How were you able to help yourself get past your gambling addiction?

michelle T: How were you able to help yourself get past your gambling addiction?
If you have a gambling problem, what were some ways that you were able to stop gambling?

Answers and Views:

Answer by martman
visit this site. It has a ton of useful information for quitting gambling addiction, as well as other links that can help as well. It is written by someone who is going through a gambling problem himself. The website is .

Hope this helps.

Answer by Ted F
Before I went to rehab, I basically had to cut myself off from all of my money, and make sure that no matter what I could never be in a place that may entice me to gamble again. The hardest thing was that everywhere I went, whether it was a drug store or just over someone’s house, I was tempted to gamble. To buy a lottery ticket, to bet on a football game, etc. I couldn’t completely overcome my addiction. After I went to rehab, however, I could be myself again because I was able to crush my bad habits in a temptation free environment. So my advice to you is either go somewhere you know you can’t be tempted to gamble or check out some rehab centers; I believe it’s the only true way to stop the addiction.

Answer by Crazy_DIAMOND
Let me tell you my story
I was (now on rehab) addicted to Heroin and in the same time on gambling for a very long time.
I was may i say allmost 3 years every day several times a day at the Casino, i even tried to go and follow some gambling rules like, never change your poker machine , or roullette & black jack sitting place…
When i managed to get enough money on these games (in the beggining i allways won and get for example 100 to 1000 $ per day)i used to go out and half of them spent on Heroin then , half of them on gambling again….
That was my daily destination.First Casino, then go for my heroin dose, then when i am calm and pleased of the Heroin back again for gamble…There was times when i was so broke, i didn’t have a broken cent , i used to sell things from home, first i sold all the gold and some diamond rings and earings then i began to sell my leather and fur (jackets, shoes , coats, bags …), in the end my computer , iPod , Mp3 player, DvD, and Television all gone for my 2 vices :/
When i managed to get money by selling home things , i was first going at the Casino , and then for my Heroin dose (i shoot heroin intravenous maybe 5,6 times a day with a high dose)….
In the end i was so broked, that i started to steal things from shops, like books, sunglases,watches, nice pens , alcohol drinks and so on…
That was my last stupid thing, and i was so depressed and i have no way to get out of the stupid and sick things that i have done…Lucky for me i have only 19 years, when i was16,17 was still home with my parents and addicted quite a bit,but when i have my 18 birthday my parents bought me a small 2 room apartment, cause i was very successful at highschool and at the university later…i won many awards in highschool in maths, physics, biology and then i enter to the faculty of engineering and information technology , the best in my country, and have best grades….For all that, my parents never had doubt in me, they used to trust me very much and gave everything to me…I ruined all that,
One day 7 months ago , all crushed and totaly helpless i went back to my parents house and told them everything from A to Z…
They were very dissappointed and stressed of the situacion but ready and willing to help me immediatly at the right moment…
That is my story and maybe you are not interested in it, but i feel the need first time in my life to tell this in public…So in my opinion i think that the sure cure for gambling is,
First staying at home (or in some small mountain village,or lake settlement,out of the city)for at least one month(i was 3 months away from my town), then when your back home, or in the streets try to avoid the places that remind you of your best wons and looses in the past.If you still have the need for gambling you should download some games from internet and play them at home when you awfully have the need to gamble …Try to keep a big amount of money away from you for at least 5-6 months, and try to fill your daily activitys , you must not have spare or free time , here are some advices you should try, enter some non goverment organisations, for helping people, animals, enviroment…get yourself a nice and cute pet (i have a little dog :P) and devote to it , if you have children or little cousins go and spent time with them, if you study or work concentrate yourself on the job…
In the evening go with your friends or partner out in the cinema, theatre or eat delicious food in some nice pub or restaurant.
Gambling gives you expectation incertitude and high adrenaline, if you can aford yourself try with some extreme sports , that will also increase your adrenaline and you will feel happy and full of joy…
If you don’t like extreme sporting, try just any kind of sport, from jogging to aerobics and fitness then you may try tennis, table tennis, baseball, maybe pilates, yoga, tai chi , meditation …. Also you should go on psychiatrist, or psychologist, they have nice and methods that can really help you , if you are not able to trust in them, or you just think that they can’t help you , then don’t go, cause they are not going to change your life if you don’t thruly want that.The most important thing is that you are awake, and you are able to see that you are getting addicted to something, and that you don’t want to be anymore.The strenght in you , to pass your addiction is the most important thing , that will help you the most, as no therapist can help you.So you and only you can help yourself, but surely you will need high support from your parents or your relatives or your friends and partner …
I think that as the time is going on and on you are slowly going to forget the need for gambling, because you will find more interesting more productive more sane and normal things to do, even if they are small things they will make you happy, they will make your life enjoyable, and you will learn to respect and to get excited of thoose small things ..
Take care and learn to love your life 🙂 if this was your problem too

P.S: Sorry for my bad english , i am from a small country with another language and people rarely speek english