Controlling Compulsive Gambling Habits

When was the last time you visited a casino in a excited frame of mind, only to leave the casino in a bad mood because the majority of the bets did not go your way? I think this is an all too common issue which faces many players from occasional gamblers to the high rollers. Depending on the nature of the loss, there are different methods of approaching this issue and dealing with it.

First and foremost, it is important to remember that gambling should be regarded as a recreatonal fun activity and should never be used as a means of making money. When visiting a casino, say to yourself; "I am here to have fun. I am not here to generate an income. Whether I win or lose, I will enjoy myself and have fun. This is my only goal". If you visit a casino with the mindset that you need to make money and the bets don't go your way, then you will fail to achieve your objective and as a result, you will experience feelings of anger and disappointment.

Secondly, set a monetary limit for yourself. In other words, decide on how much money you can afford to spend and are willing to lose every time you visit a casino. Once you set a limit for yourself, never ever go over that limit, so that even if you lose it, then it will not significantly affect your lifestyle because it was money that you can afford to lose.

Thirdly, try to take a minimum amount of money with you to the casino. If you have decided that you will only gamble $20 per visit, then perhaps you could take $20 and enough money to cover all of the other expenses that may come up. In other words, don't take $500 to the casino when you only plan to gamble $20, and leave all ATM cards and credit cards at home.

Fourthly, set a time limit for yourself. Decide on how often you will visit a casino and how much time you will spend gambling. This also serves as means by which to control one's gambling habits. It is a well known fact that the more time a player spends gambling, the more likely he/she will lose. This is one of the reasons why most casinos don't have clocks. If the player loses track of what time it is, then perhaps he/she will stay in the casino and play for a little while longer.

Fifthly, avoid drinking alcohol while gambling. This is due to the fact that alcohol can grossly affect one's sense of judgement and cause a person to gamble more heavily than he/she would have gambled otherwise. A couple of drinks to relax may be OK, but drinking to the point of not being able to think very clearly is not.

Sixthly, think of other recreational activities that you can be involved in. This is not to say that you should give up gambling, but perhaps gambling could become just one of the many recreational activities that you could enjoy. So instead of going to the casino on Friday and Saturday, go to the casino on Friday and to the cinema on Saturday.

Finally, if you find that you are still unable to your gambling habits and they are starting to take control of your life, then you should definitely contact Gambler's Anonymous and let them help you.

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Defeat Your Gambling Habits: How To Stop Gambling Addiction For Good

Gambling addiction is one the most devastating and lonely addictions. It ruins lives, finances and has torn families apart. There are a variety of different methods and techniques designed to stop its damaging symptoms. Any individual concerned about available treatments should always seek professional medical advice. You can defeat Casino Gambling: How To Stop Gambling Addiction For Good will describe some of the methods how.

Many medical experts claim each gambler is unique and so must find the method of recovery that is most suitable for their specific situation. An addict must first admit that they have a problem and make a strong commitment to stop. Long-term recovery is a gradual process and it may take a considerable amount of time for an addict to end their problem for good.

The urge to gamble is based on a psychological link between gambling and pleasure. The instant feeling of joy that an individual experiences when gambling is what makes the activity so addictive. People are forced to stay at a casino by the compulsive psychological need to repeat this thrill. Many medical experts argue the overwhelming pleasure is a conditioned response that has developed over time in the mind of an individual.

Most treatments of this addiction involve counseling, whether one-to-one with a therapist or in a group-support meeting. Group therapy provides collective support and advice with other individuals who also want to stop the damaging effects. Gamblers Anonymous is a common support group that uses the same popular twelve-step recovery program first made popular by Alcoholics Anonymous. An individual can find their local group meeting on the Gamblers Anonymous website or by asking their doctor for details.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT is another popular method to help addicts overcome the urge to gamble. A type of counseling, CBT tries to identify the key thought-patterns and feelings that trigger the compulsive urges. Many medical experts claim an addiction is a way of forgetting or suppressing an emotionally traumatic event, so this approach provides an individual with the opportunity to come to terms with any suppressed feelings. It specializes in developing behavioral techniques to avoid casinos and promote self-control and relapse prevention.

Hypnosis is another popular treatment of the addiction. Individuals are advised to visit qualified professionals who have been certified by a medical authority to practice hypnosis. There are a variety of ways to use hypnotherapy to help an addict. One method is designed to train your mind to control and dismiss the strong urges to enter a casino. Audio hypnosis tapes are intended to re-programme your mind, erasing the desire to gamble with a more rewarding type of behavior. Your thoughts are gradually changed after listening to corrective audiotapes during the day and just before you go to sleep. It is claimed that these tapes reach the subconscious directly and so can change your psychological craving.

A person trying to recover from this problem can in some cases voluntarily ban themselves from a casino. This means they will be arrested upon entering the casino or not allowed to collect their cash winnings if they do play and win. The theory behind a self/voluntary exclusion program is that it removes the incentive to gamble and can be made permanent.

There are many former gambling addicts who have had to try a number of different methods before successfully defeating their addiction. An individual may have to try numerous known methods before finding the most effective way to stop.

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