Gambling addiction – how to get help

India is a lucrative ground for gambling companies and the online casino business in booming. Such success is great for many of the players who frequent India’s many online gambling sites because there is so much to choose from and so many different types of games available. For most people, gambling starts out as a fun activity that has no negative impact on their daily lives. They simply find it thrilling to go through an emotional rollercoaster of winning and losing money. As days go by, many people begin to take bigger risks, winning and losing larger amounts. And, that’s usually where gambling problems begin. People can become hooked on that emotional ride and will often find reasons to take their gambling to unhealthy levels. If this describes your situation as a gambler, read on. We are here to help.

Make the Decision

If you are serious about quitting your gambling addiction, you need to make up your mind and have a firm decision to quit. Start by looking at the various ways your addiction has impacted your life. Look at the loses you have been making and how those losses have affected your financial life. Think of the relationships it has ruined and how your social life has been affected. If this sparks the idea and necessity to take charge of your problem, make a firm decision to quit gambling. Taking an inventory of how gambling has affected your life won’t make the recovery process easier but it will help you make a firm resolution on quitting and starting your life afresh. It is advisable to start a journal to help you with the process. Write down all the negative impacts gambling has made in your life. In the future, in case you feel like you are breaking your resolution, you can always go back to what you wrote and see how bad it can get if you start gambling again. Written words are strong and impactful.

Create Goals

Write down the positive changes you want to make in your life. Imagine your life without a gambling problem. How would it be? Then create the mental image of your post-addiction life and write it down. This will affirm your decision and need to gain control over your gambling. After you’ve pictured your post-addiction life, create goals. Goals need to be specific and realistic. Opt for the SMART method of goal creation. This means that your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based. You will tend to stick with well-formulated goals that are reasonable rather than goals that seem unattainable and not realistic. Stay committed to your goals. This will always bring satisfaction and make your resolution stronger. Also, don’t be disheartened when the achievements you’ve set seem slow in forthcoming. Remember, it’s not what we do once in a while that impacts our life, but what we do each day for a long period of time. Therefore, continue working towards your goal even if you don’t get instant results. Learn to trust the process, no matter how much time it takes.

Recognize Your Triggers

Identify your triggers. Are they your friends, emails from betting companies, mobile apps on your phone? Every addiction has a trigger that makes a recovering addict relapse. Identify these triggers and steer your way clear from them. For instance, if you find that you have friends who trigger your addiction problem, try to limit your contact with them; if you receive emails from betting companies, unsubscribe from the emails – whatever you do, just ensure that you keep all triggers away from your life to make your recovery journey much easier. After dealing with your triggers, it is important to track your thoughts. Every gambler has thoughts that their next game will be theirs after a consecutive number of loses. While recovering, you might also feel the urge to try your chances one last time in the betting world. However, these thoughts can easily get you hooked on the problem again. Therefore, keep track of your thoughts and stop your gambling ideas from getting in the way of your road to success. It is also helpful to find something else to keep your mind occupied during this recovery period.

Get Help

Getting help is probably the most important step in your recovery period as a gambling addict. Gambling can be hard to stop by yourself. But when you have a few friends to share experiences with and get encouragement from, the journey becomes a lot easier. Nowadays, there are a lot of support organizations that are ready to help addicts overcome their gambling addiction. One such group is Gambling Anonymous. This group uses the 12 step process – the same that is used by other recovery groups, such as Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous – to help its members. Joining these and other such groups will certainly help you stay on your path to recovery as you get help from people who have a similar problem as yours. If possible, you can also talk to your family members about it. If they are willing to listen, talk to them about your recovery goals and why you have decided to quit. A supportive family can mean a world of difference for many people suffering from a gambling addiction.