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Pathological gambling involves an inability to control gambling which can lead to psychological issues, as well as financial, professional, and legal consequences. [1] Gambling can activate the brain’s reward system, much like other addictions, which can make it very difficult to quit. [2] However, you can deal appropriately with your gambling problem by recognizing your issue, coping with it, managing triggers to gambling, and getting help and support.

1
Recognize your behavior for what it is. Admitting the problem is the first major step in dealing with it. If you first recognize the signs of your problem, you can then learn to modify your behavior.
Signs and symptoms of a gambling problem include: getting a thrill from taking gambling risks, taking increasingly bigger gambling risks over time, a preoccupation with gambling, reliving past gambling experiences (through imagination or telling stories), using gambling as a way to escape problems or negative feelings, feeling guilt or remorse after gambling, and repeated failed efforts to cut back on gambling.
Additional social issues associated with gambling include: taking time away from work or family life to gamble, concealing or lying about gambling, and borrowing money or stealing to gamble.

2
Accept the consequences of your gambling. Gambling excessively can cause many issues including: relationship problems, financial issues, legal problems, occupational concerns (job loss), substance use, poor health, and mental health issues (such as depression).
Do you lose time from work to gamble? Do you extend yourself beyond your means by gambling away money that you have set aside to pay your rent, mortgage, or other bills? Do you use credit cards to gamble? Are you secretive about where the money's gone to after you've gambled?
Make a list of all of the consequences you have encountered due to your gambling. Also, identify people you have hurt as a result of your gambling such as family and friends.

3
Understand the risks of gambling. Knowing the risks of gambling may help encourage people who gamble to consider the consequences before deciding to gamble.
Excessive gambling can lead to depression, anxiety, aggression, increased suicide risk, relationship issues and stress-related illnesses.[3]
Gambling also increases stress levels (via the stress hormone cortisol) and your heart rate, which can lead to health risks.[4]
Pathological and addictive gambling can result in decreased decision-making skills and reduce your ability to evaluate the consequences of your actions.

4
Be honest about your gambling. Don't be secretive about your finances or your gambling. Be honest with yourself and others about money spent gambling.
Pay bills immediately, when you have funds set aside to pay them.
Add up losses and keep a running tally. When you've added up losses from a gambling session, list the things that you might have purchased with that money, or other debts you could have paid down.
Admit it to yourself and others when you have gambled.

How are chronic gambers (virtual) surviving this lockdown

hakiiim:
[b]
Pathological gambling involves an inability to control gambling which can lead to psychological issues, as well as financial, professional, and legal consequences. [1] Gambling can activate the brain’s reward system, much like other addictions, which can make it very difficult to quit. [2] However, you can deal appropriately with your gambling problem by recognizing your issue, coping with it, managing triggers to gambling, and getting help and support.

1
Recognize your behavior for what it is. Admitting the problem is the first major step in dealing with it. If you first recognize the signs of your problem, you can then learn to modify your behavior.
Signs and symptoms of a gambling problem include: getting a thrill from taking gambling risks, taking increasingly bigger gambling risks over time, a preoccupation with gambling, reliving past gambling experiences (through imagination or telling stories), using gambling as a way to escape problems or negative feelings, feeling guilt or remorse after gambling, and repeated failed efforts to cut back on gambling.
Additional social issues associated with gambling include: taking time away from work or family life to gamble, concealing or lying about gambling, and borrowing money or stealing to gamble.

2
Accept the consequences of your gambling. Gambling excessively can cause many issues including: relationship problems, financial issues, legal problems, occupational concerns (job loss), substance use, poor health, and mental health issues (such as depression).
Do you lose time from work to gamble? Do you extend yourself beyond your means by gambling away money that you have set aside to pay your rent, mortgage, or other bills? Do you use credit cards to gamble? Are you secretive about where the money's gone to after you've gambled?
Make a list of all of the consequences you have encountered due to your gambling. Also, identify people you have hurt as a result of your gambling such as family and friends.

3
Understand the risks of gambling. Knowing the risks of gambling may help encourage people who gamble to consider the consequences before deciding to gamble.
Excessive gambling can lead to depression, anxiety, aggression, increased suicide risk, relationship issues and stress-related illnesses.[3]
Gambling also increases stress levels (via the stress hormone cortisol) and your heart rate, which can lead to health risks.[4]
Pathological and addictive gambling can result in decreased decision-making skills and reduce your ability to evaluate the consequences of your actions.

4
Be honest about your gambling. Don't be secretive about your finances or your gambling. Be honest with yourself and others about money spent gambling.
Pay bills immediately, when you have funds set aside to pay them.
Add up losses and keep a running tally. When you've added up losses from a gambling session, list the things that you might have purchased with that money, or other debts you could have paid down.
Admit it to yourself and others when you have gambled.

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Ok.. next pls

Gambling . I was once a chronic gambler and addicted one . I never knew my life was moving backward not until i lost my sense of humor , i never care anylonger . I start oweing , depression was now overing on my soul , succide mission was emmacinating , i care less about my look . But grace later found me thank god for the wonderful family i had thank god for mum especially and to my friends i owe them a lot

Delaying the decision to gamble allows time for the urge to pass and for you to feel more in control of the decision. This is different to urge surfing as the focus is on the person using distraction from the urge to gamble rather than letting it pass without distraction.

Distraction takes the focus temporarily away from the urge and can give you time to rethink your decision to gamble.

Try the following next time you have the urge to gamble:

Relax and focus on staying calm.
Take some deep breaths to slow yourself down and refocus on what you can do now.
Try to distract yourself with an activity to keep calm, such as a shower or a bath. Or you may read a book, cook or watch a TV show to stop thinking about gambling. Find an activity that suits you.
Say to yourself "maybe I won't go, I will see how I feel in an hour" and then go and do something else.
Remember you may find the urge returns when you stop the other activity. If this happens, perhaps try the urge surfing technique as above.

Set a goal that you can achieve if you stop gambling or develop a list of reasons why you made the decision. For example:

I will have more money to put towards a holiday.
I will be able to hold my head up high.
My family will be proud.
I will be able to pay my bills.
As my savings begin to grow money will have value once again.
Staying quit
Remember urges do not usually last longer than one hour.


DELAY
+
DISTRACT
=
STAYING STOPPED

Once you have decided to delay the decision to gamble, shift your attention to what you might like to do. It might be something you used to do before gambling became a problem or something you've always wanted to try.

Many people find engaging in sport fulfilling; this could be anything that gets you moving. From a daily walk or run to joining a gym or team sport.

When you feel an urge, do something else immediately and keep the following in mind:
Limit access to money
Surf the urge
Distract from the urge
Seek support from someone you feel you can trust. You don't have to call someone to talk to them about experiencing an urge. You might just want to ring and talk about something completely unrelated to gambling.

paqman:
Gambling . I was once a chronic gambler and addicted one . I never knew my life was moving backward not until i lost my sense of humor , i never care anylonger . I start oweing , depression was now overing on my soul , succide mission was emmacinating , i care less about my look . But grace later found me thank god for the wonderful family i had thank god for mum especially and to my friends i owe them a lot