Being addicted to gambling presents risks on many levels, whether financial, family, professional or personal. It is essential to determine your level of dependence to better free yourself. It is indeed possible to cure addiction to gambling by helping a gambling addict, and how to help a gambling addict.
Highlights
- Gambling has severe consequences.
- Always avoid falling into a trap while helping a gambling addict.
- Carefully act when you’re helping a gambling addict.
How Is Gambling Addiction Defined?
Gambling addiction is a form of so-called behavioral addiction. This notion is established when the activity is no longer limited to simple pleasure. Having become excessive, it is no longer adapted to everyday life, repeats itself, and persists to the point of becoming the player’s sole concern.
The person concerned then becomes a addicted gambler. In some cases, he engages in compulsive gambling. He is incapable of breaking free from his habit and of freely deciding to stop his addictive activity. Gambling is a real obligation for him. Gambling addiction is very similar to other forms of addiction, such as alcohol, pornography, or drugs.
Consequences of Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction has several consequences. Of course, it involves an increasingly crucial financial investment, even above the payroll of the addicted player.
The consequences are also social. The addicted gambler distances himself from his family and/or friends circle because gambling takes up most of his time. Each loss of money gives rise to the irrepressible urge to regain the lost sum or “recover.”
Gambling addiction can also be seen in people who want to escape their daily lives for various reasons: professional difficulties, relationship problems, family disagreement, personal dissatisfaction. This is important to understand while considering how to help a gambling addict.
This type of addiction risks causing the addicted gambler who has lost a lot of money to borrow from family members or friends. Otherwise, he can turn to illegal solutions to try to make up for his financial losses. These solutions most often include embezzlement and theft.
How to Help a Gambling Addict
In most cases of how to help a gambling addict, it is often the family or friends that manage to make the player to drop out! But don’t forget: the addicted player is ready to do anything to play: be careful to avoid the traps that the player sets for you and remember to protect yourself.
Traps to Avoid When Helping a Gambling Addict
- Do not tell yourself that the addicted player thinks like you. Your logic will have no hold on the player because gambling is a drug for him, and he will do anything to get his dose, including
- dragging you down.
- Remember to protect yourself first, and the addicted player will not hesitate to leave your shirt there.
- Don’t tell yourself you’ll get by on your own.
- Don’t let yourself be isolated: talk to someone you trust who will give you an outside perspective on the situation.
- Please don’t do the legwork for him, but push the player to do it. He is the one who has the solution in his hands because he is the one who is not playing you.
- Please don’t blame him for playing; he already is. And that’s no use, because he’s addicted to gambling. On the contrary, if you see progress, encourage them.
- Don’t try to control everything: this would assume that you can watch the player every minute.
- Avoid pressuring or threatening him to stop playing: logic doesn’t work in the face of addiction, and you may not always be able to apply your threats.
How to Act When Helping a Gambling Addict?
- Protect yourself financially with the help of professionals to limit losses while waiting for the player to drop out of the game.
- Avoid isolation and seek the help of professionals: you are in front of a sick person who might not be honest.
- Encourage the player to talk about the game and how they feel. Admitting their problem is very important in the withdrawal process.
- Invite the player, without exerting pressure, to consult and ask for psychological help: they must be ready for it.
- See your friends as often as possible.
- Find hobbies or activities that make you happy: you will need all your strength to take on the addicted gamer.
- Do not pay his debts, and it will only encourage him to gamble.
Conclusion
In bid of knowing how to help a gambling addict, we must point out that helping an addicted person is a great show of humanity. But, you mustn’t lose yourself while trying to do it. Always protect yourself first before undertaking such a task.
We have mentioned the various ways to help a gambling addict, but do you think we missed some vital points? You can use the comment section.