Together with a psychotherapist at the Rehab Family clinic in Moscow and a specialist in the treatment of gambling addiction Roman Gerasimov, Rating Bookmakers traced the path of a gambler in sports betting - from the formation of addiction to going to a doctor, rehabilitation. We learned who is more prone to gambling, how to identify it in yourself, how it is treated and how great the chances of getting rid of it are.

How the game turns into a disease

For people suffering from nervous, mental illness, it is common to deny the problem. “Well, yes, I drink several times a week, but I can stop, what kind of alcoholism is this!” Any alcoholic will say. “Yes, I’ve been betting for many years, constantly in a decent red, but I’m just unlucky, everything will change soon,” every gambler believes. But, alas, addiction is something that a person cannot take and simply refuse, no matter how simple it may seem to him.

“Gambling addiction is a serious disease,” explains Roman Gerasimov. And like any other disease, it has different stages. For help, as a rule, people who have suffered serious losses due to gambling tend to apply or they are brought. This, one might say, is the main “symptom” of loss. Loss of financial, social status, personal relationships - most often due to debts. Because of this, friends and relatives are lost. There may be problems with the law against the backdrop of unpaid loans, people can even turn to criminal structures in search of money. Everyone understands and sees this, but they cannot stop. This is a sign of addiction to games - they are not able to stop without help.

Each person has his own bottom, reaching which, he can independently come to the clinic. Someone realizes how much he has fallen, stealing from loved ones. And someone, even being alone under the fence, near death, is looking for ways to play. Usually, an addicted person denies his problem, the presence of gambling addiction to the last. After all, if he recognizes it, he will have to stop playing. And denial allows him to continue, explaining this with various motives - I just had a black streak, I’m about to get lucky, I just didn’t gain experience.

“Such patients are most often brought to a psychotherapist by relatives or they come under pressure from their relatives,” says the psychotherapist. - But gamers themselves also come, this is also not uncommon. They come if they know where to go. There is a typical example in my practice. When gambling in Russia was not banned and not regulated, up to 80% of gamblers who came to the rehabilitation program came to us through business cards that were distributed in gambling halls and casinos. This is a very important psychological moment: in gambling establishments, having lost, a person realizes that this is no longer possible. In a day or two, he will again be engulfed in the game, but if at this moment, so to speak, insights, he has information before his eyes, he can ask for help. And this is a real chance to get out of this situation for him.

Sports betting gamblers

Are there some features of gamers who are unable to interrupt their game on sports betting? According to the specialist, gambling addiction is often mixed. And betting lovers are distinguished by their belief in the factor of analysis, and not blind luck. Although in fact they are far from the analysis.

“In my practice, there were enough patients who played in bookmakers,” says Roman Gerasimov. - And even more often, gambling was mixed, that is, a person was attracted by any gambling for money - betting, slot machines, casinos, poker, and even stock trading belongs to this category. The peculiarity of those players who make bets is in their attitude towards themselves. They consider themselves good analysts, doing some intellectual work. In general, they do not believe that they rely only on luck, and believe that everything depends solely on them. Indeed, there are people who act unemotionally, rely only on calculation, they are interested in betting or stock trading as a form of earnings. They should win more often, or at least win and lose in roughly equal proportions.

So, if a person constantly loses more in money, but at the same time does not limit himself, but continues and even raises the stakes, then there is no analytics and calculation behind this, this is already a manifestation of gambling addiction. And what distinguishes a player from an analyst is that he is not interested in winning, no matter how much he inspires himself to do so.

- His "drug", so to speak, is excitement, excitement from the game itself, bursts of a high level of emotional state, both positive and negative. The euphoria of victory, the despair of defeat - the player wants to feel them all the time, and this pulls him to bet again and again. Professional players make money with their game, so there is no place for emotions in their actions, only calculation. Gamblers, even if they are well versed in betting, will act on emotions and illogically, because it makes them feel more excited, fear of losing and desire to win. The point of no return here is when the game turns from pleasure into a problem that makes you lose more and more money.

But very few are able to feel this moment. Because, even having lost the pleasure of the process, they see the prospect of receiving it in the future. Therefore, it is very difficult for addicted people to follow the slogan.

Portrait of a gamer

Who is most likely to get addicted to gambling? The psychological image is clear: it is characteristic of a dependent personality type. And for this type, the form of dependence is not critical.

- It’s just that on the path of life he came across bookmakers, casinos or machines, or alcohol, for example, could come across. Or, even more often, he depends on alcohol too, says the therapist. - Gamers are a fairly wide social contingent. If we talk about personal experience, then most often we are talking about the middle class or a little lower. These are not lonely people - most often family, with children. They have a certain dissatisfaction with their social position or the situation in the family, there is a desire to feel significant. A person thinks - I will hit the jackpot and provide for my entire family. Such a “delicious” version of a freebie, especially since there are examples in front of your eyes when a person bet little, won a lot and became a hero. But in fact, I described only one characteristic portrait out of a dozen. There are many other examples - a different motivation, a different social status. The portrait of a gamer is definitely not a narrow portrait.

The main "symptom" of gambling is the loss of financial, social status, personal relationships - most often due to debts.

Treat from the game

The first rule of treating gambling addiction is the recognition by patients of their addiction. As soon as he realizes it and completely refuses the game, he will embark on the path of recovery. It is clear that this is not easy. And abstinence from the game is required, and not temporary, but complete.

- The golden dream of any addict is to control the process of consumption, substance, drink, game. But the truth is that this is impossible, insists Roman Gerasimov. “You can’t teach a gamer to play responsibly. Once he starts betting again, he will be on his way to an inevitable relapse. It is an illusion that he will be able to stop in time this time.

Rehabilitation programs for gamers are different.

- Ours, for example, were outpatient, that is, without placement in the clinic for the entire duration of treatment. People came to class. Group therapy is very important here, so that the player understands that he is not alone in his problem, sees that it proceeds in a similar way for everyone. Of course, individual psychological sessions are carried out, and certain work is given at home for introspection. People get acquainted with the peculiarities of the disease, their behavior, learn how they deceive themselves, begin to understand the true reason for their game. After all, players think that they play in order to win money. But in fact, in this way they fill the emotional vacuum, get the vitality that they lack.

It doesn’t matter if a person is poor or rich, the rich have their own problems that are not related to social and financial insecurity, they are dissatisfied with many things in life, and the game becomes a surrogate for emotions for them. Therefore, it is very important that a person begins to realize this. And, as soon as he learns to abstain, to keep the game "sobriety", it is necessary to teach him to fill this vacuum in a different way, to develop him as a person. So that there is no shortage of simple human emotions.

How many are able to recover from addiction, stop losing money once and for all? Roman Gerasimov talks about the percentage of those who got rid of gambling addiction on the basis of a rehabilitation program in which he was directly involved as a specialist. It successfully passed about 40% of patients.

- Of these, about half managed to completely get rid of addiction, to maintain "sobriety". And the other 20% still broke down and started playing again, some of them then came to our program again. Well, the majority, 60%, either broke down in the process of undergoing rehabilitation, or simply left the program of their own free will. In principle, the percentage of those who recover from gambling addiction is comparable to other forms of addiction, since their nature is similar. For some parameters, gambling is easier, for some it is harder. For example, drug addicts can stay in the system of use for 5, 7, and 10 years. And a gamer can lose everything in six months or a year and literally burn out. But, of course, this is not necessary, each case of addiction is a special case that needs to be dealt with individually, albeit following the general principles of treatment.

Stories of more than one gamer

In Europe, they appeared quite a long time ago, and in Russia the so-called clubs of anonymous players (by analogy with the societies of anonymous alcoholics) are gaining popularity. These are both Internet projects and offline communities where people with gambling addiction can meet, chat, talk about their problems, ask for help and support. The same group therapy that Roman Gerasimov is talking about. "Rating of Bookmakers" studied dozens of stories of sports betting gamblers and chose several indicative ones.

The gambling addiction of one of the family members is a disaster for all relatives

"Hooked again..."

"I'm 35 years old. Married a second time, son 5 years. The first time I got acquainted with the slot machine back in 2000: everything is simple - I bet x rubles - I got xx rubles. And then it started: everything that he had earned was taken away to the pavilions with slot machines, trying to return what he had lost. Occasionally there were wins, but in general, by and large, I lost everything. The first wife began to understand that the family budget was going to the side, - he confessed to his trouble, they decided to cope with it together. But in any case, he tried to play tricks, did it ... As a result - a bunch of overdue loans, problems with his wife, a hut for rent - there is also a delay, he borrowed from friends - he lost many friends ... In short, everything is bad: life has changed and turned into a continuous game . My wife and I divorced - by and large, because of the excitement. I decided to start a new life, I promised myself to quit casinos and slot machines. Found a new job, girl. A year later, the wedding - a son was born, everything is fine, work, family. There is no game - it dawned on me that you won’t be in the black anyway, I realized that this topic is closed for me. In addition, in Russia at that time the reform of the gaming business - all casinos were closed, or rather, almost all, but I was no longer interested in these issues. New life, money, new car, apartment, travel… Friends — everything is fine. And then there's sports betting. By chance. Sat down again. And away we go - debts, loans, problems with my wife, friends, relatives. Now we are on the verge of a divorce - although I have had my own business for a long time, and I earn more than an office employee, every 7-10 times. And everything goes to the bookmakers. I sold a good car a long time ago, I drive an old Honda, and it is also mortgaged in a pawnshop ... I strained with friends, no one will ever lend money. All in all, I'm desperate. In a good way - stop - do not play another month - there will be no debts. I want this very much and now I make a promise to all of you that I will not bet any more. Every day I will report, I will go into myself, into work, I will take patronage over myself.

“Yeah, Manchester United will take these candidates to the first league in any case ...”

“I made the first bets according to the principle: yes, Manchester United will take these candidates to the first league anyway, everything is obvious here, and why take bets on this? Later, a no less idiotic principle: I'll bet on TM in the 87th minute, well, who will score here already with a score of 2-0, and why is it important? You know, beginners are really lucky. Still, really, fools. But according to this logic, I, a fool who is not able to stop, should just be lucky. Only figs lay there, but more on that later. So, such idiotic bets even led me at some point, if not to a plus, then to almost complete winning back what I lost earlier in the loto. But where should I stay? “We will catch up and overtake”, “we will complete the five-year plan in 4 years” ... Excellent slogans to describe the style of my game then, and still in many ways. A series of idiotic bets, which for some reason have ceased to be massive. An even bigger drain. But I was smart enough not to drain all the savings. Oh yes, I completely forgot. At some point, my mother suddenly decided to support my goal of saving for my own housing, and even almost always gave some solid part of her small salary. With a report on the total amount of current savings at an arbitrary point in time, of course. Plus he made some money on the Internet. By itself, the amount has grown steadily, if you throw losses out of life. And then began "stability". In terms of rates, of course. A stable game every 2-3 weeks, and a stable drain of solid amounts every 2-3 months. This went on for over 2 years. Money still continued to accumulate, and even managed to somehow imperceptibly reach the planned amounts. As a result, there was already an amount for a microscopic studio apartment at the stage of excavation somewhere in an open field outside the Moscow Ring Road. Let on such a lousy, but still an apartment. But then February of this year came. It would seem that another planned drain, given that the last one was in early December. Yes, but now it has grown into a real gambling binge. I don’t want to go into a detailed chronology of this viscous swamp, but the idea is that at the moment my crappy virtual apartment has already turned into nothing more than a foreign car of the middle class. I especially want to note that my mother eventually had to confess. First, in early June, about the minus is not yet such an enchanting amount. And the second time - just a week ago, at that time in full. Why at that moment? Yes, because I still managed to merge literally just now. My mother's reaction was some degree of shock, plus a complete refusal to make further contributions to my "capital". Which drives me even more into a state of hopelessness. That money was added, and now it has sharply decreased, so I also freeze at a dead point. Lost doubly, so to speak. But I don’t give a damn if I know for sure that I won’t make a single bet in my life. So at least you can see the light in the distance. True, every day this option seems to me less and less realistic, because the swamp sucks. Plus, the stories in which they get out of this swamp come out at best in one of a couple of hundred. You know, I have already lost faith in my uniqueness ... And yes, I especially want to celebrate my life. More precisely, its shameful, primarily for himself, content. No interests, no joys, absolute zero motivation in everything. Why, even a girl has never been in her life. The house is a uni-computer, and that's it. And now to the banal. How to get out of this swamp? How to stop betting and fill your life with something bright and in sufficient quantity?

"Lost money for a child"

“I am a player with 14 years of experience. I have 5-6 credits, I don't remember exactly how many. In one of 8 thousand, 400 grew. I tried to quit. She was in rehabilitation, but could not stand it and ran away from psychologists. Yesterday, my friend and I took another loan, she took it upon herself, and blew it all away, there was a fire in the club, and we barely got out of there. I think that this is definitely a sign: if I continue, then the end. I want to say that no matter what theories we build (how to win), the end is the same. Just yesterday I lost money for a child for a birthday, today I generally feel bad. I have not played for 12 hours - this is already an achievement for me. I think we should go back to Gamblers Anonymous. Because after the meetings, the cravings still go away.

“It seemed that I could quit at any moment”

“I have been losing money in bookmakers for 5 years, the last 2 years were especially unprofitable: about 1 million or more. Now I got a loan of 400 thousand. All wages go to wagering. The most interesting thing is that it always seemed to me, and even now it sometimes seems that I can quit at any moment, although in reality this is not so. Family and friends don't know. A spoonful of honey is that in 6 months I will pay off my debts if I save hard and do not bet anymore. There were short breaks lasting a couple of months, why did you start again? Can't find an explanation... The mood after losing bets is below zero. Complete depression, and this is reflected in others. And the absolute opposite when won: euphoria, it seems that you can do everything in this life. I never understood drug addicts and alcoholics, but in fact I myself am an order of magnitude worse.

Let's start with a definition... Help with gambling addiction implies a set of measures aimed at helping a person get rid of one form or another of gambling addiction.

Gambling addiction is a disease that is rapidly progressing in the 21st century. Today, thousands of people need help. Hence the many "methods of help". From hypnosis to acupuncture... The prices in some clinics are simply exorbitant... So, let's say a few words about the addiction itself, its forms, and then talk about what we offer in the voluntary recovery community "Civil Challenge".

The goal of treatment for gambling addiction is to restore an adequate perception of reality, develop communication and behavior skills, and most importantly, release from the craving for the game..

Forms and varieties of gambling addiction.

Speaking about the forms of gambling addiction, we single out two:

• - games for money,
• - games in virtual reality.

Recently, these forms have been integrated into one another, when an option appears in online computer games to buy something for real money (for example, World of Tanks).

Varieties of gambling "for money":

• - addiction to casinos, slot machines,
• - dependence on the desire to bet on sporting events (dependence on the totalizator),
• - addiction to playing cards for money,
• - addiction to playing online poker.

In almost every case, the player knows that he is addicted, that he pays too much attention to the game in his life, but adrenaline for the players becomes more expensive than money, time, family.

From the addictions in the world of virtual reality, we highlight:

• - addiction to computer games,
• - Internet addiction,
• - dependence on social networks,
• - addiction to smartphones (or other gadgets) has become another type of addiction. Many patients spend with the phone for 10 hours a day.

One of the gamers said: "The most difficult thing is to admit that you do not control the game, but it controls you"

Help with gambling in Moscow and the Moscow region

As early as 10 years ago, centers for spiritual and moral recovery tested a social rehabilitation program to help gambling addicts. This successful experience has been adopted by many restorative communities. Among them is our voluntary community "Civil Challenge"

The primary task in the process of helping with gambling addiction is to pull a person out of a disturbed reality, out of his “box”. In principle, it is not difficult, it is enough to protect him from the computer (and fellow players). It is much more difficult to restore a person's ability to live normally in the real world. Many modern "gamers" do not know what physical labor is, what live communication is, what it means to help a loved one.

In the help houses of the restoring community in Moscow and the Moscow region (Lyubertsy, Korolev, Ramenskoe, Staraya Kupavna, and Lipetsk), help for gambling addiction is carried out according to a program that has absorbed the successful world experience of social recovery. The basis of the program is the voluntary choice of the dependent person to change. We do not provide for any medical intervention, as well as the impact on the human psyche.

One of the main tasks is to shift the focus of the gamer from the game towards social activity, live communication and conscientious work.

We all know that gambling does not lead to anything good. Easy money earners lose everything at once, and most importantly, they do not understand that they are seriously ill and they need psychotherapeutic help. Modern therapists compare gamers with drug addicts. Indeed, it is also difficult to get rid of the passion for gambling, as well as from drugs. There are two groups of gamers: gamblers who want to win a large amount of money and lovers of computer virtual games.

Gamers, who are they?

Many are sure that a gamer who spends his whole life in a casino, near slot machines, is a narrow-minded and limited person. In fact, not everything is so simple. Psychologists distinguish three groups of players.

Latent Players

Representatives of this group first try to win a big jackpot, and after they fail, they give up the idea. Although they still periodically buy a lottery, they believe in their luck. As a rule, these are different people, they can be intellectually developed, have a rich spiritual world. Their income is stable, but average. A latent player cannot afford to spend large amounts on casinos, slot machines, and he also tries to adhere to basic moral principles.

Casino players, poker lovers, cards

This group includes quite developed people who know how to build a strategy, they also have intuition. We can say about such people that they are talented, they know how to succeed in life. Why then do they play? For them, earnings do not mean anything, and the game helps to get rid of negative ones. Thus they relax. Some people go to casinos because they like to take risks and want some kind of experience. The scary thing is that the players do not understand how dangerous their excitement is. Such players constantly increase the stakes, nothing stops them, so they often lose everything that they managed to earn. Constantly visiting forbidden gambling clubs, they enjoy gambling.

slot machine lovers

Unfortunately, "iron boxes" managed to spoil the lives of many, often even children play slot machines. And it all starts at an early age. For kids, they specially came up with a machine into which you throw money and you can pull out a toy. Many parents cannot pass by this machine, because the child flies to him, rolls up. Psychologists have proven that in fact, children do not need toys, they enjoy the process itself. Please note that you should not develop a sense of excitement in children. Parents should promptly protect the child from gambling, explaining: Everything in life is hard earned, there is no easy money».

Separately, it should be said about casino owners and gambling developers. High-class psychologists work here, who know that the more the game drags on, the more the player wants to win. The gamer thinks: A little more and I'll win everything". Also often a gambler is given a chance - he wins a good amount of money, but this will never stop him. The gambler will definitely continue the game until everyone loses. These are terrible traps, which, unfortunately, many fall into. There are a lot of cases when parents, relatives, friends refuse to help a gamer, he withdraws into himself, thinks that life is meaningless. If you do not help in a timely manner, a person can commit suicide.

Attention! The main problem of the players is that they do not know how to lose. During a gambling trance, a large amount of neurohormones enters the bloodstream, so the player experiences strong emotions.

What happens to the gamer?

It is clear that when a person constantly plays, he still runs out of money. But in this case, the excitement does not go away, but only intensifies. The gambler begins to borrow money from relatives, relatives, friends, while he can invent stories about illness, etc., but he never admits where the money is really needed. When the gamer loses everything again, he gets angry, resentful, and then super-emotions. They can be compared with those that appear after taking a potent psychoactive substance - cocaine, heroin.

A gamer is a sick person! Suffering from addiction, he completely loses interest in life, falls into a deep depression until he finds another amount for a new game.

How to timely calculate the gamer?

• The player constantly saves on everything, significantly reduces their income.
• Without saying anything, the gamer can take, as if even steal, money from home.
• Gamers are constantly in debt. In order to lend them money, they come up with various fables.

Attention! Is your loved one a gamer? Take immediate action before it is completely degraded.

Features of computer gaming addiction

The development of new technologies is not only a blessing, but also a lot of problems. Our children no longer read books, don't play hopscotch, catch on the street, don't jump on rubber bands. They realize themselves in computer games. As the child grows up, dependence on the virtual world increases. Immediately after school, children run home, instead of eating, doing homework, they spend hours, and on weekends, sit around the computer all day long.

What to do? If you notice dependence on the virtual world, watch how your children degrade, try to radically change your life. Enroll children in different circles, let them play sports, dance and be constantly busy. Try to live a real life yourself, go in for sports, relax in nature, walk with friends.

How to help a gamer?

It is impossible to help a gambler with a severe psychological addiction on his own. This requires professional psychotherapy. The player may have to be hospitalized for a while to return to reality. Psychotherapists during treatment completely change the worldview of gamers, for this they create new goals, offer them to change their lifestyle.

It is also hard to treat. This requires a cunning and extraordinary approach. Many parents make the mistake of scaring their children and hiding the computer from them. As a result, children skip school, staying with friends or in Internet cafes. It is best to give up aggression and try to interest the child in something else.

Thus, gambling is a serious psychological problem that cripple the life of the player and those around him. Be extremely careful!

Content:

Gambling has become one of the most pressing problems among today's youth. What to do if the son is a gamer? This question is popular on numerous forums, gazebos for parents. But it is better to look for answers not among people who find themselves in a similar situation, but from professional psychologists, because gambling is an addiction that requires immediate treatment.

Modern games are made so colorful that children, and especially boys, often lose the connection between the real and virtual worlds. The problem of gambling addiction is becoming more and more relevant every year, so leading experts in the field of psychology are looking for methods to solve it.

Why did the son become a gamer?

Only with a clear understanding of the problem and understanding of the nature of its occurrence can effective methods of treating gambling addiction be found. The chemical processes that occur in the brain during the game affect not only the physical, but also the emotional state of the child. The hormone of joy, which is produced during the passage of the next level or winning on slot machines in a casino, which is also regarded as gambling, the child experiences euphoria.

With a successful game, the hormone of joy goes off scale, and wanting to experience this feeling again and again, a person unconsciously becomes addicted to the game process. When a person does not experience another euphoria, dramatic changes are observed in his behavior (irritability, attacks of aggression, depressive states).

When a son suffers from gambling, you need to clearly understand that people who have problems in real life are susceptible to this disease:

• conflicts in the family;
• learning problems;
• unrequited love;
• complexes and a sense of self-doubt;
• difficulties in communicating with peers.

Psychologists say that listing all the causes of gambling addiction is simply unrealistic, so each patient has his own diagnosis and his own methods of treating the disease. To save a son from gambling addiction, it is necessary to involve specialists and use effective ways to get rid of addiction.

Types of gambling addiction

Behavioral signs will help to recognize the nature and etiology of gambling addiction. Tracking the history of the Internet browser or following the daily routine of the son, you can understand what needs drive his uncontrollable actions:

• Finding and communicating in social networks.
• Computer games.
• Virtual casinos where the game goes for real money.
• Communication on forums for gamers.

Gamers often actively follow Internet users, showing interest in information on the pages of their social accounts. Studies by psychologists and reviews of former gamers confirm that such an addiction significantly worsens the quality of life of the patient and his environment. Timely treatment of gambling addiction allows you to quickly and safely get rid of addiction, minimizing the risk of relapse.

Gambling among adults and children

World-famous psychologists and ordinary specialists of rehabilitation centers, whose main profile is the treatment of addictions of various etymologies, confirm that the problem of gambling is equally relevant among adults and children. The son of a gamer can be of any age. Speaking about their son's gambling addiction, parents often mean not only an adult who visits a casino for thrills, but also about teenagers whose meaning of life lies in computer games.

Knowing about the harmful attachment to social networks, a person should be aware of his actions and deeds, but due to weakness of character or young age, not every person can realize in time that his virtual life has begun to gradually replace real life.

Gambling addiction is not regarded as the most serious disease, but if measures are not taken to eliminate it in a timely manner, the consequences of addiction can affect not only the psychological, but also the physical health of a person. To minimize the consequences of addiction to the game, experts recommend:

• refuse self-treatment and self-diagnosis;
• seek medical attention in a timely manner;
• do not use coercive treatment methods for the treatment of gambling addiction;
• to provide the son with all kinds of support for the period of treatment and social rehabilitation.

The sooner you decide on therapy, the higher the chance that the treatment will be effective and fast, will save your son from a bad habit without consequences for the psyche.

How do you know if your son is addicted to games?

It is not difficult to guess that the son has become a gamer by following his behavior and giving himself answers to clearly posed questions about the child’s daily routine. Signs that are characteristic of most gamers are similar:

• Lack of ability to control time spent playing games or using social media.
• Ignoring studies, household chores, because games become tasks of paramount importance.
• The impossibility of at least for one day to refuse pastime in front of the monitor.
• The development of insomnia, causeless aggression.

A son who suffers from gambling tends to devote most of his time to his social profile or virtual character in the game, feels uncomfortable and confused when he finds himself in a place where there is no way to access the Internet.

If you have found in your child 2 or more of the signs of gambling described above, there is a need to conduct a detailed diagnosis. Experts will help to find out the stage of addiction, the nature of the problem and offer the best methods for solving it.

Where to treat the son of a gamer?

Gambling is a psychological disease that requires the help of specialists. Delaying the appeal to a specialized clinic can lead to the most unpredictable difficulties that can affect not only the gambler himself, but also his close circle.

The aggravation of the problem of gambling in the absence of qualified treatment risks leading to such disastrous consequences:

• the emergence or intensification of difficulties in communicating with peers and family members;
• accumulation of problems in studies;
• reduction of social responsibility;
• deterioration of physical well-being due to the lack of proper rest and constant psychological stress;
• emergence of aggression.

A son who suffers from gambling rarely admits the existence of a problem, like other addicted people, so the main task of the parents is to convince him of the need to consult a psychologist. If you turn to specialists in a timely manner, addiction to games can be eliminated quickly, without causing serious consequences for the physical and emotional state.

Specialists of the private rehabilitation center "Salvation" use modern methods of treating gambling addiction, adhere to a confidentiality policy, use an individual approach to solving the problem of each patient. According to psychologists' statistics, more than 97% of gamblers can return to a normal social life after the first addiction treatment sessions.

It is natural to feel like this, but if you are in the process of making the right decision, it is best to get rid of such a feeling. Remember, once you learn to make the right decisions and get the support you need from loved ones, it will be much easier to deal with such impulses. The following strategies will help you:

• Ask for help. Call a close family member or friend, talk to them about it over a cup of coffee. Go to a psychotherapist.
• Do something else. Distract yourself with other activities, even housework can help, go to the gym, watch a movie on TV.
• Postpone for later. If you really want to gamble, tell yourself that you will do it in five minutes, in fifteen minutes, in an hour - put it off for as long as you can. While you are waiting, the impulse to play may fade or weaken enough for you to resist.
• Visualize. Imagine what happens if you give in to the impulse. Think about how you will feel without money, how you have once again disappointed yourself and your family.
• Avoid loneliness. If you gamble to be social, try to make social connections in a healthier way. Do volunteer work, find old and forgotten friends, make new ones.

If you can't resist the urge to gamble, don't use that as an excuse to give up. Overcoming gambling addiction is a difficult task. You will break down from time to time, but it's important to learn from your mistakes and keep working on your recovery.

How to help a family member - a gamer.

If your relative has a gambling problem, he or she may:

• Become more defensive about gambling. The more the gambler is immersed in the process, the more he has a desire to protect his passion as a way to make money. Your relative may become secretive, and even accuse you of his need to play, saying that all this is for your sake and you just need to believe in a "big win" in the future.
• Suddenly hide the financial situation. A loved one may have a sudden desire to control household expenses, or there may be a sharp shortage of money in the face of previous income and spending. Savings may suddenly disappear, or they will be required to "loan to a friend."
• Experience despair due to lack of money. Your loved one is constantly asking for or borrowing money from friends or relatives. Decorations are missing from the house.

How to help with a gambling problem

Obsessive and problem gamblers often need the support of their family and friends to help them fight their unhealthy gambling addiction. But they have to make the decision to stop playing on their own. From the outside, you can never get a problem gambler to stop gambling.

If a member of your family has a gambling problem, you may experience mixed feelings. It is quite possible that you will start to cover up this addiction, spending a lot of time and money to keep him from playing. And at the same time, you will experience anger and irritation for another loss. The gambler will borrow or steal your money without paying it back, sell family property to cover huge debts. And faced with the consequences of their actions, the gambler will also experience the collapse of self-esteem. This is one reason for the high suicide rate among problem gamblers.

Guide to action:

• Start by helping yourself. You have the right to protect yourself emotionally and financially. Don't blame yourself for the gambler's problems. Support can help you make positive choices for yourself and support your loved one in the right way. Provide assistance without losing yourself in the process.
• Don't go through this alone. Coping with gambling addiction of a loved one is very difficult. This can cause overwhelming feelings. You should not rationalize the problem by explaining it with the phrase "this was the last time." You may feel ashamed, thinking that only you have such problems. But it's not. In our country, a huge number of families are struggling, and have already overcome this disaster. Talk to people. Read the forums. If you find it particularly difficult to cope with the situation, seek the help of a therapist. In any case, in this situation it is necessary to understand and not let everything take its course. The gambler in the family evokes mixed and complicated feelings.
• Set boundaries in financial matters. If your loved one is serious about gambling addiction treatment, it's best if you take care of the family expenses to make sure the player doesn't get ripped off. However, this does not make you responsible for controlling his impulses to play. Your first duty is to make sure that you are in complete financial security.
• Think about how you will respond to a request for money. Addicts are very good at begging for money, either directly or indirectly. They can use begging, pleading, manipulation, and threats to get what they want. It will take time and practice to learn how to properly respond and respond to his demands, and make sure that your behavior does not stimulate the player and do not lose your own dignity.

Do's and Don'ts if your loved one is an addicted gambler

Can:

• Seek support among people with the same problems in forums and groups.
• Tell your children about your problem with gambling.
• Notice the positive qualities of a loved one with addiction.
• Remain calm while talking to an addict about losing and its consequences.
• Let the gambler know that you also need support because this situation is negatively affecting you and your children.
• To understand the need for treatment for gambling addiction, despite the large amount of time that this will require.
• Control family finances.

It is forbidden:

• Instruct, lecture, or allow yourself to lose control of your anger.
• Threaten, issue ultimatums if you do not intend to carry them out.
• Isolate the player from family life and activities.
• Expect immediate recovery or resolution of all problems as soon as gambling stops.
• Pay the player's debts.
• Deny or hide the existence of the problem from yourself, family and others.