How to Stop Casino Gambling

How to deal with gambling How to Stop Casino Gambling

Questions to ask the person who may have a gambling problem

• Have you been gambling recently? What type of gambling do you do?

• Have you lost time from work due to gambling?

• How has gambling affected your home life?

• How do you feel about your gambling? Do you feel guilty?

• How do you find the money to gamble? How much do you owe others?

• Do you drink alcohol? If so, ask about problem drinking.

• Have you thought about stopping gambling? Would you like to do so now?

What to do immediately

• Discuss the nature of the habit. Most gamblers do not even know that gambling can become a problem, just like other kinds of dependence. This awareness may motivate the person to consider stopping the habit.

• Discuss the negative effects of gambling on the person’s life.

• If there are any other dependence problems, treat accordingly.

If the person wishes to stop now, do the following:

• Identify other activities the person could do instead of gambling. These should be enjoyable to the person so that he is able to resist the urge to gamble.

• Identify the situations that make him want to gamble. For example, if he associates the urge to gamble with drinking in a bar, then he should avoid that bar. Similarly, he should avoid the friends he associates with gambling.

• Identify important people in his life who can understand his problem and support him during this difficult phase.

• Teach the person how to solve his problems. For example, being in debt may be the most important problem he is facing. Identify all the people who are owed money and help the person develop a plan aimed at repaying his debts. This will help him gain in confidence that he will be able to resolve his difficulties. It will also help prevent him from gambling more in an effort to raise money to pay the debts.

• It is helpful if a large share of the salary is given to the spouse, for example, on pay day, so that the month’s income is not gambled away.

• In some places there are special groups that help people with gambling problems (such as Gamblers Anonymous). Refer the person to them.

If the person relapses or does not want to stop immediately:

• Do not reject the person.

• Ask the person to come and see you again.

• Always discuss the possibility of giving up at each visit.

• Attempt a reduction in gambling activity by reducing the amount of time spent gambling or setting an upper limit on the amount of money the person will gamble in a week.