Gambling problems can happen to anyone from any walk of life. Your gambling goes from a fun, harmless diversion to an unhealthy obsession with serious consequences. Whether you bet on sports, scratch cards, roulette, poker, or slots—in a casino, at the track, or online—a gambling problem can strain your relationships, interfere with work, and lead to financial disaster. You may even do things you never thought you would, like running up huge debts or even stealing money to gamble.
Gambling addiction is sometimes referred to as a “hidden illness” because there are no obvious physical signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction. Problem gamblers also typically deny or minimize the problem—even to themselves. However, you may have a gambling problem if you:
Feel the need to be secretive about your gambling. You might gamble in secret or lie about how much you gamble, feeling others won’t understand or that you will surprise them with a big win.
Have trouble controlling your gambling?. Once you start gambling, can you walk away? Or are you compelled to gamble until you’ve spent your last euro, upping your bets in a bid to win lost money back?
Gamble even when you don’t have the money. You may gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, and then move on to money you don’t have—money to pay bills, credit cards, or things for your children. You may feel pushed to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money.
Have family and friends worried about you. Denial keeps problem gambling going. If friends and family are worried, listen to them carefully. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Many older gamblers are reluctant to reach out to their adult children if they’ve gambled away their inheritance, but it’s never too late to make changes for the better.
Hypnotherapy remains a popular option among treatments available for gambling addiction. Gamble does treat not only addiction but also addresses the underlying cause that feasted on gambling. The root could be stress, trauma, depression, and low self-esteem which must be decisively dealt with for the treatment of gambling addiction to be efficient and lasting.
Like most addictions, whether it be gambling, drink, drugs, or food, the addict craves their next ‘fix’. Hypnotherapy for gambling helps by destroying this craving and replacing it with a more positive, appropriate behavior. When you visit me for your treatment, I give you suggestions to replace that point when you would begin this addictive behavior.
You will get the tools and techniques to use whenever the urge to gamble appears. I will teach you some self-hypnosis which you can use as and when appropriate. Not only will the hypnosis enable you to regain a sense of calm, no longer feeling that constant agitation which goes hand in hand with most addictions, but you will also be able to rebuild your life, free of addiction and with renewed hope.
