How to Stop Gambling – Easy Steps to Stop Gambling

Gambling-related problems can and do affect anyone at any time of their life, and as such what I am going to be looking at in this article are each of the many different ways that you can help yourself or with the help and support of others, give up gambling in any shape or form.

However, the very first thing you need to be aware of is that the only way you are going to be able to successfully give up gambling is by helping yourself and reaching out for help and support, and that can often feel like a big and scary thing to do for many people.

At the end of the day, you need to wake up and smell the coffee so to speak regarding gambling problems, for it is way too easy to ignore those gut feelings when you have gambled away all of your money.

Many people however only tend to reach out for help and support what they reach rock bottom, and therefore I am strongly advising you to try and avoid reaching rock bottom, and put into place several different strategies that will help you stop gambling and getting your life back on track, and those ways are going to be listed for you, so please do read on.

The Place They Call Rock Bottom

Ask most people who have had a gambling problem and have finally sought help with that problem, and they will tell you it is at the point in time when they hit “rock bottom” as to when they finally reached out for some type of help and support.

That is often a very dark place for most people, for as the saying suggests, it is when they finally reach the point in time when they have no money left and have people chasing them for bills owed and they have no other possible option or way to get money to gamble with.

They will often have sold off their possessions to help feed their addiction to gambling and are now at the point in time when they feel broken, mentally, and financially too.

You may or may not be at that point in time yet, however, if you feel you are fast approaching it or have just arrived at that point in time, then it really is time to reach out for help and get the support and advice you require to help you build yourself back up, and however impossible that feels, you can do just that.

Support Groups

When you do hit rock bottom or even before you will then hopefully realise you do need some support, and many people do start looking up and researching organisations like Gamblers Anonymous.

That organisation offers group support meetings in towns and cities across the UK and in fact the world, however, many people may be daunted about attending such a meeting and admitting to others that they do have a gambling problem.

If you are one such person then allow me to reassure you that one of the very best things you can do is to attend one of those meetings, if you do not wish to attend a local one, for any reason, then visit another nearby town or city and attend those meetings, you will be made very welcome.

By attending a Gamblers Anonymous meeting you will be chatting and listening to other people who are or have been in the exact same situation as you, and believe me when I say this you will find those meetings do help you in a very big way.

The Self-Exclusion Route

If you would prefer there is another way that you can stop yourself from gambling in land-based venues close by where you live and that is to self-exclude yourself from those venues.

Be aware that any type of venue in which you can gamble which could be a betting shop, bingo club or amusement arcade or casino will have a system in place whereby anyone who wishes to self-exclude themselves from that venue can do so.

That will see you having to visit that venue has a word with a staff member who will then give you a form to complete, and once you do and hand that form back in then you will never be allowed to visit and gamble in that venue again.

Once again though please od be aware that is often a very daunting thing to do, however, it is one that is going to see you not being able to gamble in those venues again, therefore removing any temptation you may have of wandering in one of them when you next wish to gamble.

Using Gamstop to Stop Gambling Online

There is also the Gamstop service available for anybody that does wish to put in place a strategy that will allow them to remove any temptation to gamble either on their computers or mobile devices, which is a very straight forward service that you really should consider doing.

Simply visit the Gamstop website and by doing so you fill in a quick and easy application form to have your name put on their self-exclusion register, and your details are shared between all gambling site and app operators that are part of that scheme.

Each of them will then trawl through their database of customers and by doing so if they do come across you as one of their customers they will then close down any and all account you may have with them.

It is a completely free of charge service that you are more than welcome to make use of but be aware that the gambling site and app operators are just those that are based and licensed in the UK, and as such, they will be the sites and apps you will be self-excluding yourself from.

Questions and Answers

If you are very eager to give up gambling then please do read on, for below I will be answering several questions you may still have about the best approach for you to take.