Low cost but effective solutions to gambling addiction

[Distinctin]

How did this unemployed person got addicted to gambling in the first place?

Cross Addiction can be one therapy. This thread came up yesterday which seems a good alternative to battle addiction which is to divert the addiction to another addictive game. Somehow it could be a solution for a while in order for the addict to divert its attention to somewhere else. He could be battling this addiction soon but at least this will be another topic. PS4 is not so bad though. Somehow addicted to PS4 games is acceptable.

It’s hard to believe that a gambler without a source of income can even fall into gambling addiction, right?

Well, cross addiction does not just only refer to gambling games, or any online games, but you can also pour out your addiction into arts, music or any other productive activity. Once you get addicted on it, for sure your gambling addiction will slowly be controlled since you have diverted your time into some other activity. But I guess this is not as easy as it is. People with gambling addiction are mostly self- centered and are just focus on their greed. They will do everything to find ways to gamble no matter how difficult the situation is.

[rahmad2nd]

Well, how can someone become an addict with their gambling, that means we, they, you, are ready to spend money on gambling.  Then when we experience an addiction to excessive activity in gambling, a person realizes he has become an addict himself. and the question is, when we spend money on gambling, we are even willing to reduce the quota for our own needs just to gamble, why not also do this for the therapy options that someone will undergo. Well, aren't we well aware that it takes sacrifice to recover from addiction, whatever the type of addiction, even that will require money.

Let's flashback, as I said at the beginning. When we gamble, we are willing to spend money for our desire to play it.  Isn't it, you can also do the same thing to recover from gambling addiction. If we can afford to spend money on gambling, why not with therapy options. So what is the solution, if the problem becomes like this? What is certain is that someone needs to make sacrifices, including budgeting money. or at least, look for cheap or free therapy options. I'm sure, there are communities out there who are willing to do it and share for addicts who lack the funds or don't have the funds for therapy options.

BTW, in each case, gamblers have different methods and treatments depending on the case.
Honestly, I don't have this kind of experience. However, some of my friends have done it. In short, some work, some don't. for me, it all comes back to ourselves. Knowing yourself is the first option, take advantage of anything that can be busy to ignore our thoughts on gambling. and most importantly, strong determination and intention accompanied by self-awareness that we have full control over ourselves. which means, you yourself have full power to control yourself.

[mirakal]

there are many ways to overcome addiction at a lower cost and more effectively and it all depends on the level of addiction.

as I would say, like when someone is addicted to online gambling and when they want to recover from their addiction, they do the initial stages of closing access to the internet, which means not accessing the internet through anything and staying away from news or anything related to gambling and then venting into other activities that are more useful to divert. mind not to think about gambling and if you have the courage to hide yourself not to leave the house, that is also an effective way.

but remember everyone has stages in how addiction occurs. I mean offline or online addiction occurs and it depends on which country he lives in because some countries do not allow gambling businesses so healing yourself from addiction is a little easier if you are in a country that prohibits gambling.

Cutting your internet so you won’t have access with online gambling takes more patience and self-discipline since this is just for your own good. If you can do this, you are one step ahead from not losing in gambling. Another one is to engage yourself into another productive activity like gardening or going out with your friends that are not addicted to gambling as well. That way, you can easily forget your time to gamble since your time is already diverted. And the moment you enjoy doing some of these, then it’s easier for you to treat your gambling addiction.

[Bananington]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

I know that a certification is needed to become a therapist, but I personally know that I have served as a therapist to many friends and people that I have met for free. If you cannot afford therapy session with a professional, you can seek the help of a friend or a person who you know is strongly disciplined and will want to listen to you as much as they can to help you. You will be surprised how much talking to someone can help, and it is even possible that if the person you are talking to for help realizes that your problem is  bigger than they can handle, they may offer to help sort the bills to get a professional help. An importance of speaking up.

[AmoreJaz]

The very best and most effective low-cost solution to gambling addiction that I know of even before the advent of therapy is accountability to another person. This accountability comes in the form of emotional support so it is like a trade-off such that I offer you emotional support as a family member, as a friend as a significant other and then you remain accountable to me for quitting gambling.

We meet up or talking about how the journey to quitting gambling is going. I offer words of advice, books, and other resources to help you all for free. This is the best way I know that is low cost.

this is effective if you really find a person who is sincere offering assistance to you. and if he does care, he will make sure that you are always on the right path of changing your lifestyle and eventually achieving your main objective of getting out from addiction.
as a gambler, you should also be serious with your goal, because such person can only help to certain extent. but the actual change can still come from you.

[lionheart78]

How did this unemployed person got addicted to gambling in the first place?

Cross Addiction can be one therapy. This thread came up yesterday which seems a good alternative to battle addiction which is to divert the addiction to another addictive game. Somehow it could be a solution for a while in order for the addict to divert its attention to somewhere else. He could be battling this addiction soon but at least this will be another topic. PS4 is not so bad though. Somehow addicted to PS4 games is acceptable.

Cross-addiction cannot be a therapy, I would say a diversion instead can be a therapy if the person is able to divert his attention to something else.  It was stated that cross-addiction is bad since it is also an addiction.  So if one had done a cross-addiction, he will then treat his current addiction with another cross-addiction, this will only worsen the scenario because the addiction becomes a cycle and it does not stop.  The main reason for therapy is to stop addiction not to focus on another addiction.

If someone needs a cheaper cost of rehabilitation, they can contact their local government office and inquire about the government institution that deals with gambling addiction.  There are some government agencies that help gambling-addicted people who are in need of rehabilitation.

[qwertyup23]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

I think more than the cost for therapy, it is the determination of the person to undergo such treatment and their commitment in finishing all the required sessions.

Like what I also mentioned before, if a person truly wants to cure his/her addiction in gambling, the first step is always about finding their commitment in resolving this problem. If they lack the commitment and dedication to truly cure this, then everything will be futile and the cause is lost.

Without commitment, even if the person is equipped with all the necessary resources and money, they will not be able to escape the depths of their addiction.

[Ever-young]

Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

Those therapists are humans which are experienced in there field which it’s been assumed they have perfect solution to our problems as they use what we tell them to figure out a solution which we never taught about and for such skill we need to pay for there service if you happen not to have enough money that will sponsor that, the best to do is to let it go.

You can be your own personal therapist, you can seek for professional advice from the public go to social gathering were people from different tribe, career and religion gather together to discuss something if you bring up such topic there you will get advise from people who might have pass through the stress of being addicted to gamble, some people who might be talking to you might be a therapist who you can get there advice for free, or you can discipline your self to stop it entirely, that too can be regarded as ur privacy.

[Casdinyard]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

Therapy is still a little expensive especially in countries where mental health is not that taken care of. The cheapest one out there is touching grass. Meet your friends, hang out with your family, take them on a trip or a little walk in the park. If you're far from your friends and families literally just go for a quick walk and take your mind off of the losses you incurred during your gambling spree. That's the cheapest one out there. Therapy can only do so much as it involves you taking the initiative and the effort to do whatever it is that the psychologist is telling you to, touching grass cuts the middleman and actually forces you to actuate what you need to do. Not shitting on psychologists or whatnot, but if you're looking for a cheap solution, go outside.

[Westinhome]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

The gambling addicts can control themselves by practice of the few steps in the gambling.The therapist will charge huge money for the gambling addicts,because the doctor will understand the gambling addicts will have capacity to pay huge to their treatment by the practice in the gambling games.So the gambler better to do the practices of certain things instead of this therapy.The gambling addict was already in the loss and how he manage the big money for the therapy expenses.

[dothebeats]

Therapy is good if everyone has access to it, but this, IMO, is not a low-cost method in order to combat gambling addiction. Prevention is still way better than any cures or methods that everyone might suggest against gambling addiction, because in the first place, why would you combat something that isn't even existing? But if worse comes to worst, I guess intervention and introduction to another hobby that isn't going to cost much from the gambling addict is still the most effective low-cost method that anyone from all walks of life can employ. With therapy, you might have to shell hundreds of dollars per session, but in a new hobby, a few hundred might be enough to satisfy that person for a few months or even a year.

[Yatsan]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

Appreciate the option but you are quite forgetting that the group of people we are referring to are gamblers. They have money to bet therefore they should have money as well to seek for professional help concerning addiction. Problem here is addiction itself; you won’t be consciously aware that you are already suffering. If we would be looking for the best way to prevent addiction then that would be self discipline however this is the hardest. So once you are in that phase pf ‘addiction’ , professional help is the main solution. Setting a limitation, also under self discipline, if possible, would gradually help a gambler to move away from such condition. Set a limit to both winning and losing amounts. Another is engaging to other activity such as sports to divert attention and to not fully rely with gambling alone just to kill time.

[passwordnow]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage.

I think that there are nonprofit organizations that are helping people who are in need of these therapies and those who want to get out of gambling addiction.

What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

They can find a way to look for another way to at least ease that addiction that they have. Like traveling or trying to do some relaxation so that they can feel that it is what they need to at least lessen the addiction that they have. There is another thread about cross addiction and that could be some low-cost solution for those who are dealing with gambling addiction but it is going to cost them another solution. IMO, I'll just do another hobby that I like that won't cost a lot of money like just doing some walking or traveling through bicycle to release those hormones and make yourself satisfied by just doing that and your time is well spent into your physical body and preservation.

[wxa7115]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

Probably one of the best alternatives is to talk with other people that had or have the same problems with gambling you could be going through, so gamblers anonymous, an organization similar to alcoholics anonymous, could be a good option, so if you have a group close to you this could be the perfect opportunity to connect with other people like you.

However it is important to remember that professional therapists could help you to overcome your inner demons faster than those groups, so it is a good idea to not disregard them just because their cost is high.

[lovesmayfamilis]

First of all, for one to think of finding solution from gambling addiction, the person must first of all accept that he's addicted to gambling and that it's absolutely unhealthy for his life as an individual as well as his future. Then if finally admitted of gambling addiction, I think one of the easiest and low cost effective ways to stop gambling is by concluding in your heart that gambling is a destroyer of dreams and future and getting involved in it is a passport to wretchedness. That would help to give the person a totally different perspective about gambling thereby stopping gambling entirely

You say things that, unfortunately, an addicted person simply will not understand. He is sick, and his whole life needs to be re-evaluated. Only a few can climb out on their own. A good way to cure gambling is to temporarily place the addicted person in a place where he will not be able to control his freedom. Does it seem very cruel? But it's free. Another good way is to find physical work lasting seven days a week for 12–14 hours. So that the gambling addict simply has no energy left to spend time for himself but only has time to sleep. In order to recover, you need to change your thinking, and without the right ways and the right people, this is impossible for one person.

[Renampun]

in my country our government is very aggressive in fighting online slot gambling because there have been many cases of slot gambling addicts committing suicide and even getting into huge debts because of irregular gambling, some of these gambling addicts have been directly taken to addiction rehabilitation centers and there are many types of addicts there, not only gambling addicts but also drug addicts and others, but support from close family or loved ones is very important in order to encourage gambling addicts to recover quickly, try to pay more attention to them and don't try to belittle their dignity.

[Solosanz]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

Of course the situation looks really bad, this is why for unemployed, college or people who only receive minimum wage shouldn't gamble because they don't have enough money in the first place. I'd say it's what it's, seeking a professional will need to spend more money, but low cost solution mostly not effective because if people can control by themselves, problem of gambling addiction shouldn't be so high as present.

[adzino]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

The amount of money that you will spend on those "60 minutes" sessions is way less than what you will be spending when you become an addict. You would be doing things that you would never have thought you would do. So it is totally worth getting the help of the professionals. Those who can't afford it, can try asking help from their close friends or families that cares about them. You are addicted to online gambling, then maybe keep yourself away from the internet for more than a month. Or if you do need the internet, use it under supervision of your families. Everything is possible if you try. All you need is the will to try fix yourself.

[Mr. Magkaisa]

One of the solutions which is recommended by most gamblers on this forum for gambling addiction is "Therapy" . Professional help in the form of therapy. It is good and very effective but how many persons can actually afford it? There is a fee for each session that lasts for a duration of 60minutes. And there are more than one session. Therapy for gambling addiction is expensive. How can those who are unemployed afford it? How about the college student? Or the person receiving minimum wage. What are the other low cost but very effective solutions to gambling addiction. And typically how long will it take before the addict starts to feel more in control and less withdrawal symptoms?
Will totally appreciate your responses. Thanks.

   -   Even without counseling, it is still possible to recover from addiction. Because one's own family and close friends can greatly contribute and assist a gambling addict, they can guide him to switch to something more useful than gaming.

Because, in our country, when a gambler becomes addicted, the first person to assist them is their loved ones. And the others are being admitted to a gambling rehabilitation program, similar to one of our government's programs here.

[coin-investor]

Therapy for gambling addiction is not cheap, but there are charitable groups dedicated to the cure of gambling addiction, It is hard to get a cure alone, especially in a third-world country where gambling addiction is very rampant.

Here in our country, we have a government-sponsored health institution but this is just for consultation only if you need a prescribed drug you need to buy it and the cost of buying this prescribed drug is not cheap.

Gambling will cause you to lose a lot of money but the family should support the addicted member and do everything to cure the addiction because every day that addiction is not treated it poses a big problem to the finances and relationship between the addicted member and his family.
There is no shortcut to cure an addict should undergo therapy to be completely cured.