Tips for Gamblers : Avoiding Addiction
Casino gambling, card rooms, track-side betting and other forms of gambling are all very attractive to people who enjoy a punt. You can win or lose a few dollars, or a few hundred thousand dollars, depending on what you’re playing, how you bet and your lucky streak.
The big problem with all types of gambling is addiction. Even people who do not normally have addictive personalities can end up hooked on gambling. Gambling can destroy their finances, they can lose their homes and vehicles, and even break up their families over the need to bet on something.
But many gamblers can responsibly enjoy the games that they love so much. OUr tips will help you get into the game and have a good time, but without fear of life-wrecking addiction.
Never take out money that you really need to support yourself or your family. You should never take your mortgage payment, your grocery money, or medicine budget, to punt. Leave those funds at home, in a safe place. That way, you can’t touch them when you’re on a losing streak.
- Divide your gambling money into separate days. If you’re going to gamble for the next three days, sort your money into three equal amounts. When you empty, say, Tuesday’s fund, you should immediately stop gambling until the next day. Then you can bet with Wednesday’s money and, hopefully, win back some of the cash that you lost on Tuesday.
- Set limits before you leave your home to go gambling. You should limit both your money and your time. When you win enough money to reach your goal, or lose everything in that day’s allotment, it’s time to go home or to the hotel room, or go watch a movie. And if you limit yourself to two hours of games, you should stop when you hit that mark. By limiting yourself, you run less risk of chasing lost money. You’ll also get more sleep with a time limit, because you know that you’ll be in bed at a certain time, resting for the next day.
- Stretch your gambling budget by playing lower-limit games. This can also give you more time to gamble because, unless you lose a huge wager, you can play more hands, or bet on more races.
- Take frequent breaks. You don’t have to play every hand, or stay at the slot machine for four hours at a time. Schedule time to do other things that don’t involve gambling. Take your significant other to see a Vegas show. Spend a few hours with one of your favorite hobbies. Take a break to eat. Sometimes your streak of bad luck breaks when you rest for a while. And even if you’re winning, it’s easier to step back and assess the situation (that is: figure out when to quit) if you have a break.
- Don’t give up your day job to gamble. Many poker fans would love to quit their jobs and play Hold ‘Em or Stud all the time. Before you make any big decisions or lifestyle changes, though, you should play for several months, if not longer. If you improve your game during those months – to the point where you win more often than you lose, and don’t lose huge stacks of money very often – then you can consider leaving your “regular” job. If that’s not the case yet, though, stay with the work that you’re doing. You’ll be grateful for your patient approach to pro gambling when you need more cash to play, or when the gas bill is due.
If you’re already addicted to gambling, you should seek help. Gambling, like any other addiction, can ruin your life if you let it have control of everything. But if you get the right treatment, and work through this addiction, you should be able to regain your regular everyday life. Visit http://www.gansw.org.au for more information on problem gambling.