Topic: With gambling, it's probably easier to quit cold turkey (Read 761 times)

That is the famous rock-bottom, and while many of those that got addicted need to reach that stage in order to begin to think about their lives and what they have done with it, those which have reached that stage have very low chances of ever fixing their lives, as by that time it is very likely they have taken decisions which cannot be taken back anymore, like getting in massive debt, committing crimes or losing their family, and any attempt to try fix their life will take them decades of constant effort at best to get the results they are looking for.

I agree with that, because if we have too high expectations of gambling, then this will only lead us to the worst thing we can face in gambling which is addiction and significant losses. And I can't deny that sometimes when I gamble, there is a great expectation that gambling can bring me profits and gambling can increase my wealth in a short time. Gambling for a group is quite a good thing and can at least prevent us from bad behavior when gambling and can also prevent us from feeling addicted to gambling itself. but then again sometimes we like to feel a little disappointed and regret when we lose, so that in the end at the end of the game we don't get pleasure but just the opposite.


When a person intends to end his gambling activities, then he must not only leave the casino and no longer visit it, but also must leave his environment or social circle whose associations are only filled with gambling. Quitting gambling is not an easy thing to do.

There are a lot of people who stopped too, so it is not like it's unheard of before, it is not like we have never seen anyone who has done badly and then not stop, we have seen some that managed to stop too. Obviously there are some addicts that goes worse and worse, even go as far as committing crimes to get some money to keep gambling, even hurt others to get some money and do some more.

However, I have seen also plenty of people who lost all their money, and then they ended up being even worse, I feel like that should be the most important part of the deal as well. I get that it's bad to get addicted, but it is also even more important if you could get rid of your addiction, it makes for a great story and should be appreciated.

I often think about fate. Its funny that life sometimes stops bad habits. When a gambler is broke, he must reflect. I've seen this happen; its unpleasant but potentially revolutionary. Rebuilding life after addiction is difficult, sometimes wrought with regret and the need to piece together a fractured life.

Definitely agree on preventive. Those at risk of addiction should avoid gambling. Still, isnt self-control and awareness just as important? Not all gamblers become addicted. You must know your boundaries, be disciplined, and view gambling as fun, not a way out of life. We shouldt ban gambling, but we can promote responsible and healthy play.

Gamblers need judgment-free online and offline support. Sharing experiences, raising awareness, and providing self-help resources are crucial. Promoting healthy gambling while recognizing addiction is key. This strategy helps responsible gamblers and protects individuals who may be at risk while gambling.

Yes, I agree. Gambling isn't a substance that our body has grown dependent over time due to regular or continuous use. Gambling is simply an activity. There won't be a significant change in our body and its chemicals simply because we abruptly end gambling.

But I think quitting gambling should be a process of replacing it with another fun and enjoyable activity that would effectively take away our minds from gambling. If we are focused on something else that we also enjoy doing, we can forget about gambling.

Slow and gradual process in staying away from gambling would only make you gamble more. The best is to stay away from it once and for all.

It depends! I believe that it is possible to reduce addiction without completely stopping gaming, but to do so you need a few factors:

1. The person really needs to be aware of the problem and willing to change their life. If she doesn't admit that she is addicted or even admits it but believes that "everything is fine", then she won't be able to change.

2. It is necessary to have help from someone who will control access to the games, limiting the time they can play and also the money spent on the games. To do this, this person needs to be extremely trustworthy as they will need full access to the money in order to control it and also to the player's personal life to be able to limit their access to the game.

If the addicted player manages to improve, over time it is possible to give him more freedom and see if he can maintain control on his own.

That is a good advice. Gambling addiction Unlike substance issues doesn't have physical withdrawal symptoms. People might be missing the adrenaline but you can avoid it if your willingness is strong enough.
The thing gambling addict should admit is you can't get back the lost gambling money through gambling. It's better to start from scratch. Stopping gambling is a much larger asset than the money you have lost.

That's why sometimes fate itself will make you quit gambling, either by yourself or by force. For example, if the situation is really bad to the point that you already sold your assets or property just to fund your gambling hobbits, then if the gambler comes to the point that he has nothing left and still wants to gamble at all costs, he can't do anything about it because he has no money or anything at all. This kind of situation is where gamblers will stop their addiction and start to reflect on their lives, but at this point in their lives, there is a possibility that they can't bring back their previous way of life.

If a person knows that he can't control himself from being addicted to something, then it's best to just don't go near gambling because even if you do it out of fun and entertainment, little do they know they are slowly becoming addicted to the point that gambling will be part of their daily routine.

Any form of addiction isnt really that too easy for us to quit specially if you've been dealing with it for a long time but its not something that would really be impossible. It would really be just that depending on a certain individual if they would really be that serious on quitting up gambling for good or anything that they are currently dealing with.
This is why this situation would really be that depending in a certain individual because self control level will really be that differ into each other and this is why it would really be that
always best that you should really be that sensible on the things that you are doing. If you do find yourself that impulsive towards gambling then it would really be a huge problem on your part.

Obviously I agree with your idea of quitting gambling is very difficult, there are those who can quit gambling or addiction but their number is very small, on average those who have difficulty in my opinion are those who can never get rid of the hope of winning which of course is always the main trigger why someone has difficulty quitting the activity. Honestly you have a very good mindset by always limiting your gambling activities, as you have mentioned above that you will not do these activities when you are with people who do not know gambling at all, I must say that you have  a good level of care for others in terms of prevention.

I think real fun is when you can get a thrill but without any loss or risk of losing something, I think the idea of gambling just for fun is nothing more than a statement that will keep someone from overreacting, meaning limiting expectations by thinking that it's all just fun so as not to focus too much on winning. However we must agree that gambling is a risky activity, only winning and losing will happen at the end, even if you only put a small amount but there is still an element of potential loss.

Quitting gambling is difficult and quitting smoking is even more difficult. In my circle and most of my friends are cigarette addicts, and so am I personally. There are no smokeless gatherings, unless I am with people who don't smoke, because I respect them. Likewise, when talking about gambling, I don't gamble when I'm in front of people who have never gambled. So when you want to leave the bad activities you are doing, then leave the relationships that can only bring you bad things.
 
I realize that even though gambling is fun, it is still quite detrimental, especially if done without good self-control. I'm quite worried that if I gamble in front of people who are quite unfamiliar with gambling, it could influence them to do the same thing. I'm worried that he can't control his gambling well, what's more, talking about good self-control, that's a difficult thing.

Overcoming gambling addiction is not an easy process and also takes quite a long time to do. However, with serious effort and intention that must be instilled in the addict, and these two things are the beginning that must be done consistently. And also support from those closest to you such as family, friends and lovers, all of whom are required to help and support the healing process, including professional or expert help.
And apart from that, you also have to have a busy life or job that can help you forget about gambling and make you focus on your busy life or work, and this can also slowly help you forget about gambling.
And I say all of the above once you recognize your gambling problem and the first step is to admit that you have a gambling problem, because this awareness is the first step in recovery.

Yep, that's true. This will depend on each person on how they can control their gambling habit. For me though, I'd like to stop it entirely and not slowly. I mean, why do I need to take it slowly if there's a chance I will go back the same way as before?
The same as what I did with my smoking addiction. I never trusted myself because I tried to slowly take it out of my system by numbering the amount of cigarette sticks that I intake per day but what it actually did is just enhance my urge to keep on smoking more. 
4 years ago, I stopped it without even taking one stick a day. I just think about my kids and I don't want them to receive the secondhand smoke in my breath. Somehow I did it and now I don't like the smell of the smoke.
If ever I will be addicted to gambling I think the better way is to do the same, keep myself busy about other things and focus on them. This is how I ended my smoking habit and I think the same way could be applied in other addictions. Or, maybe others have different ways on how they will deal with this dilemma. Maybe from therapists, or a group of people that will understand them.

Non-compulsive gambling doesn't cause addiction, so the basic problem is compulsive and excessive gambling because someone who gambles while staying within their limits will barely get addicted to gambling and even if they get addicted to it, they will only get addicted to the games or the habit of gambling and they will never spend everything they have on gambling because they know there is no way for them to recover the money once it is gone.

Compulsive gamblers will always become addicted to gambling and the main reason for that is they will be chasing their losses every time, and when don't stop because they think they will eventually do it which is what they think and not what happens.

So, people that avoid compulsive gambling will automatically stay away from gambling addiction.

For a gambling addicts who have quite and have successfully overcome the addiction to take the risk of gambling again is a bigger risk, i think the best thing to do as an addiction escapee is to totally stay away regardless of the urge.
Because having the urge to gamble again is still an additional element, and at that point, don't think thay the gambler is in charge and could possibly beat his addictions by continuing playing without sliding back to the addictions at some point.
Although it is easier for one with experience to be able to overcome the things that got him addicted in the first place and also avoid them.

In my experience, going off bad habit through the cold turkey method is rather difficult and sometimes it could turn against the person itself which seeks to better themelsves, due to the withdrawal effects on their behavior and way to function.
I had a friend who had problems with alcohol, several times he tried to quit cold turkey and he suffered from several days of cold sweating, nerviousness, lack of appetite and other undesirable sensations. In the end, he continued drinking to ease those symptoms.

Perhaps, it is because most of the cases I have seen had been mostly about people doing it all by their own and without support of their family and friends. If someone is dealing with addiction unrelated to the consumption of hard drugs and does not have much of family support, then I would  advice to quit the habit gradually, instead going cold turkey.

It is clear that addiction is always the worst impact that exists in gambling, someone will do anything for gambling and they will not be able to make any considerations in common sense, simply put people who are already addicted they will never stop doing various ways just to gamble. Obviously for the problem of consequences can never be tolerated, if you are involved in gambling then that means you must be prepared with all the risks that are clearly certain to occur, you can get a win but the risk will usually occur more often.

Of course, quitting or getting out of the addiction zone is difficult and even almost impossible for some people who do not have assertiveness in themselves, all they will feel is a lot of pressure as a result of addiction such as  experiencing financial problems etc., which is why we must always be able to apply self-control and some limits, every gambler can recover from addiction and they have their own way but unfortunately not all gamblers can do it because it is difficult to achieve awareness when the mindset is dominated by hopes for victory.

Yes anybody willing to have a cold turkey can do that, especially in gambling. But it's not an easy process, the person wouldn't stop immediately. Op's term easier, in my response, is wrong. Because gambling has to do with mental health, and the addict wouldn't have enough control over himself to even realize his condition. Unless he's not deeply into the addiction or in a minimal level of gambling addiction, the person still needs the help of a therapist to get cured of his problem gambling. The procedures you mention above for a drug addict could be used to help a gambling addict, but due to the psychological effects it has on the gambler, the therapist also needs to establish a fresh relationship with the gambler. Because switching addiction is quite very hard for a gambling addict, the therapist needs not to give out straight advice to the gambler. Instead, it's preferable to let the gambler discuss how he feels being a gambling addict. And the pains he's having inside, as an addict.

It's known that the gambler may have gone through difficulties and loved ones going nuts on their new attitudes. Those ill experiences that make the addict feel nobody would be able to help him except himself, need to be shared with the therapist, to help facilitate therapy sessions between the both; therapist and the addicted gambler. Trying to tell a gambling addict what or not to do, doesn't seem effective, because he feels he's actually on the right track and everyone else's responses don't matter to him. So, having close conversations can help him think about the view of the therapist and begin to have a change. It's like a chronic disease, gambling addiction requires lots of time for the person to recover completely, that's why many users in their response said it's not easier to have a cold turkey in gambling addiction. Therapists have to make sure the player doesn't resist help, by not being bossy or making the process more difficult for the gambler. All these take lots of time, and the gamblers need to comply by attending therapy classes.

Actually you could really be able to quit on your own if you are really that serious on quitting, there are people who could really be able to quit up for themselves and there are ones who do really completely fail on doing so.
It would really be just that depending on what kind or type of person you are, there are ones who could quit and there are ones who do need professional help.The important thing on here is that you should really be avoiding yourself about getting addicted with gambling because once this thing would shackle you out then there's no way that you could be able to quit up so easily. So better to avoid at it all cost.
There are ones who are really that able to control themselves and wary on the actions that they are making and there are ones who do simply fail on doing so.

This is why it would really be that situational when it comes to gambling dealing. The main thing that you should have in mind is trying out your best not to commit out that mistake on getting impulsive into it.
Addiction problems cant really be resolved out overnight. So better to avoid it at all cost if you do really want to make yourself on having no problem towards your life
towards your finances.

You won't say it is not possible because humans act and react to issues differently. It might not work for you but it might be the best solution for someone else. I have seen drug addicts who are permitted to take lesser addictive drugs to help them gradually quit drugs. Some therapists might recommend marijuana for a heroine or cocaine addict. Gradually it might be reduced to cigarettes until the person fully gains control over his life. So I believe gamblers can quit gradually. Maybe one can gradually reduce the amount and time he spends on casinos and this could help to curb excessive gambling.