Gamble Responsibly
Hello there. Whether you are a new or seasoned gambler, you must learn how to gamble responsibly. The truth about any form of gambling is that it can get your adrenaline pumping. The more you get excited, the more you are likely to keep gambling.
Being a gambler, I know that gambling can be addictive, especially if you look forward to winning a huge prize. But there comes a time when you need to evaluate your gambling behavior. In fact, you must always control yourself every time you play at the casinos. The goal is to ensure that you don’t end up struggling with an addiction or problem gambling.
With the experience I have gained over the years, I have learned a lot about problem gambling. As a result, I have committed myself to promote responsible gambling in Iowa. On this page, I would like to help you identify and resolve problem gambling. I’ll give you some advice to get out of it and resume your normal way of life.
Problem Gambling – Identifying the Signs
As they say, prevention is better than cure. You’d rather prevent problem gambling than wait until it hits you hard. The first step of the prevention process is to recognize the signs. The earlier you notice them, the better your chances of thwarting a looming addiction.
Based on research and experience, here are the common signs of problem gambling:
- Spending most of your time gambling to the extent of jeopardizing vital relationships with family members and friends.
- Chasing losses most of the time until you exhaust your bankroll and source of gambling funds.
- Focusing on gambling more than other activities that were previously important to you.
- Making unusual lifestyle changes due to gambling. This includes waking up at night or early in the morning to gamble and changing your bedtime and eating habits.
- Spending all of your money on gambling until you can’t provide for yourself or your family.
- Postponing or missing important family meetings, classes, events, or duties to gamble.
- Thinking about gambling most of the time.
- Feeling suicidal because of the losses you’ve made.
- Taking out loans or stealing money to gamble.
How to Deal with Problem Gambling
If there’s a good reason to believe that you are suffering from gambling addiction, there is a way out. One of the things I’ve learned is that the healing process begins with you.
Sometimes it only takes personal efforts to get out of it, but we can’t rule out help from others. Let’s see what you can do to prevent a much bigger problem.
Acknowledge Your Problem
Believe me, it’s difficult to overcome an addiction if you don’t accept your current situation. You must acknowledge that you need help. If possible, talk to your closest allies about it. Once you do, you can now start the healing process.
Discontinue the Behavior Responsible for Your Problem
The next step is to stop whatever you think has caused the problem. If you’ve been gambling overnight, stop it. Likewise, don’t take loans to gamble if you always end up in debt. As long as you know where the problem stemmed from, you can eliminate the cause.
Self-Exclusion
In case you stop one bad habit and still find yourself engaging in another, try out self-exclusion. This is my favorite option because it bars you from engaging in any form of gambling. It could be the only thing you need to do to get back to your senses.
Luckily Iowa boasts a nationwide self-exclusion program launched by the Iowa Gaming Board (IGB). You can make use of it to self-exclude from all Iowa casinos until you are ready to gamble responsibly.
Seek Professional Help
If everything else has failed, I advise you to seek professional help. At this stage, I’m assuming that the people around you couldn’t solve your gambling issues.
Professional help involves talking to someone who is trained to give counsel. Even if it means paying for counseling services, it’s worth it.
The type of help you’ll get from a professional may involve interaction with men and women with the same problem as you. In such a scenario, don’t be ashamed to talk about your problem.
Helpful Resources
Here are some useful resources to help you solve your problem:
National Council on Problem Gambling
Illinois Alliance on Problem Gambling
Illinois Council on Problem Gambling
Hopefully, you’ll be able to identify and stop irresponsible gambling behaviors before they lead to an addiction. If you find yourself in trouble, be sure to utilize the resources I’ve recommended here.
Have fun, and remember to gamble responsibly!