on as hobbies in your life or get busy with something so that you don’t have time to gamble. Nobody should feel like they have to gamble and if you do then you should seek out group therapy with others who are also facing this challenge.

Yes, family is the one that can help us with the gambling addiction. Same time when we seek for help and they are with us. Even after that if he isn't able to keep himself within control and continues to gamble. This will affect the gambler as well as the family as a whole. So, it is good to make thyself strong to stay away from gambling and seek the support from the family to overcome addiction.

However, telling the family is the first step that must be done. because it is the family who will always support us regardless of our condition and they will be happy and willing to help us.
I've experienced it myself. and the first step I took was to consult with my family and find a solution together. in the end I was able to recover said their support. although I wasn't really a gambling addict at the time. but I am in a state of addiction that is almost close to addiction. luckily my family helped me and now I am more in control of myself.

This is a good thread to read for those who have addiction in gambling, but i dont know if they will accept every fact and suggestions to defeat this kind of disease since their mindset is already very different to a normal people. Lol  and also at the first place they don't have self discipline, so for sure they will ignore this thread..

I haven't been in the gambling industry for long, nor am I a gambling addict, but aside from these suggestions, I believe playing video games is an excellent way to overcome gambling addiction.

I mean, games that can be played on a console can still provide the same level of enjoyment as casino games. This way, you can continue to enjoy it without compromising your finances. It is likely an unpopular perspective, but I am certain that it will help in the slow treatment for gambling concerns.

Suppose it will be that easy. Every addiction is difficult to tell to anyone even your wife or your very best friend who is not on the same wavelength as you. The only ones who could tell are the people who are near you and know you who do the same or are in an identical dilemma. Buddies in crime.
They are the ones who should be asked by the family if they are suspecting something bad is going on.
It could lead to different accusations if the problem will not surface as fast as possible and could also lead to more problems. i.e. suicide attempts
Friends will be afraid to be blamed by the addicted gambler if they tell but they should be more worried about his health mentally and physically if they will keep their mouths shut.

Some people are weak to gambling. They have difficulty controlling themselves.
If you feel weak willpower, you should definitely seek help.
It is inevitable that someone with a gambling addiction will lose everything completely in the long run.
Because even if he wins, he will continue to play. until he has no money left.

Self control and discipline is something not all people does really have which means that even if it's basic to tell and say that they should have good control but it's not something easy to be done when you are on their feet.Gambling addiction is something that can't be controlled or getting rid of it but if you are really that eager on quitting then you could do it but if not then you do need to seek some help whether came from your loved ones or professional help which is something that depends or differ from time to time.

The same goes when you are dealing with your personal relations.
There should be limit to everything. Be it gambling, relationship or consumption. The balance is life is something very needed.

Managing addiction is not really easy because of the shyness one might have to even meet people to discuss about such weak that had eaten one up. Most time addiction comes to us in the form of enjoyment and sudden we might see it as part of us before we noticed that addiction is right before us.

It is very had to quit addiction and it all requires people around us to help in getting up on our feet including family, friends and colleagues at work places. Gambling addiction do takes time before we can overcome it.

The problem with the addicts is that they deny it. I don't know why but maybe because they are afraid to be scolded by their family and they cant get financial support anymore but there might still be reasons other than this that are not related to financial.

This is true. I already heard this advice before but not exactly in gambling but I think it was on other types of addiction like alcohol and cigarette/smoking. I don't know whats the science behind it but I think this was working as I tested it before. In my case it was video games. I was kinda addicted to it and decided to uninstall the game from my device one day but I only ended up thinking about it so what happens is I installed the game again but decided to apply this process here and it seems working better. Now I still play games but in moderation only.

People who can't forget gambling for a while need to lose every kind of contact they have with betting platforms, being them virtual or physical ones. However, it's hard to do this nowadays, since internet accessibility has become easier and there are many small pubs on every corners of the streets offering gambling services.

Therefore, the solution I imagine is to take problem gamblers to an isolated area where they can be treated properly and have contact with another people, new kinds of activities and the nature in a way step by step they start switching themselves off gambling in order to focus and develop interest for another subjects that will be more benefical for their lives.

I believe addiction isn't a natural trait for any individuals and nobody was born to be addicted, so there is a solution for this without any doubts, but effort and patience are needed.

yeah like that. I've had times like that. and now I'm healed. Gambling addiction is also closely related to his strong greed and curiosity that drives him to continue the game. although sometimes in financial conditions that are not possible. I once realized when I had very little money left. I was determined to change my attitude. and family support. and it takes a long process. But maybe I don't belong to advanced addiction. because if someone is already addicted to an advanced level then whoever lectures him will not want to hear it. Even if it's from his family. even people who are addicted to advanced gambling then he will actually hate people who give advice or input to him. as long as he has no intention of quitting it will be difficult. although in the ways the OP described. because the methods described by the OP only apply when an addict already has a desire to quit or to an addict who has not yet reached the most severe level. mind control and emotional regulation are needed here.

Naturally, a gambling addict will be shy enough to admit that he's too deep and badly need some help, so ofcourse nobody would be proud about that even if that's an addict. The first challenging part right there is to find some good time when and where to open up about his problems, you know family would always extend their hand if they wanted to but expect that there would be some hefty words from their mouth as it's also natural for them to react that way.

Just to add on the list that OP completely provide, one must assess himself on why he/she gambles in the first place.

A gambler that gambles purely out of entertainment may not suffer from addiction; but a gambler who gambles for the sake of profit may suffer addiction due to the nature of their purpose. It is essential that you align your purpose into a different avenue- people who hopes to earn profit MUST not engage into this kind of activity given the risks involved.

Based from overwhelming responses, most of these gamblers who are addicted are the ones who suffer financially. They think that by gambling, every financial problem may be resolved in an instant, thereby eliminating the need to work regularly. This kind of mindset should be changed. Again, do not engage into this kind of activity if your purpose is for repayment of a particular purpose.

Excess of everything is bad - be it gambling, consuming alcohol or lust for having money or material.
Things are unmanageable  if the addictions are beyond one reach..

Doing things like this relying on yourself is tantamount to torture in my opinion because as you said there are important roles from those closest to you that make this easier to deal with. At least with the support of all those who are close to the addict, this can ease the burden on the mind and increase motivation for addicts as well.
Although indeed in this case self-control and strong will are still the main factors, but doing this with your own efforts is also definitely not a good choice and will actually add to the mental burden.

A gambling addict will find it difficult to open up the problems they are experiencing to their families. And this I experienced myself where I myself am a slot addict and I feel almost the money I get I deposit to play slots even though I can withdraw from the winnings I get but if I calculate from the start I am addicted to gambling of course quite a lot of money I  throw it into gambling. so basically it's very difficult to discuss what I've been dealing with so far with my family.

Some family members will judge you easily and that’s why many are still afraid with this and didn’t trust their family member so it is still good to have a friend where you can share personal things like this and most probably will give you some advices as well. Addicted person really needs a help, so if you know someone who are suffering with the addiction better to be good to them and help them recover because if they continue and stay addict, their life will be of a trouble. Well, gambling activities should manage accordingly to avoid being addict, this is not easy but its possible.

A gambling addiction is difficult to get rid of. And if you think you've got rid of it, then you probably always have a moment sooner or later when you fall back into a hole and then the misery starts all over again. The easiest thing would be to never start gambling, but that's easier said than done. Once in a position of being addicted, you may want to consider contacting someone from a clinic. They have experiences with gambling addictions. I think only a few managed to get out on their own. You will always be triggered somewhere to gamble again.

Of all the addictions gambling and drugs are two of the worse, they will exhaust your finances and drain your emotion and the road to recovery is long and hard you don't just need advice you badly needed professional help to get these two additions out of your system, gambling addiction will have an impact to your family and to your job, your family and people will not trust you of your people, if you have a caring family the road to recovery will be much easier.

Yup, if video games used to be one of your hobbies back then it is a good alternative to slow down your addiction (this was also mentioned in one of OP's tips). Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys playing video games as we have our own preference for entertainment but there are a lot of hobbies that could slowly pull you away from gambling.


Another reason is that they're having a hard time accepting their own addiction as they're not putting any effort into dealing with their problem and they're just brushing it off.

Everything that is abused are always not good to anyone. Being addicted to unhealthy foods will also drain your finances if you will develop a disease like cancer.


The process you mentioned requires a strong discipline to a gambler which is very difficult to develop. To stop from a gambling addiction, it will always come from yourself. Even if your family and relatives are there behind you, it's still useless if don't plan to quit from gambling.

I definitely agree with you on that, gambling and drug addiction are really worse than can happen to any of us. The fact that we won't be able to weigh things correctly will make the situations more messy and hard to overcome and some of those options includes our loved ones and families, messy finances comes with the package. I'm afraid that a year or two won't be enough just to get you back on the normal straight path.

That's a start but eventually it will ease up a bit, the hard part is finding the right time and person to share our problems with especially that we're kind of embarrassed about our gambling problems. We don't need to someone to listen for us but sometimes, we might need a literal help to help us stand up again from that mud we've been into.

I would not put drug addiction and gambling on the same level. There are many similarities, but if you have met drug addicts in your life, then such a comparison will not occur to you. In my opinion, gambling addiction is more of a psychological nature, so the chance to cure it is much greater than in the case of drugs, where the chemical processes in the body have already been adjusted to taking drugs.

If there is no help from the closest people, I think it will take longer to cure addiction because there is no support from them, making the recovery process not run smoothly. It might be best if the gambler who is addicted to gambling comes clean with his family so they can think about what to do and how to start helping him. So far, support from the closest people and family has been proven to help a person recover from his addiction. Those addicted gamblers will open their mind to realize that family and loved ones are very important, even more important than gambling.

The problem is that we don't control ourselves very well, obviously I've felt the unpleasant effects before on gambling but so far I've managed to control it better. If previously I spent $100 for each gaming session, now $50-$100 is the total amount of money I spend in a month gambling. Maybe it's still not great as $100 is still quite a lot in my country, but I've managed to control it better. At this point I haven't come across any issues that would require me to get special treatment as a gambling control, but of course I'm consciously not allowed to do it beyond reasonable limits.

One of the things that kept me in control of gambling is that I am not a very lucky person at any kind of betting. So I have to get used to going out without a good win, Lol that must be pathetic.

It's hard to stop gambling especially if it's already part of our daily routine but if we want to get rid of gambling addiction, we can do at least baby steps each day and do it with consistency while trusting the process. Just like other types of addiction, it will be hard to control at first but we should trust ourselves and have the motivation to discipline.

An advice from a medical student:

Gambling addiction should be treated professionally. It is not something that is easy to go through it should be regarded as a mental disorder. It is not categorized as OCD which some doctors might try and give you pills for, you have to understand that not much research has been done for it therefore it would be wise to go to a doctor who has knowledge about the subject. Do not try and read about it online and somehow manage it at home.

1. Realize that you need help
2. Get help

Many people often say that it's on the person most of the times but unfortunately that's not the case it's much more complicated than that. Let's be wise and don't try and do Professional things ourselves.

That is correct if you need help - you must raise your voice. It is very very important.
Last month I read a news that one of the beauty pagent committed a suicide. I kept on thinking about it. The famous people too sometime needs help.

I think the only way to get rid of gambling addiction is through self-admission. If a gambler finally admits that he's addiction won't no longer be controlled, then he should seek medical treatment in the first place. That is why families are there because they are meant to guide and assist us even in our addiction struggles. All those internet articles on how to manage gambling addiction are still useless if they won't be applied at all.

The worst thing of every addiction is to be able to manage this giant issue, when it isn't absolutely true. That's why it is really hard to beat the point 1, and many

players also create a second life in way to continue this evil game. They ususally realize that need help once they've lost everything, when they doesn't have a $

to put a bet, in that moment they understand to be addicted.

A gambling problem is more hidden than openly revealed. Even to family members, I think a gambler that is already becoming addicted to it does not openly take about it. And the sad part is that this is exactly the point where family and friends should come in. But they cannot because they aren't aware that their family member or friend has actually already fallen into the pit. So I guess a little amount of monitoring what your family members or friends are up to must help. It might actually be life-saving to check on our family members and friends every now and then on what's keeping them busy.

I think there is a way for the family and friends to jump in,it is in the moments of addiction that the addicted gambler is sad and as much as he can try to hide it,simply cannot.I have been in such situation a couple of years ago and no matter how much I tried to hide the fact of my sadness it could be seen open wide in my face.Family and friends started asking me why you look always sad,is there something wrong,they asked for health problems as sadness leads more to health than gambling and in the end I told them my problem and they helped me overcome it.

I appreciate you sharing that with us. That's brave of you. This is true. No matter what, gambling addicts will try to hide it unless they are asked by someone close to them.
Someone who has a deep connection and not those who they didn't know because they will be shy to tell about it. The thing is there are people who like living with themselves and this is where gambling hotlines could help.
But if you still have a family, it's better to let it all out to them first before with other people. It will be the faster route to recovery.

In times of trouble and needs, nothing can beat Family and true friends' concern.  It is a proven fact both in research and experience that the said group of people always help in a person's betterment.  You are lucky to have a very attentive family and friends.  If they failed to notice your changes you could have fallen into depression which is very lethal to one's health.

So if ever we feel that there are negative changes in the ways we are handling gambling, we should seek advice or talk to the parents and elders of the family or our partner or trusted friends.  Remember we need to open up to our family for them to help us in our situation.

Like with every addiction the first step is that you must really want to quit. If you're uncertain and not sure or you say that you want to quit but keep coming back to gamble just a little when nobody is watching you will fail!
You can try to blame it on getting no help from your family or not enough help but family and friends can only play a supporting role. In the end it comes down to you and your own dedication.
When you decide to stop it means stop not "stop for a while".

If there's no help from his closest friend or family then that certain gambler is on a difficult situation because they doesn't have someone who they can share their problem with and help them. But I think opening up to our family will be the best thing an addicted gambler can do, the family might react about the situation but it's really natural for them but sooner or later they will still help their own family as it's still their own blood. That help and support will help that gambler to find his path in straight lines again and maybe help the process faster.

Well, it's literally that hard if that said addicted gambler won't be having a support and help from either friend or family. But if that gambler is really determined to get his life back straight then having no help from the family or some of closest friend won't be an obstacle just to get that life he or she wanted. A rehab and a doctor can be always approachable even if there's no support from that said people.

I think the first step is to acknowledge that a person has an addiction.  One cannot quit any kind of addiction if he does not know that he is already an addict.  Then admission.  After we admit that we are an addict then that is the time when we can decide to quit the addiction.  There is always a process in everything, especially in addiction, there is no shortcut in a gambler addict's rehabilitation.

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This list may probably be posted here in the forum but I am sharing it again just to add more in the discussion.

10 tips to stop gambling addiction

• Plan ahead to avoid boredom
• Live your life one day at a time
• Do something completely different
• Rekindle an old hobby
• Be especially vigilant leading up to special events
• Find ways that help you cope better with stress
• Remind yourself that to gamble is to lose
• Identify your self-sabotage triggers
• Visualise your betting firm or casino with a negative slogan
• Write a daily gratitude list

You can read the details here:  The 10 most successful ways of overcoming gambling urges (https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/memberarticles/the-10-most-successful-ways-of-overcoming-gambling-urges)

These are good points mentioned. But a few things are too intense that one doesn't feel like even getting up from bed.
For doing all this one needs to be really willing to get off all the anxiety and move on. But this is not easy!

Getting yourself out of addiction isnt something easy to be done thats why saying up things like this and talking about quitting isnt something easy as it sounds but its true that everything would really be depending on

someone on how willing for someone to quit gambling for good.It all matters on self awareness and acceptance and seriousness on quitting gambling.This do really requires that self control and discipline.

Make your best on avoiding gambling activity if you are serious on quitting.Come to mind that there are people who are really good on controlling up theirselves towards this activity.

They could play but they arent making themselves addicted because they do know or set out limitations.You wont really able to create problems if you wont really tolerate yourself
on playing beyond your limites.Play for entertainment and dont go overboard if you do see it is affecting your finances then you should completely stop.[/list]

It all goes down to your list of priorities, the longer you do or think of your priorities then it will get into your mind and your lives, just do your priority and change your mindset about gambling as something to have fun with and you are good to go, time management is also very important, playing hours should not be less than 2 hours per session and on weekend it should not go over 5 hours your allocation is also very important to allocate a specific amount, not on your playing status, if you lose you lose if you win don't extend your winning in the hope that you can recover your previous losses.

Simplest answer will to allot a regular budget and dont exceed your allocated money.    A bad gambling habit is when every bit of capital available goes into the next bet then regardless of whether you win or lose, its already the case that the player broke the rules of risk.     Also it follows that keeping a regular time schedule would be best for some also, presuming time is money.
   In short have a plan, dont let the game play you.

It is true. one must first realize that he has become a gambling addict. because how can someone stop gambling if he doesn't feel addicted and feels normal. even though he has exceeded the limits of ordinary gamblers.
And the second important point after realizing that he has become a gambling addict is that he must also have awareness and be determined to stop gambling. or have a strong intention to disengage from gambling. because even though someone is aware that he is a gambling addict but if he does not have the intention and determination to get out of gambling addiction then he will not be released and will even go deeper. and after this second point there is. then the next steps that can be taken are with what the OP posted and can also be with tips from you. So in conclusion, if someone really wants to be free from gambling addiction, he is aware that he has become a gambling addict and has a strong desire/intention//determination to quit and get out of gambling addiction.

Yeah, that's probably a good way of doing it.

But I would say that, similar to other addictions, some people simply cannot gamble responsibly. The moment they start gambling they never stop until they spend everything they have.

This is similar to for example an alcoholic that can't just drink one or two beers, they have to drink the entire bar. Or a chocolate addict, that cannot stop eating chocolate until there's nothing left.

It's all based on similar principles, the dopamine people receive by doing an activity. That's why it's addictive.

For some people, the only way to live a normal life is to simply never gamble ever again. Not even once.

Good thread and highlighting some good key points related to the gambling addiction.This is the problem which we need to discuss and advice fellow gamblers how to get rid of but in the first end try not to be caught in this trap which is more sort of financial trap where you lose everything.Have seen and listened to the victims of how they become addicted and disrupt their personal and social lives as well so try control your emotions and have controlled budget approach being in limits.Rest @OP has discussed some good points here.

Great post OP, I would like to add some points of mine to this open discussion thread -

1. Do not deposit more than what you can afford to lose.
2. If you lose, you don't deposit more, you just say it's over for the day.
3. Trying to double your amount to recover your loss will eventually bring more losses. Revenge bet is a totally no-do.
4. Overall, Gambling is an addiction, If you think you are getting addicted, ask someone in your family or friend for help.

Good Luck!

All the tips you mentioned about overcoming someone's addiction in the world of gambling, there's nothing wrong, maybe I agree in terms of someone overcoming and doing these tips.

In this topic I can take the point.
Although this method is 'true' but not many can really work, many gambling addicts that I have seen, after their therapy the cure rate is 70%, the addicts still go back into the black hole/gambling, whether these tips are wrong, of course not.

I judge gambling addicts, really should be isolated and their proximity from laptops, android and the internet, the worst FACTOR that addicts often want to do bets again, despite therapy and average cure rates, My understanding is: Curiosity, fun and just try it for a while or just watch it for a while, that's what online gambling addicts often experience, in the end their brain will be hypnotized again and try again.

Maybe everyone here is aware of the tips for overcoming the addiction, but for me gambling addicts, if not separate themselves from direct contact for 24 hours, with gamblers and not keep themselves busy with other things, it will be easy for them to fall back into gambling, To overcome gambling addiction, in my opinion, 'Repentance' which can actually be overcome, means 'faith' in yourself.

Absolutely.  Though these tips, advices, therapies, and things like that may help, but curing a gambling addict ain't easy and there's no shortcuts that this specific gambler magically avoid gambling after the therapy. Same goes with other addicting vices.
We all have heard about all sorts of addiction stories and we thought being on that situation is the hardest part, but in reality the hardest part is during the withdrawal period. Fighting against your demons is always going to be the hardest part.
And I totally agree that unless this person won't find something that keeps him busy and enjoying at the same time, the probability of going back to gambling after overcoming such addiction is most likely high.

I think its very hard to change behaviors that turn into habits. Considering the fact that our body literally produces hormones that will effect our psychological health if we keep following our routine. Gambling as a habit is no different. Best way to finish this habit turning into addiction is to cut your brain wires symbolically. You should stop yourself producing that harmful hormone making you slave.

i think the best thing for this matter for us not become an addict in the gambling online is that the individual gamblers must do this as one of His/Her hobbies only, if they do this addiction in it will not come to anyone. Just don't allow greediness to control us so that in the end addiction has no power to us here in any of the gambling casino.

This is actually good, especially that #3. Although we already know these things but we tend to forget about it sometimes when we are already at the moment of gambling. I'd say that's also why a self-discipline is a must to refrain these things from happening to us. We surely already know that gambling is not good if our goal is to make that a kind of job because it's not stable and gambling is only for pure entertainment purposes only.

Yeah right, I also think the same as you. if we only make gambling as a hobby without exaggerating. or to a certain extent. then maybe we can minimize it to avoid gambling addiction itself. although sometimes there are many people who prioritize their hobbies more than their work. but that's rare. Gambling should not be the focus. but only used as a means of having fun for a moment. and related to greed, when someone has already entered into greed, it is very difficult to stop people like that. because when greed takes over, common sense sometimes becomes dull.

Nah! You're just getting yourself more prone to get addicted in gambling, you surely wouldn't want yourself to pick a hobby in gambling activities as you surely know what is likely the result of that. Gambling should just be a pure entertainment and a way to forget the reality especially when we're too soaked in work and stress.

If you need a hobby, it shouldn't be gambling. You should try different ways to reduce stress. You should increase your hobbies with arts, sports, hand skills. If you want excitement, you can do things you have never experienced before. Online gambling makes people addicted. Being able to gamble every second and minute triggers the human brain. If this event is not brought under control, there will be dire consequences.

That's easier said than done because as a gambler, we will be getting this challenge not to become greedy and avoid getting addicted every time we get to gamble, we surely would not want to become those gambling addicts who badly need some help to get their life straight again. I think the best thing to do is to have self-discipline rather than just thinking not to become an addict.

LOL great advice. Treat it like a hobby! Why so serious Mr. Gambler?:D

The truth is some people fall victim to gambling addiction and some do not. There's a lot of things that influence this. You cannot know which one of your friends will be an addict until you see them play for a while. Some people have this drive, their character changes when they gamble, they become aggressive, ready to sacrifice everything in that one moment. They turn into animals when they gamble. You can't reason with them and it's very difficult to help them.

One way to manage gambling addiction fir me is that, you just have to make your best prediction and somehow believe that your going to loss. You might ask why bet if you know you would lose? The simple answer is; there is that small chance that you could get lucky!
I mean, you wouldn't go big in a bet if you know your going to lose right? Having that idea, you would be conscious to the fact that, you wouldn't want to gamble always and loose money in the process so, you tend to watch it and that would help to keep addiction at bay.
Gambling addiction is a very serious issue and can wreck you if you don't discover it quick.

oh right. your suggestions are all very good and open my mind. And I also remember that people who become addicted are also not addicted at first but they become gambling as a hobby so it becomes a habit and eventually becomes addicted. I forgot for a moment this important point. that if gambling is made into a hobby then we are just as deliberately giving time to play more gambling which will make it even more addicting. because many people are addicted to their hobbies such as fishing and sports. So yeah, you're right, don't make gambling a hobby. and I also rephrase what I said about making gambling just a hobby. that's the wrong move. because we need other hobbies to divert from gambling. such as exercising, traveling or for those who have skills, they can hone their skills.

This gambling addiction is something very delicate, personally, thank God I have never suffered from it, because when I have some losses, well, that makes me step on the ground and not think that the world is beautiful, but I have a friend who was the one who the university took us to see casinos, what surprised me was that he always played betting with a lot of money and when he lost he did not care, his cousin told me that when he gets paid he spends all his salary there, now I know that he does not go there the casinos but if he plays in some that are online, he bets btc and everything he finds, and I know that he is addicted, but the good thing is that he has followed my advice, to go to a psychologist to help him and that is how he is currently going, But I think that the best advice of all is for the person to recognize that they are addicted and that is the only way to help them.

To remove an addiction is not overnight, I think a very intelligent way is to play with little money and when you lose it, immediately after you leave and do not play until the next day, and to avoid the old, what you should do It is another activity so that you do not relapse. For example a sport, going out, walking, riding a bike, something that keeps your mind busy.

It's because you guys are not really into gambling that's why you say things like that. That's not applicable for me as a regular bettor for long. It's easy for you to just say things without experiencing the real situation on your feet. You don't know the feeling of being a pure bettor so for me, just sit back and relax and allow us to become addicted responsibly.

You also have to remember that even if we are already addicted to gambling, we are automatically irresponsible all-around. It's already very common that there are lots of people that is addicted to gambling but NOT ALL do have the same irresponsible act. From what I observed here in the forum, especially among those not gamblers or newbies, when they saw the term "addict" it means that person is now going nowhere else and has already fallen into the trap of gambling which is not in reality.

That's not very helpful. Once someone who is into gambling is not getting conscious anymore despite the prying eyes of his family members, its always worse. Once h e doesn't care anymore of what his family members are going to say about him, the addiction had  eaten him  completely. So before that will happen and while a person still feels bad for himself when someone close to him tells him to stop it, there is a chance to make it easier.

As long as the person is not aware of his addiction, he will not try to quit and will even continue to gamble. That way, the addiction will continue to be a part of him without being able to be cured. Gambling addiction is bound to have bad consequences for a person and even if someone tries to remind him or tell him to stop gambling, he will not want to stop. But we can overcome gambling addiction by always limiting the time and money we spend on gambling.

But do you actually know that greediness can come at anytime, people should not see gambling as hobby if I should make suggestion, they should just see it as fun, but not fun to the extent they will see it as hobby, they should only devote little of their time to it. The second is that they should always keep it in their mind that gambling is not for money making, but should be only seen as fun and nothing more, they should always know that gambling is riskier and can take than give profit.

Managing addiction in general is very hard to change or remove it in our personality. But if we do the proper management in our daily habit during gambling activity.I think as a gambler where going to have a good result in the end.
However, it is still better to lessen the habits we had in the gambling until we will notice that addiction in the gambling will be disappear in the end.

If gambling is made as hobby it means you are going to see the person always attached to his hobby. A hobby is what you enjoy and like doing all the time and unfortunately gambling involves money and we are attached to where our money is. It is a very difficult thing to do attually to take someone out from gambling and addiction. Getting help is the best to restrict someone to a certain limit.

Exactly! Making gamble as a hobby will definitely be one of the worst decision that a man/woman can do, well except for the one's who's been successful enough as a professional gambler but even these professionals are still losing big time as defeat is inevitable when it comes to gambling because the result are very unpredictable. If you want a hobby, maybe you can find some other things that will get you more creative but gambling? That will get you more problematic.

One of the positive things that an addicted gambler can do is to take a few steps away from the casino and have a safe distance to a circle of friends that could bring the gambler again to the casino or platform, that will certainly be a struggle at first because the gambler is already used to the gambling environment but if that said gambler is certain to get his life straight then I don't see a way that he won't endure that struggle.

Divert yourself into other activities and if you do find out that you cant do it alone then this is the time you would really seek out for help from your loved ones or friends which would really make yourself
divert out if you are really that serious on quitting gambling for good or on the time you do realize that you had found yourself to be that addicted already on gambling. Once addiction do shackles you on
then you would really be having a hard time on getting out from it thats why you should really be that sensible and be aware on what are the actions you are taking. Play on the amount you can afford to lose and dont make gambling to be your main source of income because you cant really able to do so and thats how reality works.

I've been an gambling addict before and diverting into other things made me slow down doing gambling and focus on more important things. I've entered many hobbies with the intention to avoid gambling and divert my time into focusing in these things that made me happy on things I achieved with these hobbies. Today, I'm proud that I can avoid playing gambling when I think I need to stop, I can control myself from temptation of playing a lot and I improved my relationship in real life given that I spend more time with them and lessen their stress knowing that I'm a gambling addict before. I'm glad that I didn't resort to consulting into professionals just to make me control my gambling addiction. I'm still playing gambling from time to time now but I can fully control it.

It’s really hard to remove your addiction but slowly and being consistent you can still be save from that addiction, you just need to fully cooperate and ask for someones help or a professional help because those people can help you, and you have to be open to them. We ended up addict because of being too careless. Managing your activities especially in gambling can be a big thing, its important and you should pay attention to that always. Manage your risk, avoid getting too exposed and limit your time in gambling, this can help.

That is correct. Some habits are hard to change. Likewise it goes for alcohol addiction and same for gambling.
It can be controlled in early times. Like when someone is getting into it. It better to look at both the aspects of the whatever you are trying to do. But people want fun and that is all they want.

But we will never know when we will have that habit because we just enjoy what we do. Only other people can see clearly what is happening and change in us so that they can advise us to really change our habits. Maybe ending your gambling habit is to start a new habit that is not related to money, games, or anything that smells of gambling. And maybe making friends with new people can help you start a new habit. Gradually, you will feel comfortable in new surroundings and people, and you can change.

Your story sounds so real because you have had members of your family who got addicted. Am not doubting you but I think seeking medical attention does not solve the problems of addiction permanently but rather keeps the person away from that habit for some time.

Addiction to gambling can be controlled by self discipline and determinationn and I believe the best way for the addicted gambler to stop is after suffering much losses in gambling the person finds out that he could do other useful things with the funds he has lost that's where self realization comes in.

The addicted gambler stated gambling one day he can decide not to gamble again by not visiting the sites or places where  gambling activities are carried out but that won't be possible when he has not suffered huge financial losses or set back.

Wonderful Tips Op. I will just add this an addict should be willing and open to accepting new ideas and suggestions that can distract them from anything that relates to gambling while the recover from this addictions. The first step is obviously admitting the have a problem and next is willing to under go the process that will help them recover. Addiction sometimes comes like fun and adventure before it explodes into full blown challenge.

Just like what you said, people wanted fun and there are a lot of options if the subject is just to chase and have some fun but sadly vices like gambling and alcohol are the ones that people wanted to go into even if they already know that it is too risky to chase these kinds of things just to have some fun, people are literally finding the joy and fun in the wrong place and making it a habit will just make the situation worse.

That's true. People know well about the risks and keep gambling. Myself used to gamble and make some wins, and further used to loss everything other than the capital. Further out of depression used to gamble hard. Here I used to recover what I've lost, but I don't have control once after recovering what I've lost. This ends up losing everything along with the capital.

Everything would be in self acceptance and willingness on stopping gambling addiction then nothing is impossible.It is really just depending on self acceptance and willingness on changing yourself for good.
Nothing is impossible if you are really that dedicative on quitting and go for the better good or something you do seem to be worth which is to quit gambling and fix your financial  situation yet we know that addiction could really give or make big destruction in terms of finances if it wasnt able to stop it early or it do becomes severe. Quitting addiction might easy to be said but its not really that
something simple that could really be done by someone when they are on the actual situation.

That's right it's the willingness to stop things will make you stop but I tell you it's harder on what you think if you're an addict. If you have gambling addiction there will be some urge or lust that will make you play and play again that's why stopping it entirely will not make a good improvement for other gamblers.  This is why I still play gambling now because of that urge but the most thing I can do now is to control my self in playing more what I can do. As of now I'm just a normal gambler that can play, stop and resist the urge to spend time playing more.  There should also things that could make you stop either your relatives that will help you to stop, your dream or things you like to do. All you need to do is to have willingness and the little push that other things gives you.

Excess of everything is bad - be it gambling, consuming alcohol, wasting money, sloth or gluttony
At the end one has to stop doing it or bring it to the normal level. Not all gamblers are luck not all are unlucky - but knowing when to leave the floor is very important

I agree - there is 21/90 rule. It takes 21 days to make a routine and 90 days to make it your habit.
Once you are trained for 21 days - you are good to change your routine. But it take a courage - a real courage indeed.

I have a friend who is a psychologist, and a long time ago I met her and we started talking, suddenly it came out that we were talking about economics and I jumped with the question of what can a person do who suddenly enters a casino and decides to spend a part of her money having fun with slot machines, but that she hasn't known how to control that fun and it has become an addiction that she can't control, she told me what you say, that the first thing is that the person assumes that he has the problem and Recognize, if the problem is very big, so that you do not fall into suicide you have to be medicated, this to safeguard your integrity, then it is good that you have a partial, almost total distance from all casino games.

This issue is delicate, and very serious, responsibility above all, it is always good to keep in mind that the personality and training of each person affects their decisions.


It is very hard when it comes to changing routines, I think it is too difficult when anxiety strikes, to be concise it is very difficult to be in the process, it is where the falls come, the weaknesses come to light, I think it is a test where you must have a lot of strength, such a serious problem is always difficult to deal with, even with abstention.

Yes, it is very difficult but it depends on how people addicted to gambling or alcohol can survive and continue to follow the changing habits. If he has a strong desire to change, he will survive and even be able to change in just a short time because he must think that his addiction has given him many bad experiences. This is why people who are addicted can have more power if they continue to be accompanied by family and friends who continue to encourage change. This is what addicts need so they can cure their addiction.

I liked this part of the article.
The idea can be summarized by the fact that uncontrollable gambling is a behavioral addiction that causes hormones in the brain to react when performing a specific activity. This addiction arises mainly from the person’s desire to have a luxurious life without making a great effort and in a short time, and it is what drives him to engage in the process of gambling intensively, which makes it a stimulating activity for the brain to secrete hormones that make the person feel a kind of self-satisfaction, such as that he is trying And he does not admit his inability to reach that luxurious life that he dreams of and imagines that it is his salvation, without telling you that he will not be able to stop gambling even if his life becomes luxurious.

Yes, that is indeed true and it is been already proved but as you said, it really takes some courage for that habit to change into something positive. However, that 90 days is already long enough to make a new habit. There's a new study that it only needs 2 months or 66 days approximately to change that habit. Nevertheless, days won't be counted if that certain person is ready to change his/her routine for good and also, it would really help if he or she will take a safe distance to these activities as well as friends or family that's also into gambling.

The courage comes from within. It is hard to leave the bad habit though they are easy to adopt.
But once you decide - stick to the your goal and have a go getter attitude. I hope once a person makes up his mind and strive for it there is no stopping at all

That is the hard part right there because addiction is not an easy thing to drop but you have to endure as that is your choice and you yourself have brought that into you. The important thing now is that you already have some courage and the strength to take some further steps to leave that addiction, the road may not be easy as it seems but as I said, you got to endure it if you are really that determined.

One of the choices is to be determined to be a brave choice to take steps to get rid of addiction, it all takes a process and obstacles because ordinary addictions are difficult to get rid of if no one supports relatives or family behind it then I think that determination will not be strong, but I'm sure this will slowly prove to be able to let go so that when we get used to it and we can control it again with the habits we do in that determination.

These steps must be passed if we are not strong then we have to repeat it again, if it is indeed an addiction, there must be help from a psychologist to be able to control it.

Psychologist will be able to help you control your gambling addiction however it is hard for people who are addicted to be even do go to one as they don't want to ask for help or even acknowledge their gambling addiction.

Getting rid of gambling addiction is a process as noone will be able to just stop what they're addicted to. Acknowledgement would be the first step then adjusting your habit little by little will help you control addiction.

Yes, it's somewhat normal for these gambling addicts to deny their addiction or they don't even know that they are already addicted. Sometimes, people that surrounds us will be the first ones to notice our new habit or worse addiction and we should listen and just filter the advice that will help your situation.

If ever you find yourself in the same situation then I do hope you already know what to do in-case these unfortunate things will happen, remember, don't be afraid to seek for help.

Another tip is tell people your gambling challenge,  like some gamblers who are addicted find it difficult to tell people what they go through.  When this challenges is share among people around it will be more easy to tackle the life style.

That's right, it is difficult for active gamblers to be able to stop their activities from gambling. even active gamblers every day / hour they are always busy discussing gambling problems wherever they are. So in this case only the family has the obligation to change their behavior from gambling activities. meaning the family can take them to a rehabilitation center for the long term, so that he can return to a better path in his lifetime. Rehabilitation is a very effective way for anyone who wants to change his bad habits into habits that are more beneficial for himself and his family.

That is why admission is first needed if a gambling addict wanted to be cured of his addiction.  But we all know it is really a challenge for a gambling addict to admit that he is addicted to gambling so a friend or a family can help.  They can talk to the gambling addict calmly and offer suggestions that may lead for the gambling addict to admit his addiction and seek help.


There are certain cases where a person can change his way of gambling by sheer will but I bet it is a very rare case.  And yes, a gambling addict being aware that he is addicted and admitting it is the very first step if ever that person with a gambling problem wanted to control his gambling addiction.

If they discuss their problem, that means they admit that they really have a problem in gambling. It will be easy for them to encourage to go to the specialist to have their condition checked. What is hard to encourage are those who didn't even talk about their problem to someone else but the people around them already know that they are already addicted.

Even their family cant possibly force these people to go to the rehab but if it's really needed to then there might be forcing that will happen. We can do some practice to prevent ourselves from gambling again like applying a self exclusion and then blocking the gambling websites but this can be easily bypassed if we really wanted to. You are right, a rehab is still more effective.

To stop gambling you could treat it as any other addiction.

You need to interrupt the addiction loop.

Basically every time you get a trigger that makes you gamble, which gives you a good feeling, instead of gambling just do something else that makes you feel good. Over time you should be able to switch your gambling addiction to something else.

Ah if it were that easy but unfortunately it is not.There is a number of reasons that can make any person stop gambling,these persons need to first acknowledge that they have a gambling problem,for them may not realize it is addiction but at least they should be able to realize it is a problem caused by gambling.Second they need to talk to families and friends without any shame,third they should do what you say,anytime they feel some trigger that will make them go to gambling to get an opposite route like reading a book,watching a movie or getting out for running.If all of these three do not work,the only final solution is the professional help.

The problems that come with excessive gambling or gambling addiction can affect anyone, especially those who have dedicated so much time in gambling. It is fun when you're winning but turns sour when you lose.

But there are several ways to quit excessive gambling;
1 Seek for counseling
2 Avoid gambling friends
3 Stay away or far from gambling outlets
4 Uninstall and delete gambling apps on your device
5 Try to always stay around family members and friends
6 Find a suitable social group and join
7 Find a hobby and keep yourself busy in that way, gambling won't be your problem anymore.

Honestly, its not really that bad to gamble it is really just that bad when you do make yourself get dragged on with addiction or making yourself get hooked to it which does simply imply that you arent really that
good when it comes to self control and discipline. Managing yourself not only in finances but also with your emotion is a must. We people are different in traits and views when it comes to different things.
If you dont like for yourself to get addicted then set limits and border.Getting out of addiction is never been easy thats why some people do end up on suicide or messing up their lives on severe manner.
If you do find yourself to be that impulsive person not only on gambling but also in other things then gambling isnt really for you or better to stay away.

Yes, well, I don't know if this addiction to gambling or casinos is similar to those that occur with drugs, those who manage to detoxify often prefer to die in the process than to detox because the anxiety and stress that occurs in them is very high, so much so that there are people if they are not under supervision they can seek to commit suicide, and gambling or casino addiction is something so similar to it, people who are in danger of gambling addiction have very open options, but One of the ways that I have seen above all to be able to overcome is through sports, I have seen many get ahead by practicing some cycling and athletics, perhaps it is a good option.


What happens is that when you are an impulsive person there is not much difference from a normal person if and only if you have predefined risk management, you can be as impulsive as you want, but you have to have control of your finances, that is I mean, if I only have 100usd to spend, I can spend that amount and no more, it can be less, but not go over that amount, because otherwise the problems start, I think all this is part of being or having a lot discipline, by having discipline all addiction problems go away and most likely you will not have problems around you, with friends, family, who are the people who commonly suffer next to a person who suffers from addiction.

These solutions can easily be adapted by an introvert but an extrovert must have an alternative to forget about gambling, you can't eliminate gambling addiction completely if you don't have an alternative, I think you should have added ''a gambler should indulge in a job that will give them a source of income'' and not stay idle. If you don't have anything serious that you do to kill time, you will always go back to gambling because you will always have excess time in your hands but the moment you are so busy with your job, you hardly have time to think of gambling in the first place especially if it is the one they can fire you ASAP for any slight mistakes.

I agree with your opinion. I would also add that another idea to control gambling addiction it would be only gamble as a social activity (with friends and family), this way, besides occuping one's time in other activities which can be more productive (like having a jos, like you said) the spare time used to gamble would get enhanced with the company of others and perhaps appreciate it more than constantly gambling alone.

It's good to be vocal.

There are gamblers that don't speak out what they feel and embarrassed to tell their experiences and challenges that they're going through. I think that you're right about being vocal.

It forces the addicted gambler to speak for himself and tell what he's feeling about and if he's needing someone to help him out of addiction. That's a problem that many don't want to share with others because they're shy and thinking that others whom they'll tell about it will ignore them or laugh at what they're going through.

Most of the time we arent that tend to share on things that we are dealing with specially on addiction problems or whatever problems you are facing into.We dont really like for someone to know on the challenges

that we are facing on and majority is really that shy on sharing up problems thats why we do opt to be silent and solve problems by ourselves and if we do end up on failing then this is where
things becomes worst and on the time that it had been known by someone then its already over or the problem is already severe.

Addiction is something that cant be handled by everybody or anyone neither they are needing to seek others help or totally solve out by themselves.

It's because we're scared that we'll be judged and that's why for those that has extreme gambling addiction, they don't tell it to everyone and even their families.

Because of the judgment that they may get but they should give it a try because it's always the family that understands us very well. There are also friends that are willing to listen and help us go through.

Having a gambling addict is all about how the person in particular want to eradicate that feelings or urge of gambling again. Once one has become an addict, it is usually difficult to reduce or control it because of the feelings that is gained or enjoy when we gamble. Gambling is not all about making profits but some gamblers that would have become addict to it just wants to see themselves gamble once again to they can get want the are missing. Gambling addiction needs crucial matter to handle it including family and friends.

There are those cases that gamblers would find satisfaction and won't think of the profit and results. As long as they get to gamble, that's all what they need and they're satisfied.

It's a fact and reality and they're going through heavy emotional breakdown for which they need to overcome it. But they can't do it alone and that's why if you know someone who's in that tough situation and you're there to comfort them, help them in any means that you can like cheering them up.

Gambling addiction is a mental health condition that needs professional help or at least help and support from their family and friends. It isn't something that a person could cure in just a single night but it takes a long process of healing. We can advise them to stop gambling because it will never be that easy. We never know what they've been through and the reasons why they have fallen into gambling addiction.

Yes, that is why you need to fill every excess or spare time that you have if you are trying to quit and forget about gambling. A new hobby will definitely help the situation to fill what you need in that situation and try to socialize with your family more or your friends that is of course not into gambling because if you're still close with them then you cannot really avoid playing again as you will only put more fuel in that fire that you're trying to avoid.

Even myself would really be ending up on such situation then i might really be still keeping myself silent or my mouth shut and would trying to resolve things on my own whether i would succeed or not but just as i

said that you could really fight off addiction on your own but it would really be needing that extreme control and discipline and its true that we are really afraid on getting judged by others thats why we do really
decide to be silent and make things even more worst if addiction couldnt be treated up.
Its true that our family are the ones or main one will really understand us on certain conditions and there's no other people on this world would be the ones will really be helping you into those difficult times.

^ It is a long process, rehabilitation will probably be the answer that addiction can be cured in just a matter of time.
Because they need attention from someone to be healed, families, and loved ones that could help the victim out of the darkness of gambling addiction.
That is why I always advise my friends who are frequently gambling, just avoid that in you are in a stage of being a gambling addict because once it will come to you, it really hard to get out there. People should self-control the urge of gambling, and convert to other activities when they feel that they are almost in an addiction stage.

That is why as a family member or a friend, we should do the first step when we notice something is different.  We should be the ones to approach them in a careful but open manner.  If there is a chance to make them open up, take that chance and suggest things that can help the compulsive gambler and make him realized that he needs medical assistance.


We must not show any resentful feelings and try to understand the person that has compulsive gambling, instead of judgment we should show them concerns stated in a careful calm manner.  And make them feel understood.  That way compulsive gamblers might open up since trust regarding the matter had been built.

That's why if someone out there who's experiencing too much addiction and still hasn't told it to anyone, you need to talk and tell it to your closest ones.

Whether they are your relatives, family or friends, you just need someone to talk you if you're tired of going through with it. Because there's no other people that will understand you but them that you're close with as they're concerned about you.

Your family would be the most or number one where you should share up because they cant really just afford on seeing you like that on where you are suffering from much addiction which we know that it could really affect highly or greatly with finances and dont be shy on accepting those mistakes or errors that you have done because we are just humans and we are really prone to mistakes and errors but eventually we do
really make ourself learn from those mistakes that we had committed.Thing here is that once you do get out from the shackles of addiction then you would really be aware on next time encounter
and would really be that careful with gambling but of course getting rid of it wouldnt be simple as it sounds or simply be a big challenge of yours in your life.

When we're addicted we know that we're addicted. Majority won't accept this and say they're not. We know whether we are having control over our gambling activities. When we don't have control physically as well as mentally, then it is pure addiction. According to me, a gambling addict can recover only if his mind and his body make a strong decision to stay against the addiction.

Yes, this is like two very opposite sides, where on the one hand gambling is hope for someone to be happy and enjoy their life and make a lot of money. But on the other hand, gambling can really destroy your life. And both of these things will depend on how we react to it, deal with it, and also control or manage it. It seems to be easy, but actually, it is not.

This also seems to be easy, but being responsible is actually a difficult thing. We may say that we will be responsible of ourgambling, but in fact, when tehre is mroe triggers and addiction, we may turn to be irresponsible eprson. so sad to know this fact, but this is often happening.

Hopefully many more people can read this information, these are very helpful to at least remain somebody and help them to do the right things.

I agree and others have been doing it on the internet as they share their challenge and stories on this subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/problemgambling/).

There are also other reasons why others prefer to keep it to themselves but as long as it's shared in the right place like the subreddit I mentioned then they shouldn't worry about receiving bad reactions from other people.

Not everyone can realize that we are addicted because we can get the pleasure of playing gambling so our minds will refuse to realize it. Actually, we have control over ourselves but we choose to keep gambling and even we use more money to pursue what we want. Apart from what you say, a gambling addict needs help from someone else who can stand by him during the healing process. In addition, a gambling addict must be able to open himself to tell what has happened to him and be able to accept suggestions from others.

I believe addicted players know they are addicted, unless they suffer from a mental disorder which prevents them from having contact with reality, maybe for short periods of time. But when it's not the case and the person is conscious, they must realize they are problem gamblers, because it's not normal for someone to lose money in a daily, weekly or monthly basis that will be needed for purchasing basic goods or paying for the family's needs later. Third party's help is a great advantage in someone's recovery from addiction, but the initial desire to overcome the challenge must come from the individual himself.

This is one of the difficult truth about addiction and we need to be conscious of how we gambling because many of us that are gambles are not paying much attention to how we gamble or what people thinks about us. Gambling is not meant to be too much but a once in awhile attempt to have fun and make some dollars.

The problem we are facing these days is that many of us don't know that we are addicted to gambling that is why we mostly make that an habit and get worsen with time. We need to check the level and how we gamble to adjust everything to the fullest.

It is part of the defensive mechanism of a human that they are part of the denial stage that they are already addicted to gambling because they know what are the possible thing might happen for sure a lot of different statements will occur about their gambling activity, the only one can help is themselves to prevent too much addicted having self-awareness and consciousness to every decision we made might bring is out to the too much addiction of gambling.

as you say, humans have psychological ego defense mechanisms, one of which is denial. Denial of addiction will be very common because it relates to a person's reputation or self-esteem. the same is true of addicted gamblers. 

the only thing that can save him from addiction is full awareness, awareness and acceptance. introspect and find the real reason for gambling. by consciously one can think healthy, find a way to get rid of his addiction to gambling.

I agree, there will be a flight or fight response that will happen to us, most of the people I saw that is having an addiction do the same thing they will deny it until they will lose everything that is under their possession sometimes it will also took their family before they realize it I mean they will lose their family as well. Without self-awareness, they will never move on and they will never accept the fact that they are an addict already. Psychological treatment is no use if they will not help themselves.

That 'find a hobby' thing is really true. It actually helps in curbing addiction big time, and can even let you develop your passion somewhere else and make money off of it. It transfers your attention to something worthwhile and gives you the key to free yourself from gambling addiction. It'll be hard at first, but slowly and surely things will get better eventually. I am not a problematic gambler, nor do I have a hard time controlling my finances because of gambling, but I can't seem to let go of playing every single week. Luckily I found something that I can do on weekends that will take my time away from gambling, and hopefully it clicks on what I want to do in the next couple of months to get me occupied.

At times you may be thinking it's not possible until you finally sees someone who once been in your shoe and was able to scale through to avoid gambling. And that's the reason why I love this very point of yours, because thou addiction may seems impossible to recover from, but there are people who has, and for the fact that someone has gives you a chance that you too can recover if only you could first make up your mind you renounce it, and here is a link to one of the reddit stories to help make you quit gambling
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/euz1k/i_am_a_gambling_addict_i_need_helpadvice_to_quit/

The problem is if it's not easy, the gambling addiction will be stopped once someone has no money left to gamble with. That's pretty much the same like drug but i can't deny that if we can manage our emotion properly and it can be controlled easily. The addiction will be starting to happen once people have been starting to win some money but they being greedy to get more and more from gambling their reward from winning the game.
If it's not the people who decide to stop it and it will not be stopped. This is actually depend on people's mind itself. If there are others who can do that and we can also do that as well.
im only having a little tricks by using small bet to avoid the addiction.  :D

I would not say that it is a lifestyle, because there are no people who have a lifestyle that is based only on gambling, and if there is someone who leads that lifestyle, they must have many debts. For me, a person who has a gambling lifestyle is something like, if they have a family, they put it at risk, usually the type of people like that arrive very late, usually they drink a lot of liquor and this begins to damage relationships and more so if you have children, because you really cannot offer a good future otherwise everything would be a mirage or something that does not make sense nor would it serve as the best example that can be given to them.

and that would be a bad lifestyle. A habit that should not be tolerated. But if you like addiction to gambling it will be very difficult to change. No one is calm in his life if only doing gambling in his life. To overcome addiction because gambling can only be done with the intention and sincerity to change and stay away from it, it is difficult but it must be done. Rehabilitation really needs to be done and psychology also needs to be built and must get support from family and people around them.

Only a person himself could help him heal and recover from gambling addiction. Even if the people around him are supporting him to change his ways and keep out of gambling, if he doesn't have the willingness to change for the better, he will still go back to his old habit. There should be a willingness to submit and an eagerness to quit for him to recover.

The will also depends on the persuasion of others, the advice of others or the advice of the family to be able to awaken the addicted gambler. Indeed, only himself can change the addiction, but there must be external encouragement as well. External encouragement in the form of advice about the right life, a meaningful life etc. Old habits will reappear if no one cares.
Actually gambling is not a problem, it can be entertainment for some people. It will be a problem if gamblers become addicted and lead to negative behavior.

Self-motivation and motivation from family/relatives will be able to change behavior to stop gambling addiction, they are the most important circle of life so we will need them to provide better support.
If you are a gambling addict it will be difficult to position gambling for entertainment, if it is better to leave the habit of gambling and change your life to be productive for a new lifestyle.

Not a must but it can help the addicted gambler to think about what is wrong with him.
We also should realize that not all people are welcome to advises especially those who are in a big problem and some people may take advice as an offense so anyone should know the situation of the gambler before trying to advise.
The main key to overcome addiction is always in ourselves, even if someone get a help from professional but if he has no willing, then it will be useless.
Yes gambling is not the problem, but it can give some problems if we do not know how to gamble responsibly.

I want to mention one thing and that is excess of everything is bad. Be it gambling - alcohol or any other thing.
even gluttony too is very bad for health likewise sloth and lust. So for everything a balance is important.

Some may not appreciate these forums and communities that are talking and helping each other struggle in fighting addiction.

But to those that are very vocal about it, they're really glad and happy that there are ears ready to listen to them even if it's just online, and understand what they're going through.

That's right, the right avenue, the right people, when somebody shares their gambling problem, they'll have the share of light that they should have taken a long time ago.

Good thing that there are communities like that that have people willing to help strangers share their problems.

Maybe they know that they have a gambling addiction but unfortunately, they don't have the initiative to find out how to overcome or cure the addiction. Or maybe they have the initiative to stop the addiction but they keep coming back to gambling again so that what they are doing doesn't work at all. This is why people who are addicted to gambling really need help from third parties, in this case, their families and friends around them to help them. So that if there are obstacles along the way, they can really help the problem gamblers to overcome them.

If it is difficult to become an addict, there will be no solution other than quitting gambling. But we can see from a different point of view, that for some people gambling is a place for them to benefit and at the same time a place of entertainment. We see a city that has a gambling place, of course he started from gambling and hopes to continue to win. Things that are too excessive will not be good, just as when gambling is too excessive, there is no self-control and there is no good financial management.

acceptance is the key, because no matter or harder you do but you are not totally accepting the fact that you are addicted then everything will come to nothing because that is the best way to be cured and be away from gambling.
also try to limit your self for a while , better to let small amount be used in gambling in this way we will eventually control your gambling activities and maybe things will come to different ways and may bring you happiness and enjoyment in the future.

True, Accepting the own realization can greatly boost the resistance of the urge to play. In my experience, Acceptance and my willingness to change is the one that made me do things right. It's true that stopping instantly after realization is not effective, The urge of playing after instantly stopping is growing tenfold. This is why limiting yourself in playing gambling like you only have a limited time or limited/allocated money to spend is effective because you will not experience a shock from not playing. Over the time time, The limits will be reduced and soon after you will realize to yourself that gambling is just an entertainment and not a part of your life.

We can not leave or forget our gambling addiction in one second or one hour it takes time to control ourselves to leave gambling.  We need to discipline ourselves first by time management if we want to leave in gambling we should manage our time if in the past we spent a lot of time in gambling after we decide to quit we must must lessen the time we spent. Also other thing to quit is we must have other source of happiness in order to prevent thinking again in gambling.

If I was fully aware that I was going to lose, then I wouldn't have spent hundreds of dollars gambling all night. But yes, it is a hoax because sometimes we feel curious and believe that it is a fortune that is a pity to miss.

Basically, gambling addiction is treatable. There are many ways and tips to cure him or maybe to reduce his addiction, but in the end only we can answer whether that is really what we want.

I think that is the most crucial part and the first step, it will literally take enough courage to admit that you're already addicted to gambling and most people will deny it as either they don't actually know it or are just afraid to embrace the truth that they had been deep enough. Learning to embrace the truth will make you open to more options in life and can definitely save you from future situations that you wouldn't probably want.

Definitely!  Diverting attention away from gambling activities will greatly help a gambling addict's recovery.  So finding new stuff that can occupy our time and attention plus medication from medical experts can greatly improve the result of gambling addiction treatment.


Cleaning the house. doing laundry and other households task as a hobby is also one way of diversion.  It sounds funny but it is an effective cost-cutting activities since you don't have to hire a housemaid anymore.

I agree that is very distracting activities - even gardening is very helpful in releasing the stress.
But cleaning gives a sense of achievement and so does other household activities.

Here is another set of suggestions written in this article[1] that may help us Manage our Gambling Addiction.

Strategies for change
Keep a gambling diary
Set goals
Avoid high-risk situations
Be kind to yourself
Find alternatives to gambling

Voluntary self-exclusion
You don’t have to do it alone
Gambler's Help
Talk about lying
Relax and look after yourself
Setbacks and lapses
What to do if you feel like gambling

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[1] https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/gambling-how-to-change-your-habits

These are all very good suggestions. In spite of the fact that gambling may seem like a harmless personal vice, and for most gamblers it is exactly that, some people do not cope well when the addiction reaches extreme levels. In my case, I would recommend first and foremost to find someone you trust – a doctor, a therapist, or a close family member to talk to. It is good to have someone who you can turn to when things get tough or when you need help. Talk to the family and friends you feel closest to, so that they can help you deal with this addiction when you have hit rock bottom.

Yes, what happens is that when you have to do all those things, sometimes it doesn't turn out to be so much fun because it usually takes a long time, and sometimes things don't go as planned, sometimes you have to clean too much, and you end up totally exhausted, although it's not bad because it's cleaning, at least I set aside a single day to do that, and during the week it's good to clean some things little by little to maintain the level of cleaning and effort that was made that day, of course It is something that can help a lot to forget an addict, but I think that aside from this it is very good that a person also does other types of events, like going to a movie, eating ice cream, playing sports, this helps a lot to a game addict.

To stop an addiction, like gambling for example, you need to think about how it triggers.

So, let's say you gamble every time you finish work for example.

You need to find another activity that makes you feel good at that time to replace gambling.

So, for example, you go out to exercise. Or go watch a movie, or whatever it is that makes you feel good, whenever that trigger appears.

Over time you'll reduce the gambling voices in your head and they will be replaced by the exercise or movie voices.

Easier said than done mate, it really takes enough amount of courage to outsmart your habits and sometimes, getting professional help will be needed if you're that already deep because that habit becomes an addiction that you cannot turn your back into as you're already so accustomed to gambling and you cannot weigh down the things which is right or wrong.

But you're also right, we just have to take that step in-order to leave those kind of things.

When you do make yourself get addicted then it would really be that hard to get rid off things easy and its true that to those words saying that you should quit immediately are the ones who dont have that idea on how
hard it is on quitting or avoiding yourself in addiction because this isnt something that you could really get away specially when yourself is already get used to it or already making it up as a habit which it would really be
that hard for you to get out and neither you would really be quitting by yourself only or would really be needing some help from others and it would really be depending on the situation.
IF you do find yourself to be that impulsive towards gambling on early phase then you should consider on quitting immediately to avoid bigger problems.

we must do positive activities to forget about gambling for a while , we know its make us addicted and lose so much money so to avoid it , doing positive activity will help us. maybe playing sport or another hobbies will release our mind and make refresh for a while. more frequent we do it , we will easily forget about gambling.

Gambling is a game where once a person enters and becomes addicted to gambling, he cannot come out even if he wants to.I have seen a lot of people who have been gambling until today they have not been able to do anything for their family.He also destroyed his own life. I hate gambling so bad it's a really bad addiction.Although it is entertainment and gambling is entertainment, those who find it entertainment will find that gambling has ended their own lives.But those who are not yet into gambling and are not addicted will always try to avoid gambling.

Really well write up you’ve created here and I certainly hope that anyone who is currently struggling with gambling addiction can take some time to read over this very well crafted post, and try and get the help that they need. I just hope those who are in this bad spot know that they are not alone !

unfortunately, even if someone who is addicted reads this post, that person will not seek medical attention to heal, it's sad but it's the truth, when people are addicted they have to have someone who forces them and most of the time they use force to hospitalize the person for treatment. It's not easy, it's not something that doesn't hurt, but it's something necessary. There are few cases in which an addict did not go to treatment without the relatives having to use force to get him into the hospital, there are few cases. in most cases, relatives are always forced to use force to hospitalize the person who is suffering from addiction, even in hospitals that treat addicts, they have security to be able to contain the addicts because addicts can run away

Having a gambling addiction is a big problem for a gambler, whether we admit it or not. A disease that is contagious but not fatal. It seems like it becomes inborn in a person who is a gambler. That's why if he wants to lose his addiction to gambling it's his own decision and in my opinion a therapist is the best to consult on this matter. So @OP has done this very well for the awareness among the members here in the forum. Great job!


Yes, you are right there friend. I hope this thread section topic will be a way for gamblers who are having a hard time coping with it in their personality. And I believe that this discussion will help all of us.

Exactly it's really hard time when you are addicted to something and that can ruin your life so w need to help them out in these cases.The thread throws light on some of these points and how should we become responsible gambler and always play in our limits.Lending a helping hand to these people provide them mental support which is very essential for them.

In my opinion it is very difficult to quit gambling if you constantly think about them.  So no matter how nice words of support it is very difficult to fight gambling addiction when the theme is filled with advertising signatures of sites that provide services in the field of gambling. In my opinion a person who wants to get rid of gambling addiction immediately need to turn off the visibility of the signatures or even refuse to read such topics.

Perhaps all a person has to do to get him to think about gambling is to occupy himself with doing other things that have nothing to do with gambling. Reducing his activities in gambling can also help him avoid the urge to play gambling because his time has been used to do other activities and keep him busy every day. Even though he could still access the internet through his cell phone, he wouldn't think about gambling if he continued to do his job well. But it is not easy to do that, especially if he is addicted to gambling.

It is not all about advice and suggestions because no matter good it was but the truth is that it lies upon the gambler and their decision to leave and forget gambling. Because if they are still exposed to this, it was really hard for them to change and much to stop addiction.
Now I see that gambling seems growing fast and the government allows it as long as it was legal which means that the government also lets their people become addicted to gambling.

LOL.

Not all government do make gambling as legal and even they're make gambling as legal, it's doesn't mean they're want to make people become an addict. Though it's their problem and government wouldn't harmed, actually government will get more money from the casino by tax. But if the addicts keep rising and it's already become a new normal, governments will have a serious problem and high likely would ban gambling ASAP.

As long as you are still connected to the Internet or access to offline casinos is still within reach, it will be very difficult for you to give up the habit of gambling. What we are talking about here about ADDICTED, obviously anyone who is addicted is very difficult to stop gambling.
When the gambler dopamine starts to work, it is directly linked to changes in emotional state, the emotional urge to gamble will continue to increase if the desire is not channeled. Looking for a busy life by doing other things can only reduce the habit of gambling, but cannot eliminate the habit of gambling 100%.

Yup, kind of an overstatement to say that just quit it and forget it immediately because it is not that easy to turn your back on the vices and addictions you've been into. And if it is always that easy to do then I bet there are no people in the world right now who are struggling to quit their vices and addiction.
Seeking professional help can be done to somehow shorten the process and letting your family know your situation will be helpful so that they will also know how to help you but that opening up to someone is also not that easy to do that's why many are struggling to quit their addictions up to now.

Yeah, absolutely right. It is a very difficult thing to do.

It's the same with everything. The things you need to do to have a great life are each one simple. Exercise, simple. Eat healthy, simple. Etc. Those things are not complicated, but it's difficult to simply do them consistently. And that's why most people are fat and unhealthy, because it's easier to do the wrong things. But doing the right things is actually simple, it's just that it takes a lot of effort initially.

But you can simply do it one day at a time.

Creating healthy habits is easy however breaking away from the bad habits you have created for yourself can be really hard, and there are several reasons for this, one of them is that most of the time it takes a lot of time to see the bad effects of those bad habits, lets look at smoking cigarettes as an example, if you smoke one cigarette once that is not going to damage your health, however even smoking a lot does not affect your health on the short term, which is why people keep doing it, it is only after you have smoked for a long time in which you begin to feel the effects, and by that time it is way harder to breakaway from the habit.

That's why I said he should start a new habit that can keep him busy and start forgetting about gambling. When you are addicted, you have to start realizing that something is wrong with you and by listening to what people around you say, you can begin to find out what is wrong. After that, you must have the INTENTION and EFFORT to change. Without INTENTION and EFFORT, you will not change. Try to look at other ADDICTION cases, they can change if they have INTENTION and Effort. That's what addicted gamblers have to realize.

That's what is said by the mouth and mind that wants to change but not in the heart that wants to change itself or get rid of being addicted to gambling. That's hard for a gambler addict. And the others who are making a way to change their addiction to gambling but still come back again and again, this is where family, close friends, taking a trip to a peaceful place such as a beach resort vacation, campsite, bonding comes in. at the mall with important people to easily change the addictive daily activities until the addictive gambling activity gradually disappears.

As the topic said, this thread right here contains some tips on how to manage your struggles with gambling addiction and to let them know that they aren't the ones who are struggling the same reason as this addiction is very common in almost every country in this world.
But sometimes, even the addicted gamblers doesn't know that they are already in a deep situation as for them it's just a regular habit that is why we need to have that someone who will always light us about our status or some fellow family member.

Acceptance is also a part of the process that you are already classified as an addicted gambler in the society and after that seeking some professional help is really advisable for you because that would really help you ease your situation and give you some supplements or what to do about it. Aside from that, surrounding your self with a different environment will help you forget that habit and starting a new healthy habit is also a must.

I would have to argue the opposite. Just because its not physically fatal does not make it any better. People lose everything with addictions, whether gambling addictions or other kinds of addictions like drug addictions.

They lose their family, their health, their homes, their sanity, their money and much much more. So just because it is not fatal, does not make it better. In fact, in some cases a fast death would be better than the slow death some people go through with addiction. No joke.

OP is doing a great thing in gathering so much info and advice on how to manage gambling addiction. Kudos to him!

Gambling addiction may not be fatal but it can lead to destruction.  There are several stories regarding gambling addiction and most of them are almost left with nothing.  Family, friends, assets, money and even self-respect.  We have seen several families being destroyed because the husband or wife is addicted to gambling and unable to function properly to do their family duty.  Friends are betrayed because of borrowing money and are unable to return it.

You can also see in these video documentaries [1][2] how a responsible mother turned into a problem gambler and how she neglect her duties and even did the opposite of the good teaching she taught to her kids.

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[1] Understanding Joy: The Devastation of a Gambling Addiction (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03kQXimVcrw)
[2] Bright Lights: what one woman's 25-year gambling addiction really cost (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIsdHH2p8Ck)

Agree with you because accepting and being heartened by what is about to happen can allow you to open yourself up to receiving professional help or from those around you. This will help you to heal your existing addiction so that if you start an addiction treatment program, you will not have any trouble because you have acknowledged that you need their help. We must have a strong intention to change and with the support of the environment, maybe change in you will happen soon.

Indeed! That's for sure a fact but unfortunately, people already know these kinds of things but they still chose to gamble even though the risk is unimaginable and their lives is also at stake as well as their family because they will be the first ones that gets affected if one of their family member will be addicted in gambling. And just like what you said, friends will likely to get affected too because they are a part of your circle.