How Can I Help Someone with a Gambling Problem?

by Danielle Janda

October 18, 2018

Step-by-step in helping gamblers

 

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Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/15929.php

If you know someone with a gambling problem and want to help them move forward, use the following tips as a guide for getting started:

  1. Talk it through – ask the person to one side and talk to them quietly and calmly about their problem. Don’t be confrontational or forceful but ask questions about their feelings and motives to get the person to admit responsibility for their addiction. Admitting to the problem is often the hardest part.
  2. Be supportive – show the person that you are behind them 100% and are willing to support them with letting go of their gambling problem. Be discreet, stay calm and do your best to learn about what they are experiencing so that you can be there whenever they need you. Take each day as it comes so they know that you’re not trying to rush them.
  3. Avoid confrontation – don’t accuse the person of having a problem; instead, let them take responsibility and admit to it. If you try to talk to the person and they become confrontational, don’t lose control of your reactions and instead take a deep breath and avoid arguing back. Choose your words carefully to evade misunderstandings.
  4. Don’t be quick to judge – try not to be quick to judge, condemn or draw any conclusions from the behaviour the person is exhibiting. Instead, be supportive and ask questions to show you are willing to understand and help.
  5. Explain how you feel – explaining to the person how their gambling affects you and how it makes you feel can often be a wake-up call which may trigger them to change to their ways, particularly if it means it will save your relationship.
  6. Be patient – remember to take one day at a time and don’t hurry the person to ‘get over’ their gambling addiction. You may feel as if you need to make appointments for them or go with them to therapy sessions, but let the person do things in their own time when they’re ready to make a change. Pushing the person may cause them to become more stressed and turn back to gambling as a coping strategy.
  7. Cognitive behavioural therapy – CBT often has the best results for those with a gambling problem. It consists of a weekly therapy session that can help the person to change the way they feel or behave around gambling. CBT trains your mind to come up with more helpful ways of thinking and can be a very effective self-help tool.
  8. Support groups – point the person towards a gambling support group, such as the GamCare Helpline, or ask them to consider contacting a GP, counsellor or charity who can provide them with advice and support. Sometimes talking to a stranger about a problem is easier than talking to a friend or family member.
  9. Keep control of money – if the person agrees, try managing their money for a short period of time until they feel in control of their spending. Alternatively, come up with an agreed weekly limit for gambling to keep their habit in check. Avoid bailing the person out with loans or covering losses as the person needs to learn to take responsibility for themselves.

Source: (Petty, 2015) https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/how-to-help-someone-with-a-gambling-problem/