With gambling, it's probably easier to quit cold turkey

[alani123]

If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.

With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

[Oshosondy]

Not possible for a gambling addict to quit slowly. If gambling is a problem, the best is to just quit. After he quits, he can start to gamble again after a year. If he sees that he is still gambling in a way he waste money on it, he can quite again. This is how I stopped my gambling addiction.

But if the gambler do not quit and not able to quit, he needs something like rehabilitation program or medical consultant.

[South Park]

If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.

With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

That has always been my belief, when it comes to those that are addicted to a drug they need to still receive small amounts of that drug for a time so their body does not go through some heavy withdrawal symptoms, which for what I have read it is an awful experience to go through, but for someone that is addicted to video games or gambling this is a step that can be skipped and they need to quit on the spot, as this is the best way for them to actually have a chance to make a recovery.

[Yatsan]

Not possible for a gambling addict to quit slowly. If gambling is a problem, the best is to just quit. After he quits, he can start to gamble again after a year. If he sees that he is still gambling in a way he waste money on it, he can quite again. This is how I stopped my gambling addiction.

But if the gambler do not quit and not able to quit, he needs something like rehabilitation program or medical consultant.

Good that you managed quitting in such way. But since we are talking about addiction, nothing will happen in an instant since it is an impulsive action. You have to surface awareness first before being able to stop if you want to. And if you managed to stop in a short period of time then probably you are not yet addicted to it. Same thing with vices; gradual quitting would be better to avoid culture shock and lack of control with your actions. Addiction as well means that you are spending huge amount of time to such behavior; a learned one. In order to completely unlearn something means slowly changing what you are used to, in order to still cover the tome spent on a daily basis with the things you are addicted of.

[virasisog]

Just like any addiction, quitting cold turkey is not that easy as it'll have withdrawal symptoms like anxiety or depression. I think it's best if you'll do it slowly and properly by starting to limit the money and time you spend in gambling, reducing it little by little until you get used on losing your urge and thirst in gambling. It's hard to deal with withdrawal symptoms once you try to quit cold turkey, the relapse might be worse and you'll get back to your old habit without even noticing it.

[abel1337]

Not possible for a gambling addict to quit slowly. If gambling is a problem, the best is to just quit. After he quits, he can start to gamble again after a year. If he sees that he is still gambling in a way he waste money on it, he can quite again. This is how I stopped my gambling addiction.

But if the gambler do not quit and not able to quit, he needs something like rehabilitation program or medical consultant.

It became possible when I did quit slowly. I tried to quit gambling instantly and I experience a withdrawal from it and gamble more as a result. We may all have different experiences but quitting slowly works on me. What I mean of quitting slowly is years of gambling but gaining a progress of having a good decipline until I can control myself of not partaking in any gambling activities if I want to. I can consider myself as an ex-gambling addict because the strategy works on me.

We all have different life status and I think it is better to try and try until you find the best suited way for you to quit gambling.

[Lakai01]

[...]
It's hard to deal with withdrawal symptoms once you try to quit cold turkey, the relapse might be worse and you'll get back to your old habit without even noticing it.

This usually depends very much on how deep you are already in the addiction. For example, someone who only smokes one pack of cigarettes a week can quit much more easily than someone who needs one pack a day.
The same applies to (classic) gambling addiction. Someone who is heavily addicted will probably not be able to stop at all without professional help. However, someone who gambles from time to time can certainly cope with "cold turkey" because, as you rightly say, addiction symptoms can occur to a greater or lesser extent in heavily addicted people.

By the way, if someone wants to quit cold turkey, it helps enormously to tell as many people as possible that you are quitting. This puts a lot more pressure on yourself to follow through, as it would be very difficult to admit to others that you haven't managed it.

[shield132]

If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.

With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

Cold turkey never works. If you are an addicted gambler, you can't immediately quit gambling because you think about gambling all the time. Also, gambling tapering doesn't work like low your budget and over time you'll become free from addiction. When you are addicted to gambling, you should try to occupy your free time by doing your other hobbies or find a new job or walk in the park, you have to do something different and entertaining in your life to smoothly get away from your addiction. One best way is to spend less time every time you gamble. Gamble for 4 hours instead of 5, then gamble 30 minutes less in next week, then 30 minutes less and in near future one will smoothly solve this problem. Cold turkey is impossible for many people.

[GiftedMAN]

Addiction is something we all have to deal with because it is never easy for us to cope with addiction which is something that could affect us severely. Gambling is just a way we can play games for the sake of making profits. One of the reasons why we bet is for us to make profits and sometimes we could be pressure to bet excessively which have huge effect on us. This is one of the ways many people end up getting addicted to gambling. Gambling is cool for everyone but when it is becoming an addiction then we need to halt the way we bet so we don't get too freak about it. We should for us on why we are betting but not to be excessive.

[BitcoinPanther]

Quitting in gambling abruptly may be difficult especially when a person had a deeply rooted gambling addiction.  They may stop abruptly for some times but the possibility of a relapse is huge since they had not been rehabilitated properly.

Quitting cold turkey somehow needs a third party assistant in order to maintain their distance from gambling activities.  They need diversion to keep them busy so that they can't be tempted to go with their gambling activities again.

[Findingnemo]

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

That is the best possible way but it isn't that easy or realistic especially when they are deeply addicted to it. Generally when we talk about detox the addiction it means slowly reducing the dosage or drug or give an alternate drug that induces a similar mental situation while keep monitoring them continuously but talking about gambling that isn't possible so there should be a complete shift of their focus and needs to keep them engaged until the get back on their own and realize their mistake.

[stomachgrowls]

If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.

With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

Quitting Slowly
Quitting On point

Doesnt really matter on which one as long you are really that eager and serious on quitting up gambling for good. If you do find yourself that it is really that hard to quit on point and you do see
some progress that you are slowly changing up then just proceed or continue but honestly this is really just that depending on someones mentail strength or will because not all would really be having that kind of mindset
when it comes on quitting or doing something. You cant really be able to tell on what kind or type of person is, the one who had been addicted.

Basing up into my own experience, there are really moments or times on which i do find myself a little bit addicted on which i do already spend up
tons of money in doing gambling and lately realizing that it was never been that ideal or something that give good effects.
Once you do make out those realizations then you would really be able to find out on what are the things that are supposed that you should gonna do.

[macson]

If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.

With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

Even though it is not a 100% effective method, there are many gambling addicts who stop slowly using counseling methods and also open up to each other in a treatment group, but there are also many who cannot stop slowly, they must do it immediately, the point is that the recovery process for every gambling addict is different.  Curing gambling addicts who have been gambling for years is not easy, it requires a consistent and gradual process because if it is not consistent then the chances of returning will be great, but trying to stop slowly in every gambling activity is a technique that is quite recommended.

[Ruttoshi]

Gambling addiction is not like drugs or alcohol because this is what is taken into your system so quitting instantly might make you get sick or affect you in a way. The best way to quit gambling, is to let go of it and never think about gambling for a long period of time and you shouldn't also be company with gamblers. After a long time and you see that you have understand that gambling is something that you can make profit from. you can start gambling again.

It is hard for an addicted gambler to quit gambling gradually, because he will still have the opportunity to chase his loss since he lacks discipline and self control over his gambling activities. Any gambler that is quitting gambling gradually will be able to control himself and he can continue gambling with the lowest amount that he intend gambling with before quitting finally.

[passwordnow]

Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

Yup.

There's always a resolution to matters like this. It's only about how the problem gambler will handle himself and resist gambling as much as he can. If there are friends and relatives that are willing to help him completely avoid gambling, then it's on him that they're counting to help himself as well.

Problem gamblers have different approaches and whatever works for them and gradually removes the problematic thing they've got with gambling. They need to be consistent on it and focus until the results are visible and they're finally seeing it on their own that it's actually working.

[uneng]

It's a hard question to answer and there could be differences from person to person. Maybe for some addicts it's better to stop slowly, step by step, while for others to stop suddenly at once is the best alternative. That is a matter the addicted gambler in treatment should discuss with his therapist, so they can find out which is the most efficient approach.

Personally, I think to stop suddenly can bring more negative impacts on short run, like anxiety and aggressivity, although once this storm is over, it's likely the effects will be very positive on long run, while when stopping slowly puts the individual in a situation where relapses will tend to happen during the treatment, making it harder to revert addiction, and even retroacting a lot on his condition. In every cases, the individual has to be watched closely by family, friends and therapist.

[goxcraft]

Not an impossible task but the chances are very low. Nearly close to zero.  You cannot just quit gambling over night. Just imagine how many times have we told ourselves that it was the last time but still attempted another try. Not as easy as being said. For me the only possible way to quit is by filling the void that quitting gambling would cause. What I mean is being busy with life, with work, with families. We can also practice religion. It won't be in an instance but it works. It did for me.

[swogerino]

If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.

With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?

Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?

In theory you are right and this is supposed to work also for gamblers.Good luck though in real life for gamblers trying to quit,unless they have a very strong will as the first step of starting to acknowledge that he wants to get recovered from such illness.The gambling addiction is called an illness and the first step to come up free of it is to acknowledge you have a problem,the second step is to apply all the necessary steps and medicines needed to overcome such illness,of course slowing down is only one of the many medicines needed to cure this illness.

[Stalker22]

Stopping gambling outright might help some folks with addiction issues, but going cold turkey isnt necessarily the best or most practical choice for all.  There is no one perfect way to beat a gambling problem that will work for everyone - different strokes for different folks, and all that.

Some people might find it easier to slowly cut back on how much they are gambling instead of just slamming on the brakes and  that could mean betting less money over time, playing less often or switching up the kinds of games they go for.  Taking baby steps might make it easier to deal with the nasty withdrawal stuff and lower the odds they will backslide. I think the best way to quit gambling is to find an approach that works for you individually, because every single person is different.

[goaldigger]

Anything is possible as long as you are willing to do so, but of course there is consequences and it will still take time before you finally say that you are free from any gambling addiction. Quitting overnight might not be possible but you can still try until you make yourself succeed on this. Asking for a professional help is always advisable, if you are already addict i believe a help from someone can make your recovery even faster.