How to avoid a gambling addiction

Categories: News | Published by: Dean

10/11/2020

To play at online casinos can be both fun and exciting. There is a lot of betting apps out there. You can try fun games and win a lot of money, but there is a dark side. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) reports that between 5.5 and 8 million adults have issues with gambling. Until the 80’s people having a problem with gambling were not considered sick. But the American Psychiatric Association changed that and identified gambling addiction as a mental disorder.

There a few things you always should think of to avoid a gambling addiction but also to think about if you have a gambling addiction.

1. Self-exclusion

Self-exclusion means that you as a player can block yourself from different casino sites. When you have blocked yourself, you can no longer play at the sites until you are being unblocked. One software we recommend is Betfilter. When you have installed Betfilter you are protected from betting sites and other software. On this Betfilter guide you can learn more.

2. Admit your problems

This is the first step to recovery. Maybe you yourself have gambling problems or someone in your inner circle? It is always important to learn about what you can do. If you can’t admit that you have a problem the road to recovery will be very long and hard. Some reports estimate that only 3% of gambling addicts seek help for their problems.

There are several different gambling hotlines that are open 24/7 that you can call if you need urgent help. Only last year the NCPG hotline received over a total of 315,000 calls.

3. Join a support-group

Self-help groups and support groups can be really helpful for people suffering from gambling addictions. Just like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) there a Gambler´s Anonymous (GA). GA uses the same techniques as AA and has the same sort of sponsor-system.

In the US, there are over 1700 different GA groups so there is absolutely some GA group near where you live.

Maybe you are a family member of someone with a gambling addiction? Then you can go to a Gam-Anon-meeting. At these meetings, you get to learn about how you can support and encourage your loved ones.

Summary

There are a lot of things you can do when suffering from gambling addictions and things you can do to avoid gambling addictions. Always seek professional help and admit your problems. To avoid gambling addiction you always need to play responsibly and we recommend you to try Betfilter.