Road To Recovery – 4 Steps To Follow If You Have An Online Gambling Addiction

If you’ve found yourself logging into your favourite gambling site a little more often than usual, and have noticed it starting to become a problem, you may have an online gambling addiction. The road to recovery will be different for each person, but the four steps we’ve listed below outline a good starting point to follow in order to beat your addiction.

Cash Out

The first step to getting over your addiction is to assess how negatively you’ve been impacted. Taking stock of the situation will help you create a plan to move forward and by knowing what you’re dealing with from the start, you’ll be able to better manage the road ahead. 

Withdraw any deposits you may have and do your best to settle debts. If you’ve built up a hefty credit card bill, or any type of debt with other unfavourable interest and repayment terms, look into consolidating it all into one lower interest account. If you still need access to additional finance, there are numerous community lenders offering low interest loans. These may be a far safer way to pay your immediate bills without accumulating escalating repayments.

Seek Professional Help 

Now that you know what you’re dealing with, it’s time to find the number for your local gambling help line or attend an anonymous meeting. While your addiction is nothing to be ashamed of, it is a habit that you need to cut off before you find yourself in hot water. Given that gambling sites are deliberately designed to set off pleasure receptors and keep your brain wanting more, this will be far easier to do with professional assistance. 

Phone A Friend

Help lines and meetings will provide the assistance you need for the psychological side of things, but a trusted family member or friend should be your first port of call for emotional support during this time. 

Given the sensitive nature of what you’re going through, it may be hard to talk about the emotional impacts with strangers, so having someone close to you that you can turn to will make the recovery process a lot easier. We’re not saying you have to scream about it from the mountain tops, but the value of support from a loved one should never be underestimated. 

Get A Hobby

This tip may sound odd but distraction is going to be your best friend over the coming months. Find something you love to take up your time, and you’ll be less likely to relapse and more content all round. Try finding an exercise that you enjoy and scheduling regular classes, joining a book club, or even just journaling. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it makes you happy, you’ll find it beneficial. The structure and routine of attending classes for your preferred hobby helps many people recover at a faster pace.

There’s a reason they say “the house always wins.” Gambling is a diabolically orchestrated system, designed to be addictive and make the organisation rich, not the gambler. The good news is that by overcoming your online gambling addiction, you become the winner, and it’s not the type of win the house can take away from you. We’re not saying that it’s going to be an easy road to recovery, but if you follow these steps, and any instructions given to you by your counsellor, you can beat this. Good luck, we believe in you.