“How do I break my gambling addiction?”

Addictive / Compulsive habits require consideration of how long the compulsive behavior has existed and to what degree of intensity. Someone who has had the compulsion for 20 years has more difficulty shedding the compulsion than someone who has experienced the compulsion for a year. Someone who mortgages their home multiple times is not the same as one who blows a paycheck but no more. There are many other factors which can fan the flames, including delayed consequences or having family members and friends bail out the compulsive gambler. In my experience, anyone who does not command formidable self-motivation to extinguish this compulsion will not do it no matter how much support or help they receive. Gamblers Anonymous provides help but the participant has to follow the principles and be lucky enough to have a dedicated sponsor. The compulsive gambler has to stop lying to themselves and others and confront themselves and their associated behaviors in rigorous ways. Addicts tend to build a social network of individuals who have the same compulsions. Relinquishing an addiction may require one to give up their circle of friends and those activities on which they entertain themselves where gambling is seamless with the activities enjoyed. Coming to grips with the fact that gambling produces a neuro-chemical rush which is elating within a context of friends who also enjoy betting on activities which are tailored to facilitating betting makes giving up gambling a formidable challenge. The number of life changes required to extinguish the gambling addiction is a great deal of work within a culture that encourages relapses all the time. Getting help from someone who has had the same addiction and beat it, joining GA, accepting a GA sponsor and having a good deal of personal motivation bolstered by a great deal of luck provides the pathway. Even with all of these things in your favor, expect regressions and a good deal of time before you are able to become free of this addictive, self-reinforcing compulsion.

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