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May17May 17, 2023

A Path To Recovery For Compulsive Gamblers

Gambling addiction is a serious issue that affects countless people around the world. For those trapped in the cycle of compulsive gambling, seeking help and support is crucial. One avenue for this is the Gamblers Anonymous fellowship.

GA brings together men and women who have experienced the devastating consequences of gambling addiction. Although everyone’s experiences are different, people find great solace in sharing their journey.

Understanding the Gamblers Anonymous fellowship

The Gamblers Anonymous fellowship is a self-help organization that follows the principles of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. It provides a safe, non-judgemental environment for those struggling with gambling addiction to share their experiences, find support and develop coping strategies. The program operates on the belief that gambling addiction is an illness that can be managed with abstinence and peer support.

Meetings and fellowship

Meetings are the cornerstone of the Gamblers Anonymous fellowship. These meetings bring together people from all walks of life who share a coming goal of overcoming a gambling addiction.

Participants discuss their struggles, achievements and strategies for maintaining abstinence. The fellowship within GA is invaluable. It provides a sense of understanding, empathy and unity among its members.

The 12-step program

The 12-step program is central to Gamblers Anonymous. Like in AA, the 12-step program in GA serves as a guide for personal recovery.

Participants work through the steps, which include admitting powerlessness over gambling, surrendering to a higher power, taking a moral inventory, making amends and offering support to others.

These steps encourage self-reflection, personal growth and the development of a new way of life.

Benefits of Gamblers Anonymous

There are lots of benefits to joining the Gamblers Anonymous fellowship. By attending meetings and engaging with the 12-step program, you can gain insights into your addiction and underlying issues contributing to your gambling behavior.

The support and understanding you get from fellow members can instill hope, promote accountability and foster a sense of community.

Anonymity and confidentiality

Anonymity and confidentiality is so important in the Gamblers Anonymous fellowship. Members are encouraged only to use their first names. This helps to promote a sense of privacy.

It is designed to create an atmosphere of trust. It enables participants to openly share experiences without fear of judgment or consequences. Adherence to this lets people feel safe when they go to a meeting.

Want to get more help for your gambling problem?

The Gamblers Anonymous fellowship is a great place to start, but this isn’t the only place you can get help for gambling addiction. You can find a great wealth of information and support at Gamble Aware. This UK-based organisation has lots of online resources, plus contacts for counselors and treatment centres.

Want to read more responsible gambling articles? Here are a few here that you might be interested in:

January12January 12, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions: Protect Yourself From A Family Members’ Addiction

By ChristineIn

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How do you protect yourself when a family member is addicted to gambling?

Gambling addiction can be all consuming for both the person suffering with the addiction and for those around them. If you have a close family member with a gambling addiction, it can be life altering in so many different ways.

We’ve tried to think of some helpful answers to questions you might have on how to protect yourself when a family member is addicted to gambling. Because as much as you should be supporting them to overcome their addiction, it’s of the utmost importance that you keep your mental health and financial well being in check too.

Protect yourself when a family member is addicted to gambling: FAQs

Do I need therapy if my family member is addicted to gambling?

The answer to this depends on the person and the situation. But if you find the worry of a family member’s gambling addiction affecting your daily life, you should get support.

There are lots of different types of support you can get. You can get one-on-one counselling or therapy, or you can group support. Usually group support involves meeting people whose family members are also affected by gambling addiction.

It might take time to find the right type of therapy for you. But it will always be worth it once you do get it.

How do I protect my finances if my loved one is a gambling addict?

Gambling addiction and financial problems unfortunately often go hand-in-hand. Sometimes people who are addicted to gambling can run up huge debts. And they may even result to stealing to feed their addiction.

Limit access to cash, credit cards and debit cards as soon as you can. Keep your passwords and pin codes secret. And you should put in extra protection to your joint accounts.

It’s also a good idea to monitor the post coming into the house to make sure they’re not applying for loans or credit cards.

Take control of the household budget and make sure you keep a close eye on the outgoings.

Can small things help me deal with the addiction of my family member?

Doing small things for yourself really can help you in the day-to-day. Here are some ideas of straightforward things you can do that might help:

Talk about how your feeling to a trusted friend and confide in them about the addiction. It might not be your addiction, but it is your life and it’s important that you share what’s going on
Establish boundaries with your loved one. Have a frank conversation about what behaviour you will not put up with
Take some time out regularly for yourself and your hobbies. It might be taking some exercise, drawing a bath or even just going to the cinema. But this will help you get your head straight

Getting help for a gambling problem

If you’re worried about gambling addiction for either yourself or a loved one, you need help from someone else. Be Gamble Aware is an excellent UK-based organisation full of advice and places to get more help.

Here are some more responsible gambling articles you might find helpful:

November23November 23, 2022

How To Limit The Time You Spend Gambling

By ChristineIn

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It’s a good idea for everyone and their sister to limit gambling time to a certain extent.

There are only so many hours in the day and we’ve all got responsibilities, interests and hobbies. There’s no way anyone can spend all their time gambling.

But having said that, it can be easy for time to pass us by fast when we’re engrossed in something like gambling. And before you know it, your quick session has turned into several hours. You’re tired, you’re frustrated and you’ve wasted your time (and quite possibly money).

Why should I limit my gambling time?

As we touched on before, gambling for a prolonged period of time can have negative impacts on a lot of things. It can simply mean you have less time for other things, including other hobbies, relationships, family time, study time and even work.

Losing track of time spent gambling can be really annoying. But another major element of it is that you are more likely to spend more money. Gambling isn’t free, after all. And even if you are sticking to your gambling budget, it can still be annoying.

Plus, when you gamble for a long time, you’ll start to get sloppy. You might get tired, you might get frustrated, perhaps you’ll start wanting to chase your losses… All of that leads to bad decisions and, quite often, bets that you regret.

Ways to limit your gambling sessions online

Most decent gambling websites make it relatively easy for you to limit your gambling time online. You can set up pop-up notifications to remind you when you’ve spent a certain amount of time gambling. On some online gambling sites, they’re called reality checks. You can change them to be more frequent at any time. If you’d like them to pop up less frequently, usually you’ll have to wait 24 hours for that to come into effect. However, they don’t always cover poker. So if you’re a poker player, look into other ways to limit your play there.

Another option is to set up time outs. These are short breaks from online gambling, which can last up to 30 days. You can set a time out to last the duration of a holiday period, for example. Or just if you feel like taking a break. Alternatively, you can set custom time outs and, if you like, make them recurring. For example, some people don’t like to gamble during the working week. Time outs are perfect for that.

For a more long-term break, there’s also the option to self-exclude. These breaks can last from a couple of months to forever.

Limit your gambling time in person

If you’re going to a betting shop, a casino or a card room, sometimes it can be more difficult to regulate the time you spend gambling. But there are a few ways you can do it.

For example, if you’re going with a gang, agree a time you’ll all leave together. It’s easier to leave when everyone has a set time.

You could also set an alarm on your phone to go off at a certain time, to remind yourself to leave.

And if you’re leaving via taxi, how about pre-ordering one? That way, when the taxi comes, it’s time to leave. No ifs or buts about it.

Getting help for a gambling problem

Of course, setting a limit on gambling time isn’t really going to help if you think you have a gambling problem or you suspect a loved one does. It’s important to get help from an external organisation who are specialised and trained to support you.

Visit Be Gamble Aware for support groups and detailed advice that you can use to overcome your problems.

And if you’re interested in our other responsible gambling articles, you can find more of them here:

Underage gambling
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