Gambling is a captivating form of entertainment that can transport one through a range of emotions in a single session. You should be aware of the steps available to protect you, which we will share in this article.
The Definition of Responsible Gambling
The majority of people are capable of controlling themselves when they are gambling. They maintain a solitary existence within the confines of their financial limitations, physical well-being, and life in general.
However, some people allow the joy of being entertained to become a destructive force. According to statistics, it has been observed that approximately 50 percent of men in India engage in gambling, and a significant portion of that population, namely seven percent, exhibits a significant gambling habit.
A responsible gambler is aware of their limitations and will not cross the line where it starts to affect their life.
Furthermore, they are more interested in entertainment than in winning money. Yes, everyone wants to win, but that is not their sole driving force behind gambling.
It is an attractive proposition that could become addictive to win money while playing a game you enjoy. You shouldnt replace earning an income or a full-time job with gambling.
Avoid the Addiction
Those who consider themselves responsible gamblers should follow a set of rules that include:
- The act of utilizing disposable funds.
- When you have spare time, you should only gamble.
- Dont allow loss to affect your emotions.
- Playing games for recreation rather than for the purpose of winning money.
- I prefer to gamble as a hobby.
Some online casinos have implemented specific measures to help you become a responsible gambler. These include:
- The goal is to prevent underage gambling.
- I am committed to protecting vulnerable players.
- It is important to protect your private data.
- Providing a safe environment.
- The security of payment.
- Fair marketing policies are in place.
- It checks for criminal activity.
Signs You Have a Gambling Addiction
Despite the fact that your acquaintances, particularly your friends and family, are cognizant of your gambling addiction, it is ultimately up to you to acknowledge it.
Without revealing oneself, it is impossible to obtain the necessary aid, thereby emphasizing the significance of recognizing when gambling has become a problem in ones life.
Money, Money, Money
The most evident indication that you are a problematic gambler is the inability to accumulate sufficient funds. Despite holding a full-time occupation with a remuneration, a significant proportion of individuals opt to allocate their hard-earned funds towards gambling. The idea of borrowing money from friends or taking out loans should ring alarm bells that point to addiction.
Furthermore, if your cupboards at home and the fridge are empty, you should seek help.
Dipping into your savings and reacting angrily to questions about the problem suggest that gambling has taken over your life.
Changes in Mood and Behaviour
Following up on the point of snapping at your friends and family, these are the people that identify the changes in your personality and general behaviour.
Irresponsible gambling can lead to poor performances in your work environment, leaving you with a feeling of frustration and, possibly, depression.
Becoming manipulative with your loved ones and reacting uncharacteristically is a signal that you’re standing in quick-sand and require a hand of assistance.
Unexplained Use of Time
When you are unable to explain your absence to your employer or family, you are spending too much time gambling.
If you have a reputation for being a stellar employee in terms of never taking off days, sudden changes to your attendance may be cause for concern, especially if you are using the time to try and win back your losses.
The habit of arriving late for appointments and exceeding the usual timeframe for completing specific tasks or projects are subtle indications that there are deeper-seated issues.
Thinking About Gambling All the Time
It is customary to allow ones mind to wander about the future or their aspirations while seated in the office.
If your mind takes you back to a particular game or machine that youre spinning, it becomes problematic. If you are placing gambling above spending time with your family, you are allowing it to take over your daily life.
Enhancing the Thrill
A strong indication of addiction is feeling the need to place larger, riskier bets in order to experience the same thrill as before.
This has a direct correlation with the production of dopamine in the brain, which bears resemblance to the use of substances.
You’ve Tried to Stop
Maybe you’ve realised that the way you’re playing isn’t working out. As a result, you try to pull back and stop but often find yourself in the same position.
At this point, it’s advisable to invest in yourself and your future to end your gambling problem.
Using Gambling as Therapy
People handle life events differently. Some have problems in other areas of their lives, and you may have heard of the term ‘comfort eating’.
This term refers to the fact that the individual turns to food whenever they receive negative news.
Similarly, if you’re turning to gambling as a way to take your mind off reality but doing it more often than you should, you must acknowledge that you have an addiction.
Conversely, if you receive positive news, you may find yourself turning to gambling, and although it’s not immediately a problem, it’s a sign that it could spiral out of control.
Practical Tools to Embrace
Online casinos have implemented measures that you can consider for a gambling addiction before it reaches the point of no return.
These steps allow you to establish boundaries for yourself to control your finances and time. When you register an account at an online casino, these facilities are available to you at any time.
Limit Your Deposit
When you’re in the momentum of gambling, you tend to lose track of what’s in your bank account and the reason you have that money available.
Without a cap on the deposit amount, you could end up using all your money before you realise it. The deposit limit allows you to restrict the amount of money you deposit either on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The advantage of this measure is once you’ve reached your limit, you can’t deposit money immediately and would have to wait before another deposit from your bank account is allowed.
It’s convenient for people who understand that they spend too much on gambling already.
Limit the Damage
Like the deposit limit, this feature focuses on the amount of money you’re allowed to lose within a particular time frame.
Upon reaching the limit, you can’t place any more bets regardless of how much money you have in your player account. You can only start betting again when the casino resets the limit automatically.
If you’re working with a strict budget, this tool is ideal for keeping you on the straight and narrow.
Time Limits
Once you settle into a rhythm of betting, there is very little that can distract you from gambling – not least the fact that you’re losing money.
Utilising this feature establishes the duration of the session before you commence. You have the option of setting the limit according to your session, per day, per week, or month.
When you’ve reached your time limit, the system logs you out automatically, and you can only log back in after a certain period.
Embracing this feature enables you to allocate specific recreational time for gambling while remaining safe and addiction-free.
Time Alerts
While it doesn’t function like a time limit, this feature provides updates regarding the length of your session. The reason for this option is to remind players of how much time they invest in gambling and to regulate themselves to avoid addiction.
Limit Your Wagers
If you’re ever tempted to spend more money per bet, this responsible gambling feature restricts your wager amount.
The online casino won’t allow you to continue betting if you’ve reached the limit. As a result, you have a further sense of control.
Request a Transaction History
Every action that you perform in an online casino is recorded and displayed on the transaction history.
While it doesn’t function like the other features, it holds critical information regarding your bets, deposits, withdrawals, and results. Regularly checking the data offers you a clearer picture of your gambling habits and whether you have cause for concern.
Self-Ban
If you feel that you’re becoming addicted to gambling, it’s advisable to take breaks from the hobby. When you initiate the self-exclusion option, you’re choosing to close your account either indefinitely or for a stipulated amount of time.
After getting the ball rolling with an exclusion, you can’t reverse the decision while customer care handles the situation even if you feel you’re over the temptation.
Assessment
This feature is meant to augment the other responsible gambling elements by including a series of statements and questions that players must answer.
The result is a summary that demonstrates parts of your life that have been affected by excessive gambling. You’ll receive advice about which tools you should use to gain control of the situation.
External Parties That Can Help
If you find that self-realisation and treatment of your gambling addiction aren’t working, there are alternative options.
There are several independent, non-profit organizations that exist to assist those struggling with all forms of addiction. You can obtain financial advice, counseling, support groups, and informative forums to help you get back on track.
Indian gambling support organizations have a reputation for assisting people struggling with maintaining responsible gambling.
Hope Trust
Hope Trust is a renowned treatment provider located in Hyderabad, India, capable of addressing a wide range of issues, including but not limited to psychological wellness, mental health, drug abuse, alcoholism, eating addictions, and gambling.
The goal of this centre is to restore their finances and control the urge to gamble recklessly.
Recovery requires a 12-step program and input from other health practitioners.
Moreover, it is possible to engage in yoga and meditation if deemed necessary. There are inpatient and outpatient programs that are intensive, which is why there is also relapse prevention and aftercare available.
Counsellors at Hope Trust are in recovery themselves and will demonstrate how they used various programs to overcome their addictions.
Experienced Indian facilitators coordinate the program offering you the opportunity to meet some leading spiritual and social thinkers from the country. After being established in 2002, your road to recovery is in safe hands.
You can access online care, especially if you’re uncomfortable talking about your experiences face to face. When you are concerned about stigma or perhaps, you’re too far away from the facility, this is the ideal treatment for you.
If this sounds like a great idea, this is how you can contact the organisation.
- Website – https://hopetrustindia.com
- Email – [email protected]
- In-site live chat
Rehabs.In
If you’re trying to find a suitable facility to support your quest to rid yourself of gambling addiction, rehabs.in is the perfect site to visit. You’ll discover a wide selection of centres that offer various types of treatment.
The site is the brainchild of RehabPath and provides people across India with a comprehensive directory of treatment providers and resources to assist through your journey.
They’re not affiliated with any organisation, so you can expect them to provide facts regarding providers and their treatment options. Collectively, they have over 1,500 addiction and mental health treatment providers in over 352 cities across India.
- Website – https://rehabs.in
Gamblers Anonymous
This website is probably one of the more reputable sites around, and even though they don’t offer extensive gambling therapy, there are ample resources to begin the road to recovery. Additionally, there are several addresses and numbers to contact for gambling addiction help in India.
- Website – http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/
Tips to Control Gambling in the Future
Health practitioners differ in their definition of gambling addiction. Still, when an individual finds it difficult to resist the impulses to play, it generally leads to personal and social problems.
Halting your gambling addiction is a challenging exercise. However, maintaining control over gambling in the future is the key battle to win.
Avoid Boredom
When you’re taking time away from gambling, it can become boring since you’re used to the thrills of active gambling.
Try to plan your day and fill it with other tasks that can keep you busy and distracted for the time that you’re planning to recover.
Research demonstrates that you will avoid or fail to complete an uninspiring task – so prepare in advance.
Forget the Past
You have to start living one day at a time without focusing on events of the past.
If you have the idea of exacting revenge on the casino or dealer, you’re going about it the wrong way.
Focus on the present and your future. When you constantly remind yourself that you’re looking ahead, it will become easier to overcome.
Inject Something Different
Your brain becomes accustomed to operating in a particular way when you’re gambling. You must replace that stimulation when you’ve put a pause on gambling by setting new goals for yourself.
While you’re focused on solving existing issues, you won’t have time to give in to gambling urges.
Bring Back an Old Hobby
Before you started gambling, there were other interests in your life. You would have slowly stopped being involved in these activities as your addiction to gambling progressed.
Once you’ve decided to stop gambling for a while, perhaps you should rekindle your old hobbies.
It will remind you of how life was before the addiction and provide a boost to your self-esteem. With most behavioural addictions, it’s essential to find a new activity to replace a harmful habit.
As a result, you focus on the new hobby instead of thinking about what you’re missing.
Find Another Method to Cope with Stress
Sometimes people turn to excessive gambling as a way to distract themselves from the stress in their lives.
Spending time online or in a physical casino means you don’t have to face the issues you have with others.
Giving in to stress while you’re in recovery can lead to a relapse, so you must identify measures to cope with it in the future.
Identify Your Triggers
Time away from spending excessive money at betting is precious. It is advisable to refrain from engaging in gambling activities, particularly when it arises during significant occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversary celebrations, Christmas, Easter, or examination days.
Write Down a Gratitude List
Writing down daily thoughts of gratitude will remind you of how far you have come, which is why it is essential to acknowledge your progress.
When you adopt a grateful attitude, you are less likely to search for excitement.
Conclusion
Gambling can be fun, but you should not allow it to consume you and negatively affect the financial and social areas of your life.
There are risks associated with drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, consuming sugar, and processed meats. However, it is important to do everything in moderation to reduce the possibility of severe consequences.
Take advantage of the tools and facilities available to you to avoid destruction.
