How to help a person with compulsive gambling: 6 tips for support

Several tips for helping a compulsive gambler: someone who is addicted to gambling.

Pathological gambling is one of the behavioral addictions; people who suffer from it feel an irrational need to get involved in betting and gambling. It is important to provide support to these people, beyond psychotherapy sessions, so that they can regain control of their actions.

In this article we will see several tips on how to help a person with compulsive gamblingIn this article we will see several tips on how to help a person with compulsive gambling, taking into account that in most cases the symptoms of addictions do not disappear completely, but they can be controlled so that those who present them have a good quality of life.

What is pathological gambling?

To understand how to help a person with pathological gambling, it is necessary to know what this psychological disorder consists of. It is a behavioral addiction in which the person loses control of their the person loses control of his or her actions, and has the irrepressible need to participate in any type of gambling or betting. or to place bets.

In these cases it is not a behavior motivated by the consumption of any addictive substance; what happens is that the subject's natural reward system is altered in such a way that when participating in any gambling activity he/she feels an irrational gratification that leads him/her to want to go through that experience more times.

The fact of participating in the game, and the anticipation of this sensation, generates such a powerful need that a great amount of time and resources are invested in satisfying it. The pleasure increases when the subject wins something in the game or in the bets.The addict may begin to justify participating more in these activities.

As in all cases of addiction, it is difficult for the subject to realize on his own that he has a problem and that he needs help.. Generally, before seeking or accepting psychological assistance, it is necessary that a deeply damaging experience occurs in which the person feels that he/she has hit rock bottom and can no longer maintain his/her lifestyle.

Tips for helping a problem gambler

In the following list of tips we will review some strategic tools to help a person with compulsive gambling, useful for friends and family members of those who suffer from this behavioral disorder linked to addictions.

1. Accompany him/her to therapy

Psychology therapy has good results on the subject of behavioral addictions.If the subject attends in the company of a person who is interested in his or her improvement, the process can be much faster and more effective, taking into account that the patient will feel in a context of greater security from the beginning.

One of the therapies that gives better results regarding the issue of pathological gambling is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which seeks to change the maladaptive thoughts of the subject and replace them with adaptive ones, and do the same with their behavioral patterns when interacting with the environment.

On the other hand, the previous step of convincing the person that he/she needs to go to psychotherapy sessions is also very important, the advantages of attendance by professional psychotherapists must be recommended and reported to the patient.. If one does not go to the psychologist, the possibilities of recovery are minimal.

2. Assume they have a problem

Another of the first steps in providing help to someone with a gambling addiction is to understand that the person has a problem and is not being rational in his or her actions, especially when it comes to activities involving gambling, betting and money management.

Understanding will be important to put ourselves in that person's shoes and empathize with his or her frustration. and feel their frustration in an empathetic way, without making value judgments that will only make them feel worse than they probably already do thanks to their lack of control over their life.

3. Ask non-judgmental questions

A good way to help the subject to unburden him or herself is to ask questions about their ask him questions about his feelings and his gambling situation, but without making him feel like a bad person.but without making him or her feel like a bad person or irresponsible. The idea is that he himself can come to the conclusion that receiving help could improve his quality of life.

In addition, asking questions will help us to obtain detailed information about personal motives, the questioning will help us to obtain detailed information about the personal reasons why the subject seeks refuge in gambling or betting. It is important to bear in mind that not all gamblers present their addiction in the same way.

4. Make him/her relate gambling with his/her problems

As we have read before, it is difficult for a person with pathological gambling to be rational and relate his behavior to the problems he presents in other areas of his life. What we must do is to give them clear and daily examples where gambling is the main responsible for their bad times and their moments of discomfort or economic problems.

For example, cite him anecdotes of moments that have been unpleasant for him and where his gambling behavior has been the cause of his ills, making him see that if he begins to avoid gambling, his problems will begin to diminish in the very short term, his problems will begin to diminish to the same extent in the very short term.. It is important to emphasize the latter: overcoming addiction must be based on concrete and easily recognized motivations right after embracing a healthier and more adaptive lifestyle.

5. Provide information about their addiction

The more information a person has about what is affecting them, the more likely they are to choose to let go of what is hurting them. It is important to provide this information in an appropriate way, without making the subject feel like a sick person to whom we are giving a cure.

What we seek is to make the person understand the most fundamental aspects of his or her addiction, so that he or she can understand more clearly the reason for some of his or her behaviors, and have the willingness to seek the necessary solutions. In the case that the gambling addiction arises together with other addictionswhich is very common, it is also necessary to inform about the adverse effects of these substances, and about the possible solutions given by mental health professionals.

6. Help him/her to look for new interests

This involves changing the focus of attention of the subject, so that he does not feel that his only goal is to leave the game in a forced or necessary way, but rather motivate him to achieve things that are new to him, so that he can feel gratified without the need to gamble or gamble constantly..

For example, help him to look for new hobbies that do not involve gambling, such as reading or going to the movies, among others. We can also find out if the person is interested in taking courses or other studies, and encourage them to do so.