How to quit gambling addiction
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.
The rest of this article will contain only advice that is Spiritual in nature. 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
Read the Purpose Driven Life
Index
Day one: Quitting addiction exercises
How to quit a gambling habit
I have a 60 day program called gambling freedom in 60 days (which you can access on the left). With that program I give you a few things to work on each day. Quite frankly I put in way more idea’s in this article than I should have put in for a single read. So you can choose to read this or start with day one of my 60 day program (which you can access on the left).
I usually start these articles by talking about the massive amounts of destruction the addiction will do to you. In this case I am not going to do that because many people know all about the destruction but they still can’t stop. But I will give you the short version. How to stop a gambling problem #1: gambling will ruin you, destroy your health and sometimes harm others. But instead of dwelling on that I am going to talk a little bit about why many people indulge.
Addictions are popular when people have something missing in their lives or when they need to bury some pain or hurt. But when gambling becomes an addiction it quickly becomes a dark hole where relationships, ethics and morals become a much lower priority than they should have.
How to quit a gambling addiction#2: For some people one of the main reasons you indulge is because that is one of the few things that you feel like you have control over. It is your choice, it is your thing – it is who you are. But this is a cruel lie. A gambling addiction is a force and it is a driving force. How to quit a gambling addiction#3: There are some addictions that we think we are controlling but those addictions are actually controlling us. Over time gambling cause a loss of control of everything.
So why do people keep indulging after they have decided to quit? In most people there is a dueling of personalities. Your mind tells you that you have to stop gambling but your pleasure seeking flesh tells you that it will feel good.
Key Point #1 As long as you are ruled by the pleasure principle you will always struggle with addiction. The pleasure seeker may become selfish, immature, demanding and short sited. How to quit a gambling addiction#4: In the long run, pleasure which is from an addiction always has a price to pay which is much higher than what you want to pay.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #5: Instead of being ruled by the pleasure principle strive to be ruled by the moral principle. The moral principle is wise and rational and it leads to real long term joy instead of fake short term pleasure which leads to destruction. This principle believes that rules like that of your country or laws from the Bible are there to make your life better. When you follow this principle you willingly give up your solution of choice (gambling ) in exchange for another activity. How to quit a gambling addiction tip #6: The reason you make this choice is because you now believe that choosing an alternative activity will give you the best life over the next 7 days and longer. So if you stay clean today and develop new activities you may have a hard day today but your week and your future will be better.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #7: Always choose the Wisdom of staying clean today so that you can have a good life all week, and all year instead of giving in to the short term pleasure and destruction of gambling for one day. Over time staying clean is a lifestyle which is always better.
Gambling is an escape for many people. One can escape from tension, anger, lack of success, pain and many other things. How to quit a gambling addiction tip #8: We need to get rid of the escapist mindset because our one day of escape always ruins more than one day and it often ruins a whole week or longer. Along the same lines many have the philosophy that if it feels good do it. The problem is, that the feeling good of a few hours usually causes the feeling bad of a few days. Instead of having this damaging mindset, embrace finding your purpose, and living the right way which will lead to happiness over time.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #9: Develop the habit of thinking about other things all of the time instead of thinking about gambling .
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #10: We can see that being overly sensitive to emotional pain or failure is often a trigger to addiction. So first of all we need to be determined to be tougher and more emotionally ready for life’s constant problems. 2nd, negative emotions can lead us into addiction.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #11: we need to always work on getting rid of anger and other negative emotions which are often hidden triggers. Lastly we need to avoid circumstances which lead to negative emotions (if possible). Good planning and flexible planning can help you avoid circumstances which will trigger you.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #12: John Howard Prin also wrote “In time I learned that if my external motivation was strong enough, then my internal impulses could be curbed.”
For some people a great enough amount of pain or a change of thinking will cause them to change their behavior.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #13: If what you think about has changed, then your internal impulses can be controlled.
This is key point #2. You need to think about the benefits of quitting more often than you think about the experience of gambling . How to quit a gambling addiction tip #14: Make a note to remind yourself to do this untill it becomes a daily habit.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #15: You need to think more about the destruction gambling causes you than you think about the pleasure/pain relief it gives.
But we have to be brutally honest: we are as sick as our addictions are. If your addictions are causing harm to others you need to immediately get outside help.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #16: Addiction tells us that something we can do (indulging in gambling ) can compensate for what is missing inside of us. It is a lie. Religion will tell you to quit gambling . To control the fire that burns inside of you. But I will tell you that you need to increase the passion in your life. Your life needs to surge with more passion for something then it ever has before. You were created to have a dramatic impact on this world. Most of you have never experienced the rush of knowing what God wants you to do.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #17: “Solutions” Try Christianity. Study the Bible and learn how to get prayer answered (you will learn how in my 40 day program. Pray about negative emotions that may be a trigger for you. Learn to understand that the commands in the Bible are there so that you can avoid destruction and find real joy. Learn to understand the destruction of sin. Pray always about finding your purpose and learn about living in the glory of Jesus Christ. He will fill what is missing in your life but you have to figure out what He wants you to do. God wants you to find your purpose and He might someday want you to spread the Gospel. When you learn how to do what God wants you to do, you will start to have more passion and joy than you ever had.
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
How to quit a gambling habit
I have a 60 day program called gambling freedom in 60 days (which you can access on the left). With that program I give you a few things to work on each day. Quite frankly I put in way more idea’s in this article than I should have put in for a single read. So you can choose to read this or start with day one of my 60 day program (which you can access on the left).
I usually start these articles by talking about the massive amounts of destruction the addiction will do to you. In this case I am not going to do that because many people know all about the destruction but they still can’t stop. But I will give you the short version. How to stop a gambling problem #1: gambling will ruin you, destroy your health and sometimes harm others. But instead of dwelling on that I am going to talk a little bit about why many people indulge.
Addictions are popular when people have something missing in their lives or when they need to bury some pain or hurt. But when gambling becomes an addiction it quickly becomes a dark hole where relationships, ethics and morals become a much lower priority than they should have.
How to quit a gambling addiction#2: For some people one of the main reasons you indulge is because that is one of the few things that you feel like you have control over. It is your choice, it is your thing – it is who you are. But this is a cruel lie. A gambling addiction is a force and it is a driving force. How to quit a gambling addiction#3: There are some addictions that we think we are controlling but those addictions are actually controlling us. Over time gambling cause a loss of control of everything.
So why do people keep indulging after they have decided to quit? In most people there is a dueling of personalities. Your mind tells you that you have to stop gambling but your pleasure seeking flesh tells you that it will feel good.
Key Point #1 As long as you are ruled by the pleasure principle you will always struggle with addiction. The pleasure seeker may become selfish, immature, demanding and short sited. How to quit a gambling addiction#4: In the long run, pleasure which is from an addiction always has a price to pay which is much higher than what you want to pay.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #5: Instead of being ruled by the pleasure principle strive to be ruled by the moral principle. The moral principle is wise and rational and it leads to real long term joy instead of fake short term pleasure which leads to destruction. This principle believes that rules like that of your country or laws from the Bible are there to make your life better. When you follow this principle you willingly give up your solution of choice (gambling ) in exchange for another activity. How to quit a gambling addiction tip #6: The reason you make this choice is because you now believe that choosing an alternative activity will give you the best life over the next 7 days and longer. So if you stay clean today and develop new activities you may have a hard day today but your week and your future will be better.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #7: Always choose the Wisdom of staying clean today so that you can have a good life all week, and all year instead of giving in to the short term pleasure and destruction of gambling for one day. Over time staying clean is a lifestyle which is always better.
Gambling is an escape for many people. One can escape from tension, anger, lack of success, pain and many other things. How to quit a gambling addiction tip #8: We need to get rid of the escapist mindset because our one day of escape always ruins more than one day and it often ruins a whole week or longer. Along the same lines many have the philosophy that if it feels good do it. The problem is, that the feeling good of a few hours usually causes the feeling bad of a few days. Instead of having this damaging mindset, embrace finding your purpose, and living the right way which will lead to happiness over time.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #9: Develop the habit of thinking about other things all of the time instead of thinking about gambling .
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #10: We can see that being overly sensitive to emotional pain or failure is often a trigger to addiction. So first of all we need to be determined to be tougher and more emotionally ready for life’s constant problems. 2nd, negative emotions can lead us into addiction.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #11: we need to always work on getting rid of anger and other negative emotions which are often hidden triggers. Lastly we need to avoid circumstances which lead to negative emotions (if possible). Good planning and flexible planning can help you avoid circumstances which will trigger you.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #12: John Howard Prin also wrote “In time I learned that if my external motivation was strong enough, then my internal impulses could be curbed.”
For some people a great enough amount of pain or a change of thinking will cause them to change their behavior.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #13: If what you think about has changed, then your internal impulses can be controlled.
This is key point #2. You need to think about the benefits of quitting more often than you think about the experience of gambling . How to quit a gambling addiction tip #14: Make a note to remind yourself to do this untill it becomes a daily habit.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #15: You need to think more about the destruction gambling causes you than you think about the pleasure/pain relief it gives.
But we have to be brutally honest: we are as sick as our addictions are. If your addictions are causing harm to others you need to immediately get outside help.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #16: Addiction tells us that something we can do (indulging in gambling ) can compensate for what is missing inside of us. It is a lie. Religion will tell you to quit gambling . To control the fire that burns inside of you. But I will tell you that you need to increase the passion in your life. Your life needs to surge with more passion for something then it ever has before. You were created to have a dramatic impact on this world. Most of you have never experienced the rush of knowing what God wants you to do.
How to quit a gambling addiction tip #17: “Solutions” Try Christianity. Study the Bible and learn how to get prayer answered (you will learn how in my 40 day program. Pray about negative emotions that may be a trigger for you. Learn to understand that the commands in the Bible are there so that you can avoid destruction and find real joy. Learn to understand the destruction of sin. Pray always about finding your purpose and learn about living in the glory of Jesus Christ. He will fill what is missing in your life but you have to figure out what He wants you to do. God wants you to find your purpose and He might someday want you to spread the Gospel. When you learn how to do what God wants you to do, you will start to have more passion and joy than you ever had.