How to stop gambling: a brief guide

According to the US National Council on Problem Gambling, around 1% of adults in the country meet the criteria for a severe gambling problem, while another 2-3% might have mild or moderate gambling problems. These numbers might seem moderate, but what should you do if you find yourself among these people?

If you feel like it starts to become a problem for you and wonder how to stop gambling, learning about the best ways to do it is a good place to start. However, many people with gambling addiction find it difficult to quit and are often unsure which practices can help them.
We’ve collaborated with Edward Howarth from DashTickets to help you identify a problem and quickly find the best ways to solve it.

Evaluate your situation
Most of the time, someone can’t quit gambling because they have an addiction. If you find yourself struggling with your desire to gamble, you should at the very least assess yourself using the list of most common signs of gambling addiction provided by The American Psychiatric Organization or a similar institution.

In general, you might have an addiction if you’ve had at least four of these experiences over the past year:

• You frequently think about gambling
• You feel that you need to gamble with increasing amounts to achieve the desired excitement
• You have tried to control, cut back, or stop gambling, but you were unsuccessful
• You feel restless or irritable when trying to stop gambling or cut it down
• You find yourself gambling when trying to escape your problems or deal with stress
• When you lose while gambling, you feel the need to continue to try to get even
• You often gamble when feeling distressed
• You are lying to hide the extent of your gambling involvement
• You have lost important opportunities, such as jobs or close relationships, because of gambling
• You have to rely on others to help you financially because of gambling

It is important to understand that your financial situation isn’t the only criterion for identifying a gambling addiction. Here’s how Hector Colon-Rivera, M.D. and Kavita Fischer, M.D. explain it for Psychiatry.org: “The total amount of money lost is not nearly as important to understand as the total impact of gambling on a person’s lifestyle and environment”.

What can you do next?
Admitting you have a problem is the first step to solving it. This might be an overused phrase, but it is true. As soon as you start being honest with yourself, you will find out that there are many doors open for you, and all of them offer some solutions to your problems.

First of all, you might want to explain your situation to your close ones. A lot of people with gambling addiction find it difficult due to the shame and guilt they feel, and often try to gamble their way out of the debt, which only increases it. Coming clean to your family or other people you trust can offer relief and provide the support you need to recover.

That isn’t your only option: you can also join support groups or talk to a psychotherapist — this way you will be able to get solid advice on how you can combat your addiction and which ways will be the most effective for you.

Another option is self-exclusion — many responsible gambling websites like KasinoBonus and casinos provide these services, which can help you avoid risks.

What you should avoid
In general, gambling addiction manifests in triggers that cause you to gamble. Dealing with these triggers and underlying issues may take some time and often requires at least some professional help. During that time, you should avoid any risky behaviour that might cause you to slip back into addiction and feel regret. There are some very straightforward ways to achieve it.

For example, you can physically separate yourself from anything associated with gambling. Avoid visiting casinos or online gambling sites (you can even block them if needed), delete any gambling apps from your phone, and avoid any activities, places, or even people that associate with gambling and can influence you.

If you feel that this won’t be enough, make sure to limit your access to large amounts of money — never carry it with you. Make it a rule to never take any loans. If you feel that it is extremely difficult to control yourself, you might ask a trusted person to take some control over your finances for a while to make sure you don’t gamble it away.

Track your progress
Edward Howarth of DashTickets suggests journaling as one of the methods to prevent returning to addictive behaviour. Keeping track of your thoughts and impulses, as well as how you’ve managed to combat them in the past, can be invaluable and serve as proof of your resilience and ability to regain control of your life. Not only will it motivate you to keep moving forward, but it will also help you learn more about the roots of your triggers and the most efficient ways to mitigate them.

All of this combined will provide you with a sense of security and trust in yourself, and can also improve your self-esteem damaged by feelings of weakness and shame, which will result in an overall better mood and will provide an extra layer of defence that you need.

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