That's the question on the thread, that there are gamblers that can quit for a moment but then will still come back when they have to.
Trust me, if these gamblers are going to break the cycle they just can't. And that's because they have the urge to gamble still, no matter how long the break has been.
Awareness is there but, it's more accepting to them just go on and deal with the consequences later on.
Gamblers can break the cycle if they are willing to think about it. But many gamblers don't want to think about it and tend to get deeper into gambling and many of them even become addicted to gambling. The gambling problems they face get bigger when they neglect to think about breaking the cycle, especially since they have felt what it's like to gamble and get pleasure from gambling.
It does require awareness and others to be able to understand that gambling is just entertainment and does not need to be used as often as possible because there are impacts that will be received by those who gamble excessively. If they feel they have a gambling problem, they should be able to recognize it and try to resolve it before it becomes bigger and they will not be able to resolve it.
Well while the change needs to come from inside, it's not always just a matter of strong will and decision or "diverting" minds. Sometimes for example gambling can be a side product of underlying trauma, same as alcohol or any other addiction, where it's a way to filter and control your feelings and experience them in a way you are comfortable to do that. People don't know why they are doing it, because it's all dealing with a trauma that' happening unconsciously.
I am over simplifying it and not all addicts are addict because of trauma, but i am using it as an example, because trauma is not something anyone can fix by themselves by deciding to quit a symptom. It's suppressed for a reason, because they couldn't handle it in the first place. Addiction is just one possible symptom, there are many other ways like dissociation.
However, this change must come from within themselves so that they can learn to develop the intention and will to stop gambling. They must be able to "distract" their desire to gamble by doing other things so that they don't just think about gambling, which will only give them difficulties or problems. But most people don't know how they can change and grow that intention and will while they continue to gamble.
A gambling addict starts by using it too often so that when they don't do it one day, they will feel lost and that something is missing from their life. This makes them keep returning to gambling and ultimately makes them addicted to gambling after gambling too often. This is not a trauma but a desire to continue gambling because they have found a pleasure that is different from other activities so they don't want to give it up. This must be addressed immediately before the gambling addiction gets worse and it becomes difficult to overcome it.
Actually breaking the cycle by diverting attention to other things is not difficult to do but sometimes it's not easy to do, I mean the gamblers themselves don't want to break the cycle, one of the reasons is that they are unable to accept the fact of losing beforehand which in the end as we know that most of them even take some actions to pursue the recovery phase which is actually quite impossible if you do it in gambling. So what needs to be addressed first is the acceptance of the fact of losing because this is the only way you can do things like take your eyes off gambling for the next few days and come back to it when the mood improves. I think this action really won't apply to someone who has entered the addiction phase because they are typical gamblers who find it difficult to accept the reality of losing, and on the other hand if your goal is to recover from gambling then you need to really make sure whether your intention is really strong or not, because sometimes there are also people who say they want to recover from gambling but they say it when they are in a losing situation, in the sense that their mind is emotional and that's bullshit.
There must be a desire from the gambler to start trying to break the cycle so that he can start thinking about what he can do so that he doesn't just think about gambling but also think about other things so that he can start to leave gambling behind slowly. If they don't want to try, it will be difficult because it takes courage to try to leave or reduce their gambling activities and that is what not many gamblers can do. Meanwhile, more and more people are losing control of themselves in gambling so that they forget that gambling is just entertainment. Many gamblers only think about how to recover their losses and win again. This requires their acceptance of the risks they receive from gambling because there are still many gamblers who are unable to accept the results they get after finishing gambling. So that's what makes it difficult for many gamblers to break the cycle and still keep returning to gambling to achieve their goals. But for people who have started to become addicted to gambling, it will be difficult because their minds will only think about gambling. If they still cannot realize the impact of gambling and make no effort to reduce their gambling activities, they will fall deeper into gambling.