How To Help A Person With Gambling Addiction: 6 Tips To Provide Support
Gambling addiction is part of behavioral addictions; Subjects who present it feel an irrational need to get involved in betting and games of chance. It is important to provide support to these people, beyond psychotherapy sessions, with the intention that they can regain control of their actions.
In this article We will see several tips on how to help a person with gambling addiction taking into account that in most cases the symptoms of addictions do not disappear completely, but they can be controlled so that those who present them have a good quality of life.
To understand how to help a person with gambling addiction, it is necessary to know what this psychological alteration consists of. It is a behavioral addiction in which the person loses control of their actions, and has the uncontrollable need to participate in any type of game of chance or placing bets.
In these cases it is not a behavior motivated by the consumption of some addictive substance; What happens is that the subject’s natural reward system is altered so that when participating in any random recreational activity, he feels an irrational gratification that leads him to want to go through that experience more times.
The fact of participating in the game, and the anticipation of this sensation, generates a need so powerful that a large amount of time and resources are invested in satisfying it. Pleasure increases when the subject wins something in gambling or betting making you begin to justify participating in more of those activities.
As in all cases of addiction, It is difficult for the subject to notice for himself that he has a problem and that he needs help Generally, before seeking or accepting psychological help, a deeply damaging experience must occur in which the person feels like they have hit rock bottom and can no longer maintain their lifestyle.
Tips to help a gambler
In the following list of tips we are going to review some strategic tools to help a person with gambling addiction, useful for friends and family of those who go through this behavioral alteration linked to addictions.
1. Accompany him to therapy
Psychological therapy has good results on the topic of behavioral addictions and if the subject attends in the company of a person who is interested in his or her improvement, the process can be much faster and more effective, taking into account that the patient will feel in a context of greater security from the beginning.
One of the therapies that gives the best results regarding the issue of gambling addiction is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which seeks to change the subject’s maladaptive thoughts and replace them with adaptive ones, and do the same with their behavioral patterns when interacting with the environment. .
On the other hand, the previous step of convincing the person that they need to go to psychotherapy sessions is also very important; for it, It is necessary to recommend and inform about the advantages of assistance from professionals If you do not go to a psychologist, the chances of recovery are minimal.
2. Assume you have a problem
Another of the first steps to be able to provide help to someone who has a gambling addiction is to understand that the person has a problem and that they are not being rational when acting, especially when it comes to activities that involve gambling, betting and management. of money.
Compression will be important to put ourselves in that person’s place and feel your frustration empathically, without making value judgments that only make you feel worse than you probably already feel thanks to your lack of control over your life.
3. Ask questions without judging
A good way to help the subject vent is ask you questions about your feelings and your situation regarding the game, but without making him feel like a bad person or irresponsible. The idea is that he himself can come to the conclusion that receiving help could improve his quality of life.
Besides, Asking will help us obtain detailed information about personal motives for which the subject seeks refuge in gambling or betting; It is important to keep in mind that not all gamblers present their addiction in the same way.
4. Make him relate the game to his problems
As we have read previously, it is difficult for a person with gambling addiction to be rational and relate their behavior to the problems they present in other areas of their life. What we should do is give them clear, everyday examples where the game is mainly responsible for their bad times and their moments of discomfort or financial problems.
For example, cite anecdotes of moments that have been unpleasant for him and where his gambling behavior has been the cause of his problems, making him see that if he begins to avoid gambling, Your problems will begin to decrease to the same extent in the very short term It is important to emphasize the latter: overcoming addiction must be based on concrete motivations that are easy to recognize right after embracing a healthier and more adaptive lifestyle.
The more information a person has about what is affecting them, the more likely they will be to choose to let go of what is hurting them. It is important to provide this information in an adequate way, without making the subject feel like a patient to whom we are giving a cure.
What we seek is to make the person understand the most fundamental aspects of their addiction, so that they can more clearly understand the reasons for some of their behaviors, and be willing to seek the necessary solutions. In the event that gambling addiction arises along with other addictions something that is very common, we must also inform about the adverse effects of these substances, and about the possible solutions given by mental health professionals.
6. Help him find new interests
This involves changing the subject’s focus of attention, so that they do not feel that their only objective is to abandon the game in a forced or necessary manner, but rather That he is motivated to achieve new things for him, so that he can feel gratified without having to constantly play or bet
For example, help him find new hobbies that don’t involve gambling, such as reading or movies, among others. We can also find out if the person is interested in taking courses or other studies, and encourage them to do so.
