Ep. 19 - Gambling Addiction Recovery: Breaking Free From the Addicted Mind
When you are in the midst of a gambling addiction, your mind plays tricks on you to keep it all going. Just because you stop gambling, these thoughts don’t immediately disappear.
In this episode of Fold em: Help for Gambling Problems, listen to my conversation with an online poker player about his process of developing a new mindset and how this helped him to break free from a gambling addiction.
Listen now by clicking on the green play button above.
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“Even when I thought I had it under control, I didn’t”
Changing your mindset with gambling is essential for breaking free
The Gambling Addiction Mindset
When gambling losses are piling up and stress is rising, our mind gets hijacked. It goes against our human instincts to walk away from something we’ve put so much time and energy into. It can also feel unimaginable to face people and admit that gambling got out of hand (again). In response, the addiction tries to convince you to keep it going.
Here are some common thoughts that show up with a gambling problem:
“You’ve got this” e.g, a win is around the corner; no one will find out about the lies and manipulations, keep putting on that smile and no one will suspect anything
“It’s not that big of a deal” e.g. all my friends are betting on sports so there’s nothing wrong with it; my spouse is overreacting and doesn’t understand
“I can handle this on my own” e.g. I can take a break anytime; I’m in control; I’ve dealt with other problems on my own and this is no different
“I’m not going to change” e.g. I like gambling and don’t want to give it up; I can’t imagine what I would do without it in my life
Even When You Stop Gambling the Addiction Mindset Can Linger
In this episode of Fold em, we hear from Bryce about his experiences pulling back from a problem with poker. He says that after making a decision to stop online poker and then starting counselling and group programs, an addiction mindset kept him with one foot out the door.
If you have taken steps to stop or decrease gambling, watch out for these signs that addiction is continuing to capture your thoughts:
keeping secrets about debt and money problems or holding back some details
not wanting to give up gambling and keeping this to yourself
minimizing the impact of the gambling for you and others
putting in your time until you can gamble again (when the self exclusion expires or things settle down in your relationships)
holding back from connecting with resources and supports, e.g. online forums, Gamblers Anonymous, counselling and groups
Why is it Important to Change my Mindset?
Stopping or decreasing gambling is an important and hard step in recovery. However, if that is all that you do you are at risk for the problem escalating again. In the beginning, many people are not fully open about the financial fall out of gambling. As a result of of being alone with money problems and afraid that others will find out, gambling often moves in again.
Like many others, Bryce shared that he had some ambivalence about giving up gambling. He liked the social aspects of player poker and that this was an important part of his identity. But, by not talking about this ambivalence he wasn’t able to take a clear look at it and figure out how to manage the risks of keeping some forms of gambling in his life.
How Do I Grow a Recovery Mindset?
The first step is being honest with yourself about your thoughts. The second step is sharing these thoughts with someone you trust who has some experience with gambling problems. The power of an addiction mindset is weakened when it gets out into the open and shared with others.
In this episode of Fold em, Bryce talks about what helped him to change his attitude and mindset towards gambling. Here are a few things that worked for him:
deciding for himself that gambling was causing too much damage and that he wanted to change
connecting with other people in recovery and talking openly with people who get it
spending 3-4 months away from his phone and access to gambling
To hear more from Bryce and learn about breaking free from gambling problem, listen to Episode 19 of Fold em.
Listen now by clicking on the green play button at the top of this blog. Or, tune in directly from Apple or Google podcasts by clicking on the red button below.
Check out the other episodes and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out when new ones are released.
If you live in British Columbia and would like to access free support and counselling services, go to the Gambling Support BC website or call the Gambling Support Line at 1-888-795-6111. Or, click on the Connect With Support in BC button below.
Free, confidential services are available to residents of British Columbia who are concerned about their own or a loved one’s gambling.
Fold em is a podcast hosted by Adrienne Cossom and her colleagues at Gambling Support BC. Whether you are looking at stopping or scaling back your own gambling or supporting a family member with a problem, this podcast will help you take back control. Hear from gamblers who have been through it and get tips from counsellors.
To learn more about gambling concerns and how to access resources and support, go to the home page of this website, click on the red “Learn More” button below, or connect with us through Facebook.