Gambling Addiction Therapy

A casino or race track trip can be a leisure trip for many, but their gambling streak becomes compulsive for some. This action shows that the individual is addicted to it. 

Compulsive gambling can take a negative toll on your health, work, and relationships. Gambling begins with obsession. The victim becomes powerless to his addiction and loses control. The addicted person will continue to act out despite the negative consequences, but therapies can help.

Symptoms and Common Signs of Gambling

• Obsession with gambling.
• An urge to increase the amount of money to gamble to maintain the thrill.
• Failure to quit gambling.
• Gambling to break away from problems.
• Lying about the extent of gambling indulgence.
• Putting relationships, work, health and responsibilities at risk because of gambling.
• Depending on others to bail you out because you lost it all to gambling.
• Gambling for face-saving, as this is all you have left to do.

Unlike casual gamblers who have set a loss limit for themselves or stop losing, gambling addicts are compelled to keep playing to recover their losses. This is a pattern that gets extremely destructive over time.

The initial step towards treating gambling addiction, just like any form of addiction, is acknowledging the problem. If you do not consider it a problem, you cannot proceed and benefit from therapy. You need to address the issue to move towards recovery and change.

Therapies to Treat Gambling

Many therapies can help you treat gambling addiction.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This is one of the most popular therapies to help battle addiction. It is performed by addressing repetitive negative behaviors and replacing them with healthy ways to stop the patterns.

Medications – Compulsive gambling is not a standalone problem. Upon identification, therapists usually discover more underlying issues like depression, ADHD, or OCD. Therapists suggest using antidepressants to combat these conditions, which are directly or indirectly related to gambling.

Support Groups – Just like substance abuse support groups, people facing gambling addiction can also connect with support groups worldwide. They can help each other and share their recovery journey as well.