When the Fun Stops
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If your betting has gotten out of control and has become a problem for yourself, your career or your relationships, you’re not alone. In 2018, 24.5 million people in England gambled. This is 54% of the adult population. 14% of this is due to the National Lottery. And while the occasional bet on a horse race or grabbing a cheap scratch card can be fun and isn’t necessarily a problem, spending all your time and money thinking about it is.
Compulsive gambling doesn’t always have to mean you lose everything and go into debt to see you have a problem; rather, it’s the all-consuming aspect of the disease that takes a toll on your life and finances. If you look at an online casino app at work or when someone close to you is trying to hold a conversation, and all you can think about is the next hand of poker, it’s time to understand something is wrong.
And it’s no surprise with all of the online betting platforms and apps only a click away, the ease with which anyone can bet in our new digital world makes stopping all by yourself extremely difficult.
But gambling addictions can be treated. Our clinic has over forty years of treating compulsive gamblers, and our highly experienced counsellors and therapists can help. Call our admissions team for your free addiction screening so that we can start a recovery plan tailored to your specific needs and requirements.
Signs You’re Losing Control
As with most addictions, there is a point when you begin to realise that you or someone you care about is struggling with their betting, and it’s becoming a serious problem. Oftentimes, gamblers feel they can always ‘catch up’ or ‘get even ‘by repeatedly betting to get ahead enough to ‘stop betting’, which is possible, but the odds are pretty slim.
This sort of thinking starts a vicious cycle that traps you, and the more you lose, the more depressed you feel, so again, you bet more to feel better with the hopes that winning the jackpot will make it all better.
But as most people struggling with compulsive gambling learn over time, the house always wins. That’s why it’s a billion-dollar-a-year industry, and betting sites can afford to spend millions of pounds on advertising daily. In fact, advertising expenditure in 2019 was an estimated £356.2m.
Signs that Your Loved One Suffers from Problem Gambling
If you suspect that someone is betting too much, here are a few signs they may be struggling with a gambling addiction:
- Placing more bets to ‘chase the losses’, trying to get even
- Preoccupation with gambling
- Preoccupation with financial problems
- Lying about what they have been doing or where they have been
- Being deceptive, secretive or manipulative
- Erratic behaviour
- Familial and/or relationship issues
- Neglect of responsibilities such as work, school, family life
- Possessing large amounts of cash, which then disappear
- Legal problems such as fraud, theft, or embezzlement
- Excessive time spent online
Don’t wait until things get so bad you end up in debt or causing financial problems that affect your entire family over a treatable condition. We can help. The first step is to reach out and speak to one of our counsellors.
Talk to a Gambling Addiction Treatment Professional
Taking the first step and admitting to yourself or a loved one that you have a gambling addiction is not easy. But just taking that step can be extremely empowering and lead you to a new life once you confront your problem and accept help.
It begins with a confidential call where you will speak with one of our highly trained gambling addiction counsellors. We will review any questions and guide you on the best path to start the healing process. We can help with many gambling problems, including:
- Slot machines
- Football betting
- Card games such as Blackjack and Poker
- Roulette and other dice games
- Online casinos
- Online betting
- National Lottery
- Trading and Cryptocurrency
How We Treat Gambling Addiction
We have learned over our 40 years of helping people in similar circumstances to yours that one therapy does not work for everyone. Each person’s gambling addiction is different to another, and multiple therapies are often needed for a full recovery and abstinence after treatment.
This is because most people suffering from compulsive gambling experience co-occurring mental health issues like depression, anxiety, ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorders linked to their illness. Substance use disorders can also be a problem for many people suffering from compulsive gambling and must be addressed.
At CATCH Recovery, we use evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), grief and trauma therapy, one-to-one counselling sessions, group therapy and online therapy when treating gambling addiction for a holistic approach to your illness.
We also teach relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation, which can help manage mild to severe gambling symptoms and situations and make it easier to cope with traumas and stress that trigger your emotional need to gamble.
Our treatments work on an outpatient or online basis, so it’s convenient to work with us, and we will set you up with a schedule that you can stick to.
Helping Your Family
We offer family counselling if you so desire. These therapies can be scheduled during your standard sessions or upon admission to our programme. If you are already observing family issues because of your betting habits, this therapy will create an open, honest discussion and help both sides recognise their role in the problem and how to help solve it.
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The Value of Continued Care for Compulsive Gambling
Sometimes, treatments stop the moment your programme is complete. But we believe in continued care. At CATCH Recovery, we understand that addictions don’t just go away after the initial treatment is completed. Once your initial gambling addiction treatment is completed, we provide post-treatment services to support your recovery. These can include emotional support, further therapy sessions with our caring counsellors, and engaging in in-person and online support groups such as Gamblers Anonymous. Our dedicated addictions therapist will settle eventual ongoing support when you are closer to your final counselling session.
It all starts with a simple call, and there’s no better time than right now. Call us to schedule your assessment and start your path to an addiction-free life. It’s time to bet on yourself!