GamStop

Admitting You Have a Betting Addiction

The hardest part of recovering from a betting habit is recognising you have a problem; the easiest part is doing something about it. When betting habits become uncontrollable, you may get into massive debts or even steal to continue indulging in betting. Betting addiction is a health issue and there are certain symptoms you should watch out for to indicate that you are struggling with the addiction:

• You always feel the urge to gamble with an increasing stake.
• You become irritated and stressed when you try to cut down your time and stake in betting.
• You constantly have thoughts of betting.
• You often use betting as a mechanism to deal with stress.
• You constantly lie to your relatives to hide your gambling habit
• You started losing close relations and opportunities because of your betting addiction.

Exhibiting one or more of the highlighted gambling symptoms above shows you are not in control of your betting habits. You need to pay attention to seeking help and not just promising yourself and your family you want to quit.

Understand and Know that Betting Addiction Can Be Cured

Just like most other health issues, betting addiction can be cured. Once you have admitted you are struggling with the habit, you should know you can regain control. Getting professional help will not take the addiction away overnight. Still, it will help you diversify your love for betting online into more productive activities, and in the process, you will get help.

You can get help in diverse ways, including online resources, and you can seek help from psychologists who specialise in betting addiction. 

Take Conscious Steps to Control Your Gambling Habits

If you don’t take intentional steps toward controlling habits, you won’t make progress in controlling them. Some of the steps you can take to take control of your betting habit include the following:

• Consciously Abstain from Situations That Will Encourage You to Bet

Some bettors are often triggered by certain situations, places, and friends to bet recklessly. If you have multiple online casino accounts, you should consciously block or delete some to reduce your chances of spending resources on multiple online platforms.

You may want to restrict your communication with friends who always encourage you to place bets recklessly. You should avoid places that can instigate you to stake bets uncontrollably. Learn more about self-exclusion in online betting at the Go Gambling platform.

• Find a New Hobby and Practice New Things When You Feel Like Gambling

One of the most effective ways of controlling your urges for betting is to discover new hobbies that will take your time without spending scarce resources. Taking this step will assist you in channelling your time, resources, and feelings into more constructive activities and lower the urge to seek relief through betting.

You should pick an interest in hobbies like reading or something more fun like swimming, watching sports or movies. You may also talk to a person who encourages you to place a bet. They can stop encouraging you to continue indulging in the habit.

You can also write down your feelings about betting, the triggers and symptoms you notice, and those things that helped you control the urge. Creating a journal about your situation aims to refer to the information as you try to prevent the trigger or urge to bet excessively.

• Automate Your Spending

Automating your spending is one of the most effective ways of controlling your betting habit. You may want to set an automatic transfer of funds from your bank account to your gambling account, and there should be a limit to what you can transfer. Doing this will ensure you don’t transfer more than a certain amount to bet and will help you stay disciplined if you don’t transfer more than the maximum or limit. With automated spending, you can prevent impulsive spending. Please do not forget to use the GAMSTOP tool, a free tool that allows players to self-exclude from UK-licensed betting sites. You can register for free and start using the tool immediately. 

• Do Not Lie About Betting

Lying to people, especially your close relatives and friends, about your online betting habit will not help in the long run. Lying is often a plot to cover up and avoid getting help. Since you don’t want to face the shame of being called an addict, you should rather focus on taking control of your betting habit.

Lying people about the cause of your debt problem may prolong the issue. Telling the right people about your betting issue will relieve pressure and boost your recovery process.