How to Help Someone With a Gambling Addiction Problem

Oct 16

How to Help Someone With a Gambling Addiction Problem

A lot of people love to gamble and entertain themselves by betting and playing casino games. However, it is known that people can also develop a gambling addiction over time that could potentially ruin their whole lives. The urge for gambling can be so strong, that the person with an addiction can change their whole behavior and start leading a life on the edge. Stealing, debts, broken families are just a couple of potential outcomes.

There are a few indicators that someone is starting to develop a gambling problem. The sooner the problem is recognized, the better, as the person can start recovery and have a higher chance of conquering the addiction. Such an addiction can be hard to beat, but a lot of people managed to defeat it with the help of a professional.

Indicators That Someone Is a Compulsive Gambler

The experts can’t say for sure what is the cause of gambling addictions. There is a lot of elements that come into play. But there are some possible indicators that can show you that someone has a gambling problem. Some of them can be:

  1. Gambling interrupting the persons work
  2. Incapability to cut back 
  3. Difficulty in personal relationships
  4. Spending more than they can afford
  5. Hiding gambling from family, friends, or professionals
  6. Taking loans to pay gambling debts
  7. Stealing to continue gambling
  8. Spending too much time gambling

Understanding a Gambling Compulsion

The manifestation of gambling addiction is completely individual. Thus, it can start growing the moment the person places a bet, or it can slowly creep into a person’s life. Gamblers that do online betting, slot machines, and betting can start to show symptoms of addiction in less than 12 months. While people who prefer horse races or brick-and-mortar casinos might need more time to develop an addiction due to irregular visits.

Learning to Live With Gambling Problem

Learning how to live with a gambling problem, and eventually solve it can be really hard. Opportunities to gamble are everywhere nowadays and it’s only waiting for you to make a mistake and start again. A big step in coping with a gambling problem is to have someone to talk to (preferably a professional) who can help you to resist the urge to gamble. Also, there are things that you should always have in mind while in recovery:

  1. Asking for help from others is okay
  2. Turn thoughts to the goal of not gambling
  3. Evade people and places that inspire gambling

Identifying what provokes your urge to gamble and staying away from it can make it easier to cope with a gambling problem. 

Talking to Someone With Gambling Problems

It can be really hard to confront a person about gambling problems. Asking someone if the problem exists can be a good starting point. You might not get an answer right away, and not knowing how the reaction will be can discourage a lot of people. But if you don’t put pressure on that person you might get helpful information out of them.

Most importantly, being honest with that person and avoiding an argument will help them open up to you. Which is a great step towards helping them with their addiction. If that’s not the case and they are defensive and try denying that they have a problem just saying that you care about them and telling them where they can find help can be really helpful.