How to quit a gambling addiction.
You need clean people around you if you are going to stay clean.
In yesterdays example our gambler played pool with nongambling players. If he/she has close gambling friends they may not prefer to hang out with a new crowd. We don’t really know these people as well as we know our normal crowd. Additionally they may be a little unsure about us.
So it is important to remember that it will take hanging out with these new people 5 to 8 different times before you can accurately know how well you fit in. It will also take some time for your head to clear up. What I mean by this is; even if your new friends are perfect for you and even if what they are doing is great fun you may not enjoy it at first. If your mind can only think about your habit it will be hard to make new friends. So since you have to make new friends to break your addiction you need to make it happen no matter what.
Here are some rules to follow to break away from the crowd you hang out with now.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #1 Be ultra aggressive in finding new nongambling friends. Always smile and try to be friendly. Be patient, it will not happen in one day but always be persistent. If you never give up on finding a new crowd you will find one.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #2 Be the person who suggests nongambling activities. If you don’t have something to do you will likely fall into an addiction trap.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #3 Always have a backup plan. If you can’t find something interesting to do, have a plan to do something. A hobby, sport, game, or spiritual activities etc.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #4 Although being busy is important try to not overdo it. When you are tired watch some TV or read or get some sleep. Having a good balance in your life is one key to success.
When trying to find a new crowd it is very important to go the extra mile to make it a good night. Make a great effort to treat these new people well. Even if you feel like crap, try to be a person who has love for people. Make an effort to always go around treating people with respect and with some genuine caring for them. If you do you will be surprised at how much better life can be.
Addiction is slavery. It tells you what to do, when to do it, where to go and how to act. Even if you love your addiction I want you to tell yourself 20 times a day that addiction is slavery. At its worst, addiction drives you to destruction and at the very least, it enslaves you into a habitual trap that will keep you from any chance of fulfilling your life given purpose.
Addiction is slavery just like all sin is slavery. The reason the Bible is so against sin is because sin always leads to destruction. For many people there are sin’s which are trigger points to your main addiction. Many secular programs want to solve your main addiction while leaving other sin in your life. The drawback to that method is it doesn’t often work all that well, plus you will never find your God given purpose that way. Having said that if you find any program that helps you, it is a good thing, as long as it is not against Christianity.
Pray: “Father give me the wisdom to write a prayer that will help me to start overcoming my addiction.” You can pray it as many times each day as you want as long as you are sincere in increasing your desire to change with each prayer. God is not counting how many times I pray my prayer. He is looking at how my heart changes as I sincerely pray it each time and how I allow him to lead me to better choices because now (because of prayer and extra effort) I am starting to see reality clearer.
We get a feeling we are getting close to falling on a Tuesday and then everything goes wrong on a Wednesday and we are almost doomed. But the problem is not what happens on Wednesday the problem is what failed to happen on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I have rarely seen someone totally fired up about Christ on Tuesday fall on Wednesday. But I have seen people fired up for Christ on Sunday morning who get into sin on Sunday afternoon. Then they don’t get into the Word for 2 straight days. Then a bad day hits and they fall apart.
They don’t realize that someone else just as messed up as them fell into sin Sunday afternoon and practiced rapid repentance. Rapid repentance gives you the ability to make a right decision when temptation hits. Rather than almost being forced into a bad decision.
They also spent extra time in prayer out of remorse that day. Then they faithfully prayed and studied the Word for the next two days. And everything fell apart for them on Wednesday as well. But they had a fighting chance to overcome because the Holy Spirit was with them.
“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently…” Tony Robbins
Of course Tony is preaching positive thinking which is good. But in addition to positive thinking we need positive actions. What if on Sunday morning we tried to find someone at church who could mentor us. You don’t have to tell people “I am an addict and need a sponsor.” Just say to them – “I am a new (or renewed) Christian and I need to be taught how to live as a Christian. Ask someone who is your same gender and keep asking people until you get help.
Ask your Pastor or Priest if they have any suggestions. Try listing 3 Christians who could help you. Contact each of these people and ask them to disciple you. Tell them you need help with discipline and self-control. If you can come up with 5 specific area’s you need help in that will let them know where to start.
When you have that rotten day when everything goes wrong you have a huge advantage when you have been doing what you should be doing (like Tony says – consistently).
Coke is the highest selling brand of pop in the world. In the 80’s Pepsi came out with the Pepsi challenge. They said try Coke and Pepsi in a blind taste test and see which one tastes better. 57% of people who took the test said they liked Pepsi more.
Pepsi sales shot through the roof and Coke panicked. They quickly came up with a sweeter New Coke. But within a few weeks Coke drinker complained. They did not like the sweeter Coke. Coke changed again and brought back old Coke now called Coke Classic bringing joy to the world again.
Was Pepsi better than Coke? Why did so many Coke lovers choose Pepsi in the test? It was because the first sip of Pepsi is sweeter, but when you drink the whole bottle the sweetness is a negative for many people.
Sin and addiction are exactly the same way, the first sip is sweet and fun. But quickly we remember we are again on the road to the Law of Diminishing returns.
If heavy temptation hits always pause to think about two things you can do right now that will give you increasing returns this week. If your life stinks right now you need to do things that will give you increasing returns and make your future better. Memorize the 3 P’s – Pause, pray, plan.
Key Point: When temptation is hard pause, pray and plan what you can do right now that will give you increasing returns this week.
Addiction is often the opposite of love. Plan ways every day on how you will treat others with love. Plan 5 ways on how you will show love to God today. Plan when you will have a time and a place for Bible study and prayer today.
Work on sleeping well today. Get enough sleep and if your sleep is inconsistent or restless study deep breathing exercises and learn how to use them. You can fight your addiction better if you are well rested.
Today I am going to write about how to try to be in Gods blessing. Many people struggle with gambling because they want to try to get extra money. It has not worked in the past but maybe it will this time. I don’t think so.
A better approach is to try to live right and be blessed by God. Psalms one says:
Psalm 1
New International Version (NIV)
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Verse three says that if we live like this whatever we do will prosper. So if we live like this a small amount of the time we will prosper a little bit. If we try half of the time to live like this we will do better. If we always live like this we will prosper.
Living right before God is healthy and it brings joy.
Plan ways to treat God and other people with love today.
- Pray: Father help you me always to be balanced. Be balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually.
- Checklist for avoiding relapse: Always practice moderation in all things and always try to identify what activities you tend to overindulge in which lead you down a wrong trail.
Read Proverbs 27, 2nd Corinthians 13 and Matthew 4
Continue to read the Purpose Driven Life
What The Bible Says About Addiction is my new 260 page e-book which is filled with new information about quitting addiction. My book is filled with a large number of ideas about quitting addiction and renewing the mind. It is amazing how differently we think when we do things God’s way. It is encouraging how focused we become when we do things God’s way. Writing this book completely changed my mindset – I believe that reading it will do the same for you. Click here to access it. Please leave a good review if you like it.
Copyright 2015 © THR Publishing LLC
All rights reserved.
If this article has helped you, share it with your friends. Share buttons are below the index.
Thank you for reading day 32 of this program: How to quit gambling easily.
Index
Day one: Quitting addiction exercises
Day two: It is important to admit you are powerless
Day 3: Learn the right way to live
Day 4: Getting rid of negative emotions
Day 5: Remember – money lost is not yours. Don’t try to get it back or you will lose more.
Day 6: can you increase your pleasure by gambling?
Day 7: Staying clean in all ways helps you quit the addiction
Day 8: Decide what pain and pleasure you want
Day 9: Analyze what leads you back to your addiction
Day 10: Change your emotions and your mindsets. Stop believing that your big score will come in.
Day 11: Where the Spirit of the Lord is – there is liberty
Day 12: Learn how to worship God. Also try to develop positive addictions.
Day 13: Write out a letter saying why you want to quit
Day 14: Overcoming cravings and negative emotions
Day 15: You have some self control
Day 16: Have a list of coping statements. Have a list of substitute activities.
Day 17: How to find living water that will always satisfy you
Day 18: Do not have faulty beliefs abourt gambling odds
Day 19: Interview with a professional poker player
Day 20: What we can learn from Adam and Eve’s mistakes
Day 21: more great stuff from Adam and Eve’s mistakes
Day 22: Self control
Day 23: What to think about to develop self control
Day 24: What are your values?
Day 25: How to pray to fight addiction
Day 26: Which prayers are answered quickly – which prayers time more time and persistence
Day 27: How to fill the vacuum that addiction caused
28: Finding a good church
29: Knowing why you can’t quit can help you plan how to quit
30: How to eliminate the vacuum created by quitting
31: Tripping your addiction trap. Overcoming sloth
How to quit a gambling addiction.
You need clean people around you if you are going to stay clean.
In yesterdays example our gambler played pool with nongambling players. If he/she has close gambling friends they may not prefer to hang out with a new crowd. We don’t really know these people as well as we know our normal crowd. Additionally they may be a little unsure about us.
So it is important to remember that it will take hanging out with these new people 5 to 8 different times before you can accurately know how well you fit in. It will also take some time for your head to clear up. What I mean by this is; even if your new friends are perfect for you and even if what they are doing is great fun you may not enjoy it at first. If your mind can only think about your habit it will be hard to make new friends. So since you have to make new friends to break your addiction you need to make it happen no matter what.
Here are some rules to follow to break away from the crowd you hang out with now.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #1 Be ultra aggressive in finding new nongambling friends. Always smile and try to be friendly. Be patient, it will not happen in one day but always be persistent. If you never give up on finding a new crowd you will find one.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #2 Be the person who suggests nongambling activities. If you don’t have something to do you will likely fall into an addiction trap.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #3 Always have a backup plan. If you can’t find something interesting to do, have a plan to do something. A hobby, sport, game, or spiritual activities etc.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #4 Although being busy is important try to not overdo it. When you are tired watch some TV or read or get some sleep. How to quit a gambling addiction rule #5 Having a good balance in your life is one key to success.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #6 When trying to find a new crowd it is very important to go the extra mile to make it a good night. Make a great effort to treat these new people well. Even if you feel like crap, try to be a person who has love for people. Make an effort to always go around treating people with respect and with some genuine caring for them. If you do you will be surprised at how much better life can be.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #7 Addiction is slavery. It tells you what to do, when to do it, where to go and how to act. Even if you love your addiction I want you to tell yourself 20 times a day that addiction is slavery. At its worst, addiction drives you to destruction and at the very least, it enslaves you into a habitual trap that will keep you from any chance of fulfilling your life given purpose.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #8 Addiction is slavery just like all sin is slavery. The reason the Bible is so against sin is because sin always leads to destruction. For many people there are sin’s which are trigger points to your main addiction. Many secular programs want to solve your main addiction while leaving other sin in your life. The drawback to that method is it doesn’t often work all that well, plus you will never find your God given purpose that way. Having said that if you find any program that helps you, it is a good thing, as long as it is not against Christianity.
Read Proverbs 30
Continue to read the Purpose Driven Life
How to quit a gambling addiction.
You need clean people around you if you are going to stay clean.
In yesterdays example our gambler played pool with nongambling players. If he/she has close gambling friends they may not prefer to hang out with a new crowd. We don’t really know these people as well as we know our normal crowd. Additionally they may be a little unsure about us.
So it is important to remember that it will take hanging out with these new people 5 to 8 different times before you can accurately know how well you fit in. It will also take some time for your head to clear up. What I mean by this is; even if your new friends are perfect for you and even if what they are doing is great fun you may not enjoy it at first. If your mind can only think about your habit it will be hard to make new friends. So since you have to make new friends to break your addiction you need to make it happen no matter what.
Here are some rules to follow to break away from the crowd you hang out with now.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #1 Be ultra aggressive in finding new nongambling friends. Always smile and try to be friendly. Be patient, it will not happen in one day but always be persistent. If you never give up on finding a new crowd you will find one.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #2 Be the person who suggests nongambling activities. If you don’t have something to do you will likely fall into an addiction trap.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #3 Always have a backup plan. If you can’t find something interesting to do, have a plan to do something. A hobby, sport, game, or spiritual activities etc.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #4 Although being busy is important try to not overdo it. When you are tired watch some TV or read or get some sleep. How to quit a gambling addiction rule #5 Having a good balance in your life is one key to success.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #6 When trying to find a new crowd it is very important to go the extra mile to make it a good night. Make a great effort to treat these new people well. Even if you feel like crap, try to be a person who has love for people. Make an effort to always go around treating people with respect and with some genuine caring for them. If you do you will be surprised at how much better life can be.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #7 Addiction is slavery. It tells you what to do, when to do it, where to go and how to act. Even if you love your addiction I want you to tell yourself 20 times a day that addiction is slavery. At its worst, addiction drives you to destruction and at the very least, it enslaves you into a habitual trap that will keep you from any chance of fulfilling your life given purpose.
How to quit a gambling addiction rule #8 Addiction is slavery just like all sin is slavery. The reason the Bible is so against sin is because sin always leads to destruction. For many people there are sin’s which are trigger points to your main addiction. Many secular programs want to solve your main addiction while leaving other sin in your life. The drawback to that method is it doesn’t often work all that well, plus you will never find your God given purpose that way. Having said that if you find any program that helps you, it is a good thing, as long as it is not against Christianity.
Read Proverbs 30
Continue to read the Purpose Driven Life