What You Can Do – Protection From The Harms Of Compulsive Online Gambling
There’s little doubt that at some point in your life you’ll have got involved with an activity which is bad for you, but very hard to stop.
It feels like you’re almost forced to continue, right? It’s compulsive.
Compulsive gambling sits firmly in this category, and 99% of the time benefits no one. In order to help you keep control, remember the following:
Be Cautious
Gamble cautiously, and only with what you can safely afford – and remember that what you can afford will vary from time to time and from person to person.
The key is not to gamble in such a way as to lose excessive amounts of money or let losing affect you psychologically or physically. In fact, any way that has a negative impact on those around you (family, friends, work colleagues).
If you can achieve that – and stay personally calm, disciplined, and focused – there should be no reason why you can’t spend money that you can afford to lose on betting entertainment.
Keep The Focus On Entertainment
Enjoy your gambling. See it as a form of entertainment that costs money. This is not easy to do, but force yourself to keep this mindset.
Avoid Chasing Losses
Do not chase losses. Risking more and more money to win back what you’ve lost rarely results in success over the long term.
Be Aware
Keep records of what you’re spending. Seeing amounts written down in cold black and white will help you realise what cash is disappearing.
It’s very easy to lose track, just as we lose track of what we’re spending in every day life.
And that means time too. Time is valuable to everyone.
Only Play When Mentally Sound
We all know how drugs, alcohol, or even some forms of medication can adversely affect how we think, react, and deal with situations. Don’t gamble while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Be Careful With Where You Gamble
Check with any casino that you intend to gamble with to ensure that they follow all legislation, and have processes in place to protect or assist anyone who may be having gambling difficulties.
Recognise Your Problem
One of the key ways of protecting yourself from harm of any type is to recognise the danger, and once you’re in danger you didn’t see coming then to know that you’re in it.
The following list of questions are ones you can ask yourself at any point to check that you have your gambling under control. It’s not hard to recognise the ‘wrong’ answers, those that mean you’re in trouble.
Most problem gamblers be able to truthfully answer yes to at least seven of these questions.
Has gambling ever made affected your home life, making you or your family members unhappy in any way?
Has gambling had any impact on your reputation at home or work?
Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
Have you ever gambled to win money with which to pay debts or solve other financial problems?
Has gambling been the cause of any decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
After losing, have you ever felt the need to win back your losses as soon as possible?
Have you lost time from work or education due to gambling?
After winning have you ever had the urge to try and win more?
Have you ever gambled until the last of your money was gone?
Have you ever borrowed money to allow you to gamble more?
Have you ever sold anything to finance your gambling?
Have you ever reserved money for gambling which was intended for other expenditures?
Has gambling ever made you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
If you set a time or limit for your gambling, have you ever gambled longer or with more money than you had planned?
Have you ever gambled to escape worries or other problems in your life?
Have you ever committed, or thought of committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
Has gambling caused you to have sleeping difficulties?
Have you ever missed an important event through gambling?
Have you ever considered any form of self-harm or suicide as a result of your gambling?
Seek Help
If you hit a point where you believe you’re no longer in control of your gambling (and ideally before you hit that point) then get help.
There are plenty of gambling help websites, often run by legislative bodies. Many are listed further below. There will be one offering support for players in the region where you live.
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