Ep. 56 - How to Recognize and Feel More In Control of Gambling Urges and Cravings
Sometimes people aren’t even aware they are having urges and cravings to gamble. Gambling is just a part of their lives and it’s not something they think much about - even though gambling is taking up a lot of time and energy. However, often when someone decides to decrease or stop gambling, they really notice urges and cravings. The desire to gamble can be strong and it can be a struggle to not give in.
In episode 56 of our podcast, Fold em: Help for Gambling Problems, we take a look at urges and cravings to gamble. Why? to help you have more control. Recognizing urges and what triggers them will help you to slow things down. If you gamble, rather than just automatically give in to an impulse to place a bet, you’ll be better able to think it through . If you are decreasing or stopping gambling, you will be better prepared to use strategies to ride through an urge.
In this episode we hear from two people with have a lot experience with this topic. Eva and Don both decided to stop gambling about four years ago. They share their experiences with cravings as they were gambling, in the early days after deciding to stop, and four years later when the desire to gamble still pops up.
Listen now to our conversation and learn about:
how to recognize your gambling urges and cravings
how to notice what triggers these urges to gamble
strategies to cope with and decrease urges and cravings to gamble
encouragement and inspiration to pull back from gambling if it’s causing stress and problems
Listen now to episode 56 of Fold em by clicking on the green play button at the top of the blog.
If you prefer to tune in directly from Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, click on the red “Listen and Subscribe” button below.
“If you don’t realize you have a problem, you won’t realize you are having cravings. Then it’s much harder to control cravings because you’re always giving in.” Eva
Am I Having Urges and Cravings to Gamble?
In this episode of Fold em, we hear from Eva and Don. Both decided to stop gambling about four years ago. Eva notes that she wasn’t aware that gambling was a problem for her until a casino staff person checked in with her, commenting that she had been coming to the casino a lot. She states that she was shocked to hear this because in her mind gambling wasn’t a problem - it was just a way that she was coping with loneliness, stress and PTSD symptoms.
Don tells us that he slowly became aware that gambling had become a way that he was coping with work stress, but that it was taking up more and more time and was negatively impacting him.
While they were gambling, Eva and Don weren’t aware of having urges and cravings, but as they pulled back, they definitely noticed.
Here’s some signs of urges and cravings to gamble:
feeling anxious, fidgety, excited and/or sweating
feeling desperate to gamble
constantly thinking about gambling and/or planning how to gamble
wanting to escape or get relief from how you’re feeling (frustrated, bored, sad, hyper)
What Triggers Urges and Cravings to Gamble?
Great question! It often feels like gambling just happens and nothing triggered this. But, typically something happens that sparks off thoughts and cravings to gamble. This may be something outside of your awareness, e.g. an emotion or memory OR it may be something more obvious such as friends talking about a bet. The more you can identify what triggers you to gamble, the more control you can have.
Here’s some examples of triggers:
Situations: having access to money on pay day; having free time on the weekends; being invited to place a bet on a game
Thoughts: about bills and being short on money; remembering past gambling wins; that you have a strategy that you are sure to win today
Emotions: bored; restless; happy; lonely; excited; anxious; grief
People: that guy on YouTube that you follow about sports betting; that person at work who always talks about gambling wins; that family member who always gets under your skin.
What Can I Do When I’m Having an Urge to Gamble?
There are lots of strategies to help you ride through and resist urges. Which ones you use depends on what you are willing and to do. For example, if you are reading this because gambling is causing you or someone you care about some stress, but you’re not ready to stop, then you might want to use strategies to help you slow down your gambling habit.
Here’s some strategies to help you ride recognize and ride through gambling urges and cravings:
Delay, distract, decide: in episode 55 we shared this strategy. Since cravings typically only last about 15 minutes, notice when you want to gamble, then decide to delay this for at least 15 minutes. During this time, do something that really distracts you. At the end of the 15 minutes, think about the pros and cons of gambling at this moment and then decide what to do, e.g. to delay for the rest of the day or to pass on betting on this game.
Get honest with yourself and someone else: when we’re on automatic pilot with gambling and keeping it secret from others, cravings have more power. Take a step back and take a look at the impact of gambling on your life. Maybe take a hard look at how much money has gone into gambling or how it has affected your mood. Ask yourself, whether you want things to continue in this way. It also helps to talk it through with someone you trust - maybe this means a gambling support line or chat room. Maybe a friend. Talking it out will help you to have more clarity and strength when cravings show up.
If you have decided to stop gambling, here are some strategies suggested by Eva and Don for coping with cravings:
Focus your mind on something else, e.g. online games (not gambling games); go for a walk; have a conversation with someone, colouring apps
Focus on your body sensations, e.g. have a hot shower, drink a cold glass of water, or step outside and notice sights and sounds
Self talk: remind yourself why you have chosen to not gamble and that urges will pass
Put up roadblocks: self-exclude from a gambling website or casino; deactivate the account; make it difficult to access money. Roadblocks will slow down your ability to make a bet and give you more time to get through cravings and urges.
Address underlying problems: if frustration at work triggers gambling, take small steps to address this. As your confidence grows in handling this frustration, cravings should decrease.
Build support: sometimes you will get sucked in to a gambling trigger and not even notice. It can help to have people in your life who know what your triggers are and the symptoms of your cravings, so they can work with you to notice and manage these.
Learn about your triggers and cravings: this won’t come quickly, but over time you will learn to notice what triggers gambling cravings for you and what helps you to surf it out. Enlist help from a counsellor or gambling support group.
Urges and cravings can be very strong. Willpower alone often isn’t enough to get through them. So, don’t give up if you’re not initially successful with controlling cravings. It just means that you may need to try something different, particularly getting some help.
Eva and Don share some good news. With time away from gambling, urges and cravings decreased in intensity and become less frequent for them. Four years after stopping gambling, they still experience occasional cravings, but they are much easier to handle
If you would like to hear more from Don and Eva about their experiences with cravings, listen to episode 56 of Fold em. They also share their success stories with overcoming gambling problems and rebuilding their lives for the better. Click on the green play button at the top of this blog or the red “Listen Now to Fold em” button at the bottom.
If you would like to learn more about what happens in the brain with cravings and strategies for riding these out, listen to episode 55 of Fold em.
What Support is Available to Help Me or a Loved One Manage Gambling Cravings?
For Residents of British Columbia
If you live in British Columbia, you can connect with Gambling Outreach Support anytime. To do so, click on the red “Connect with Support in BC” button below. Or, go to the Gambling Support BC website. You can also access these services through the Gambling Support Line. It is available 24/7 at 1-888-795-6111.
Gambling Support BC services are available to any British Columbia resident experiencing problems from gambling. You don’t need to stop or quit gambling or be self-excluded to access these free supports.
Our counselling and outreach services can help you figure out how to manage gambling concerns, including how to control or stop gambling. You decide what will work for you.
You can talk to an outreach support person about next steps for yourself if you aren’t wanting counselling. They can help you find self-help resources or local community resources and make a plan that meets you where you are at.
Outside of British Columbia
Canada: www.gamblingguidelines.ca/getting-help
United States: National Council on Problem Gambling
United Kingdom: GamCare
Australia: Gamblers’ Help
If you live outside of these countries, search online for “Gambling Help” in your country
Online Support and Meetings:
Gamblers Anonymous and GamAnon
GamTalk (online chat forum)
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. Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.
*Mark Lewis, Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs. 2012