Gambling, Shopping & Gaming Addiction
Many people have bought the odd lottery ticket or maybe put a small amount on a race like the Grand National, but for those who have been caught in the spider's web that is serious gambling, the stakes are dangerously high in every way imaginable.
Keeping debt a secret and living with the constant fear of being found out, or borrowing money to pay off the last debt only to find yourself risking — and losing — all on another bet, leads to a downward spiral in mental health, relationships and security, not to mention the desperation, emptied bank accounts and those threatening red bills.
Gambling addiction ruins lives and leaves the addict caught in the cycle below:
- Some circumstance in your life triggers the desire to gamble
- You begin to to convince yourself that this time it will be OK
- The temporary high of placing a bet, the risk, the adventure
- The inevitable crash in mood when you lose
- The desperate attempts to hide the losses – which may include stealing and lying to loved ones
- The promises to yourself that you will never do it again
- A period of time when all seems well and you may believe you’ve kicked the habit – until there’s another trigger.
If that sounds familiar, you are caught in the cycle of addiction and you need help and support to break the cycle and get your life back. This is never an easy task, so you need the right support to help you stop your addictive behaviours and change your life.
How I can help you
As an experienced psychotherapist working with process addictions, I'll help you to look at your own cycle of addiction, what the gambling is achieving for you and how to understand what you need in order to live in recovery from addictive behaviour.
If you're fed up with the misery of this lifestyle and you want to work on changing how you manage your life, why not give me a call or send an email from my contact form?
An initial (free) consultation leaves you with no obligation to work with me. It might be one decision you make where you have literally nothing to lose...