How it Feels to Stop Gambling, Is it Painful

Gambling addiction isn't often thought of as a physical addiction, but interestingly enough, many of my clients who suffer from compulsive gambling wonder whether it will hurt to stop gambling. That isn't a bad question considering the fact that the desire to gamble may cause a person to become nervous, agitated, depressed, etcetera. Many other addictions cause pain, so why wouldn't gambling addiction, especially when you try to stop?

One interesting point is that the urge to gamble may be heightened by stress. When gambling addicts feel stress it sometimes leads them to want to gamble to relieve the stress even though the stress wasn't caused by gambling. It is an associated response, meaning that they know that gambling will take their mind off the stress temporarily, so they associate gambling with the reduction of tension, stress, uncomfortable physical feelings. But looking closer at the stress and response, we find an interesting situation. The problems caused by uncontrollable gambling, such as financial problems, relationship problems, work related problems, all cause stress. So even though the temporary solution seems to be to gamble to relieve the stress, the root causes of the stress are, you guessed it, gambling. In order to cure the problem, to get rid of the stress, stopping gambling is the best solution. Does that mean we can cure problem gambling? Unfortunately, there is no real cure, but there are solutions to control it. Gambling addiction, like other addictions such as alcoholism, and drug addiction, is a lifelong condition, but don't despair, because millions of problem gamblers have controlled their addiction and returned to a happier life. One of the keys to controlling gambling addiction is relaxation. We all have problems and stress in life and we all develop coping skills and reactions to stress. For people with gambling problems, finding a safe and easy way to relax, such as meditation, or progressive relaxation techniques, can be a life saving and life changing experience. If you or someone you know is dealing with a gambling problem, finding a good relaxation CD or MP3 that is especially tailored for problem gambling can make life a lot more enjoyable and pain free.