Practical tips
Practical tips for breaking your gambling habit
- Get someone to help you
- Talk about lying
- Control your cash
- Fill the gap
- Relax and look after yourself
- Busts and setbacks
- Friends can help
- Become a good problem solver
If gambling is causing you a lot of trouble and you are really struggling financially, it might be best to give it up altogether. Here are some extra strategies to help you kick the habit.
Get someone to help you
Don't be put off by this. You can do it on your own but a support person makes it easier, especially if you've got serious problems caused by gambling. This person might be a spouse, parent, friend or counsellor.
Talk about lying
Many problem gamblers end up hiding their gambling from people around them. This is understandable as it is hard to explain to a partner, family member or friend some of the things that problem gamblers do to keep their gambling going, such as borrowing money from finance companies or taking cash from a child's money box.
When people lie about gambling and debts, they may sometimes try to gamble their way out of debt so they won't have to ‘come clean'. This usually leads them further in to debt. Coming clean about gambling with a trusted person can relieve pressure and provide the space to prepare a more thoughtful plan for recovery.
Lying is a hard habit to break. If it happens with your support person, it stops them being able to help you because they won't trust what you say. You and your helper need to talk about this and plan out how to cope.
Control your cash
About one in five problem gamblers can give it up fairly easily. Most find that for quite a time they can't stop if they have cash in their pocket and the club, TAB or casino is open. Many who stop gambling take a lot of trouble to get their cash flow under control.
- Don't keep large sums of cash kept in the house
- Carry only enough cash for the day's expenses
- Have wages paid direct to savings or bank account
- Have wages collected by spouse
- Ensure all accounts need two signatures to take out cash
- Pay bills by automatic transfer, cheque or credit card
- Tell family and friends what you're doing
- Ensure they have been told not to lend you money
- All cash flow must be ‘visible' on account print-outs
- Make new plans to control cash flow when there is a change, such as a holiday or a new job
- Use teller machines to provide limited amounts of cash per week
- Avoid jobs handling cash
- Ensure EFTPOS cards have no pin numbers, so they can't be used at a gaming venue
Fill the gap
Problem gamblers may spend 10-20 hours or more a week gambling. They also spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about their gambling. When you give up gambling you need to fill the gap it leaves. There are lots of ways to do this:- Plan ahead
- Get to know family and friends if you have neglected them while gambling
- Take another part-time job
- If you are a lunch-time gambler, go somewhere different with workmates, arrange to meet someone, take a sandwich and read a book, go for a walk or a jog
- Take up a hobby or a sport
- Set short- and long-term goals
- Look at other things you can do to ‘treat' yourself
- Make your home an interesting place to be in, with interesting things to do
- Start to do the things you may have stopped when you started to gamble too much
Relax and look after yourself
Giving up when you've spent hours each week gambling can make you feel tense and irritable. This can feel even worse when you still go into the places where you gambled, like to the club if you played the pokies, or pass a TAB or the casino on your way to work.
Learning how to relax, getting plenty of rest and eating properly can help you stick to your goal of reducing or giving up gambling. You can try:
- Muscular relaxation training
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Meditation
A counsellor may be able to help you with your own strategies.
Busts and setbacks
Problem gamblers can kick the habit. However, you must be fair to yourself. Problem gambling is like an addiction. It is really hard to stop or keep it under control. You can often predict when problem gambling will reappear. You are more likely to lose control when you have bad times in other parts of your life that make you feel sad, anxious, angry or depressed. When you feel this way, it's challenging to stick to your plans, as you may feel an urge to borrow some money and go back to the old habit.When you feel like you might gamble again, or if you do gamble again, there are five things you can do:
- Call Gambler's Help on 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au. There's always someone there to talk through the issue.
- Talk to your helper or write your feelings and actions in your gambling diary. If you gambled, look at what happened and see if you can spot ways of stopping it next time. Look for the good bits too. Did cash limits help? Did you find it easier to talk about it instead of lying about it? These are big steps forward and next time it will be easier to cope.
- Control your cash
- Fill in the gap with new things to do
- Practise your relaxation
Friends can help
There is no doubt that if you have help from your spouse and close friends you are more likely to succeed. Make an effort to explain your problem to your friends. Most people can understand the problem of getting addicted.Once you can admit that your problem may have hurt them, and you can tell them so, then they will be barracking for you.
Become a good problem solver
If problems happen in other parts of your life, don't stick your head in the sand. Do what you've done about gambling. Look your problem in the eye and cope with it. Good problem solving has the following steps:- Recognise there is a problem and look closely at it.
- Brainstorm all the ways you could deal with the problem. Write out a list and put down even the silly or impossible ideas.
- Decide on the best solution and try it out.
- Check to see if it works. If it doesn't, start again.
If you need help putting your action plan in place visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au, or, call Gambler's Helpline, FREECALL 1800 858 858 or TTY 1800 777 706 for free, confidential, professional help and support.
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I feel so bad for everyone here. I have been there and still live there. Here in Canada you can request a ban from casinos and they take like 1000 pictures and if they catch you going into a casino they can arrest you! I signed up for 3 years and it's almost up and I'm scared about and excited to be able to go back into the casinos. I hated that life and don't want it back. The same problems aka a bad marriage are still here, why I needed to escape to the casino, but I guess I've handled them for 3 years without big time gambling, that is only scratch tickets, so I should just sign up again. I've tried to fill my life with other things in that time but the gambling bug is always there, like a larvae under the skin, just waiting to pop open. I can't go to counselling as I have a respectable job and can't let people know. My mom was and still is a gambling and alcohol addict, so this is what I grew up with, but I love her very much. I probably do need counselling but am scared to talk to anyone. If I could give anyone a message like everyone else here it is "Don't start, not even once. The only easy time to quit is before you even start. It is never easy again" good luck everyone, be strong, be healthy,
I am willing to admit that I was full blown gamble addict.... I'd do anything to get that fix at the casino, even empty my own bank account ,and when that was gone I'd go into the other which I am not allow to accesss unless big emergencies came up or something. But it was the same thing, I'd gamble until it was all gone.
Then the crunch came when my parents couldn't put up with it anymore and after a heated row with them They helped me pack my bags and was left to fend for myself financally in me mates house, the rent....food and of course , the constant freezing at winter and toasted at summer for a year....After that I realized the obvious, I took everthing my family gave for granted to my sheer sorrow and guilt. After that, my addictive nature of gambling was slowly subsiding after countless vists to the gambling conselling I willing put myself under, to release me from savage beast called, "Complusive Gambling"
I've got the worst gambling problem. Sure I've started leaving my cards at home..but I still manage to find a way to lose about $1000 over a weekend.
I would be drunk and lose the cash in my wallet into a pokie, say $300. then the next day would go to the TAB and try and chase it by putting $500 on a soccer game or whateva and last nite LOST that bet.
I just have the worst feeling of the need to chase and I know the only way I can stop gambling is to STOP all together but when I'm drunk that's all I seem to wanna do is play pokies. I've said to myself so many times NEVER again! But Im always drawn back to the pokies which I never really win on. I feel the only solution is to not even go to the pub, but its pretty boring staying home alone all weekend so it's a bit of an oxy-moron. P:S: I hate it how every pub in Australia has pokies, they should be at the Casinos ONLY!
I started gambling at the age of 24 and was having fun. I was single and carefree. I then got married, openned up a successfull business and gambling was always in the background in a very moderate way. I sold the businesses made some good money but due to serious bad money management 2 years after i sold the business i had not much to show for all my hard work. I started gambling more and more in the hope i can hit the jackpot and get back the monies i wasted. the more i gambled the more i lost the more i lost the more i was ashamed to the point of considering suicide to end the pain. I am lucky as i have just come out and told the family and hey have been nothing short of wonderful in helping me get back on track one step at a time. I recommend that no matter how much you are ashamed of what you had done and no matter how bleak it may look, talk to our family. Its like a bandaid, it will hurt for a few minutes but the wound will heal a lot better. Family will understand more that you think and they will be the source of support as they do love you no matter what.
I thank god that they are there for me and i know your family will be there for you too.
Dont put off doing something about it because as i discovered waiting for that jackpot that will fix everything never comes and never will.
I'm a 27 y/o female who's been gambling since 2006. I've maxed out 5 credit cards since then, most of the money went to gambling. I'd make a payment on the cards then take it out again before the monthly interest was processed and gamble it, incurring more fees I've lied to my parents to get money for gambling. I've borrowed extensively from friends to gamble even more. It seems like I'll go to any length to get money to gamble. For example today I got my pay early because I told my boss I had urgent expenses. One part of it was spent on cigarettes. The rest went down a poker machine. I was meant to give a friend $50 I'd borrowed but i ended up gambling that too. When I got home I found a cheque in the post so I went to cash stop and cashed it, losing $19. I paid my friend with this money only to ask for it back when I was at the pub again gambling my last 5 bucks. I said I'd pay him $80 for lending me $50 so he couldn't refuse. I just needed the pyramids again and then I'd have won.
I prayed to God before I started gambling tonight and I lost everything. This makes me wonder. I think the message is that God has no control over poker machines. He knows I need the money. Or maybe it's just that he knows it's a mistake to gamble and doesn't want to encourage me by granting me a win. Either way the message is not to gamble.
Tonight I'm going to start afresh. I'm giving control of my finances to my best friend. I'm just going to carry enough money to get me through the day. I'm going to eliminate poker machines from my world vowing before you now never to touch a poker machine again. I'll keep you posted as to how I go.
Just remember one thing people. The universe is an amazing place, fundamentals of life is held together by balance. The harsh reality is
Free money = undeserved = lost
Hard work = deserved = money.
You cant beat this system no matter how hard you try.
Winning at the Casino/Pokies is 10 times worse than loosing becasue you will re-gamble approx 10 times the amount you won.
1. Don't gamble, there is no point.
2. If you ever win, take it and donate ALL of it to a charity immediately - you will not regret it.
3. Do it now, leaving it to tommorrow is already too late.
4. Go to the beach, sit down and relax :)
Peace out
My problem started about two years ago.I never enjoyed gambling until I won my first 1,000 on a two dollar instant ticket.I began going to the casino's and won 1,000 on a wheel of fortune slot.I WAS HOOKED!I thought man this is great!I enjoy the rush of winning so much that when I win I continue to play until my winnings are gone.It's a long ride home after you lose.Telling my wife I was 17,000 dollars in the hole after taking out a personnel loan was the hardest.I broke her heart.You don't realize the person you are lying to is youself.*** I did well with the support of my wife. Telling someone helped me stop trying to win back what I lost.I even turned the finance's over to my wife because she doesn't gamble.I still go to the casino once a month but I leave home everything but my I.D.and what I want to spend. Everything in moderation.That's what ive learned.
I started gambling at 47 I am now 54 and curse the day. I have lost thousands!. As a result I have very high blood pressure. I only gamble on pay day I go at lunch time or I go after work and ususally blow my entire fortnights wage. Then i need to invent stories so I can borrow money to buy food. I am, so ashamed of myself & the lies that i have told people. I have had to declare myself bankrupt to get out of debt.
It is a shocking disease that brings nothing but heartache stress and yes you miss out an lots of good stuff because you have been gambling and have no money. I very rarely win and when i do yes i put it all back in in hope of winning a bigger prize it just does not happen. I have walked out of the casino crying at what I have done i have felt physically sick and finished up with mirgraines. I am stunned that i have allowed this to happen to me i am a very practical person all it takes is that one press of the button and you are hooked. Every fortninght I say never again - writing this down I hope will help. Good luck to me and everyone trying to kick this addiction.
I have start gambling since i was 22yrs old. Start with pokie, then casino, Tab. Now I am 42 I still strugle with it. I think gambling is not only lose your money. Also we lost lots of other fun and oppitunities life present to us. One thing is for sure gambling is not bring you fun. I hope i can really stop this time. Come on mate I can do this!!
i play the pokies every day.any loose money i have goes in.even the dollar coins.i sneak in there making sure none of my friends see me do it,never discuss it and never win.i have in the past but i'd have to say i take money home once a fortnight at the absolute most.how sad is that.what the hell do i do?payday in four days and i've been broke for two days.what do you write in these diaries?and how can you be expected to break the cycle by gambling more tactically?the idea of leaving the house with what you're prepared to lose doesn't seem like the answer for me...
anyone seen a counsellor?what do they say?
I've lost a large sum of money today. I feel terrible as half was not mine it was my girlfriends. I went on a long jog to take my mind off it but still feel terrible. Has anyone a bit of advice 4 me 2 stop betting on horses and greyhounds and stick to what I know and win my majority of money which is soccer betting?????
Thanks to all the people that wrote on the page I read all of them a related to them all.
I started gambling at a young age, mostly through the pokies but really what ever I could get my hands on. I won big on my first time familiar story I’m sure at 16 I had more money that I knew what to do with, I don’t even know were it went but I know it was exciting.
I’m inventing new ways of lying to my wife, and it is the only thing I lie to her about and it kills me. We are trying to save for a house and I find myself gambling any chance of that away. I rarely walk away with a winning even if I do I blow it either later that day or the next.
I know my pattern each month as the account gets low before pay day or my wife and I fight about money. I feel myself get nervous and I have to go search for the big win that will solve all my problems, I stand out side and tell myself that I shouldn’t go in and I will just lose but something drags me in each time. I’M A LOGICAL PERSON. I know the odds and I still do it. I know the pattern and I still do it. I know that if I keep doing it I will loose my wife, I will have nothing and i still do it. Logic just doesn’t apply and I think that’s my first problem it’s a disease not a logical problem. It needs a remedy hopefully this is a step towards that.
Thank you
I'd echo a lot of the suggestions here - but the main one has to be to only take as much money as you prepared to spend, and always, always leave other cards at home!
Try placing small bets with the ambition of going up once you hit a predetermined target - for me it's 20 cents under $10 and then 40 cents over that. Sometimes I get flash and hit $1 bets over $30, but immediately drop back down if I go under... Try to make it a game not a mechanical process.
I'm lucky insomuch that I've always managed to keep the real problem aspects at bay - but I know I'm at severe risk so I really limit how often I go to the club... I also enter the club thinking about the flash cars and big paypackets of the directors - that annoys me no end, so I don't gamble as much to spite them!
On Wednesday the 30th of December 2009,i was given a large amount of money to buy computer parts,when doing the sums for the parts i decided i didnt have enough.Instead of saving the extra money that was required,what normal people do,I decided I could win the money by betting on the horses,not a smart or practical idea as I no the odds of winning are not good.So after about an hour of gambling I lost $1100 dollars and I am now miles off where I want to be for my new pc.
The last bet I had before this time was on cup day and with a very small outlay enjoyed the experience and had no intention of going back.I have gambled on and off for the last 19 years.
My cash is controlled as im given a fortnightly allowance from my wife and have had no trouble living off this.I have access to our home loan via the internet and would not ever touch this,I have in the passed transferred money from my credit card we are paying off and spent that on gambling with a very similar story as above.
I no that im doing the wrong thing and im still working at it,I have just had a setback and I no I have let my wife and kids down by lying and gambling.
My short term goals are to win my wifes trust back by paying the money back out of my wage each fortnight and not go to the tab,I have money in my wallet today and have no intention of gambling it.My long term goal is to be in complete control of money with no intentions to think about the Tab.
When I do pay the money back I will get her to come with me to buy the things for my pc as I do not want to be in that position again, I will feel much better if she is with me.
I believe Im getting better but like most gamblers as mentioned you do have setbacks,and this was a big one which I hope I have learnt from.
I will be writing my own diary and visiting the problem gambling website everyday to help me overcome this 100%
January 2nd 2010
Hi all im 31 years of age and have been playing the pokies for about five years now, I would play them pretty full on too, it has been nothing for me to walk in and walk out having spent $1,000.00 in one hit, yep I know its a LOT of money and god you feel so down and out after it. It is just a shocking feeling. For anyone who thinks or has thought to themself gee I think I might have a gambling problem let me tell you right now! Take that thought and listen to it, it will save you a LOT of money and a LOT of sad, lonely, and down times in your life. I myself have always like to be a winner in anything I do and I think/know that that was one of my big things of not being able to walk away after losing a lot of money. I felt I had to WIN! My money back or just WIN. Even when I would think to myself I have to give the pokies up it was like they had WON! So what I did was changed my way and words I would think or say to myself, IF I WALK AWAY IM THE WINNER NOT THEM! I know it might sound funny but you have to do little things like that to stop the cycle. I have pretty much stoped playing the pokies and betting on the horses altogether now, and its a good feeling. A couple of little things I put into place for myself was I had a diary and I wrote down in it on every WEDNESDAY what am I'm doing friday night? Because friday like a lot of people I would finish work and head to the pub, walking out 2 3 5 7 or 8 hours later with NO money and my weeks wage gone! I can tell you right now NOT a nice way to spend your weekend or the next week! So that stopped that cycle for me and it only took about 2 months really to work for me. I have friends over for dinner or family go out and make sure im not going to a pub/club with pokies. It won't always be like that but for now that's working so i'll keep doing it. GAMBLING is like any habit, it's a habit it's hard I KNOW but brake that habit and you will feel so good you did. good luck and remember this, you're the winner if you don't gamble it might not feel as fun or give you that thrill but life has more to offer than sitting in front of a screen!
I play the poker machines alot. I win a fair bit but I know I loose much more than I win and usually when I win, i put majority of it back in thinking I might be able to win bigger that what i just won and in the end I walk out upset and dissapointed with myself for what i could have WALKED AWAY with. My partner doesnt play but knows I play. However he doesnt know how much I have actually put in over the last year (it's only gotten worse in the last year). What's worse is my mother enjoys it too and so we go together or seek out jackpots together and really we encourage each other to ultimatley loose but we have fun whilst in the process until we walk away after either happy with what we won or cursing ourselves. I cant begin to think of how worse it is that i am actually gamling with my mother someone i look up to as if it's OK knowing it isnt. I have a personal loan and have pretty much drawn up to my limit on it to cover my losses when i play. I cant do it anymore and have to stop because looking at how long it's now going to take me to clean my finances up is massive and I dont want to think about it but then pay day comes around again and i think 'yeah i have money to play with to won' and i repeat my cycle again for the week too scared to actually tell my spouse how i would like his help to hold my wage. wish me luck! Be stronger than me and if you havent really become too addicted - you will soon because your losses will be on your mind and you will need to win back.
Today I decided that enough is enough and that I have to do something to stop playing POKER MACHINES
I have taken my first stap today by calling gamblers help line and have left my phone number with tham to call me back
All for now now i will see what will come out of it.
Whilst some of the tips here seem helpful for problem gamblers, others seem highly impractical. Having no pin number on an EFTPOS card might prevent you from taking money out at a gaming venue, however it will also make it impossible to use your card at a supermarket or ATM. Requiring two signatures to withdraw money at the bank is also problematic, as someone else is required to come to the bank with you each and every time you want to access money.
Some better tips for controlling your cash flow when gambling include:
Leave your card at home, and take only the amount of cash that you are prepared to lose.
NEVER use a credit card to access funds for gambling.
Set yourself a goal and a limit and stick to it. When you achieve your goal, LEAVE.
Make yourself a schedule of what you will allow yourself to do and how much you are prepared to lose.
Use another activity (preferably not something else that is addictive or damaging) to distract yourself and channel your gambling impulse into doing something positive. Eg. when you get the impulse to hit the pokies, go to the gym instead.
I have had issues with gambling since I started gambling at the age of fourteen (twenty years ago). I enjoy betting on horseraces, however I do not enjoy feeling out of control. I have found that setting a budget and gambling only once per week on a Saturday has helped me to regain control of my gambling so that it is within acceptable limits. When I think of gambling at other times, I take a long brisk walk or go to the gym. I hope this is helpful.
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