9 things you can do now if you feel the urge to gamble
The moment you feel the urge to gamble, it is important to seek distraction. This way you save yourself financial loss and a bad feeling afterwards. And you also train yourself in this way to build in more time between feeling the urge to gamble and actually turning to gambling.
You may still gamble afterwards, but by increasing the time between the urge and the actual gambling, you give yourself more room to make a good choice. The more often you seek distraction, the easier it becomes to not gamble for once.
9 things that can distract you when you get the urge to gamble:
1. Call someone
Calling someone is a good distraction when you feel the urge to gamble. Perhaps you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/relative that you can arrange to call when things get tough. If it is still a step too far to share with your loved ones that you have a problem with gambling, you can also just call for a chat. This way you don't have to talk about your problem, but you still have distractions.
2. Around the block
Walking or going around the block (and preferably a little more than a block) is a very effective form of distraction. Moreover, you are really away from the environment in which you normally gamble. So not only can you not be tempted to gamble, but there are also other things that grab your attention. Try to pay attention to the cars on the street, or to the birds or the trees. That way you really focus your attention on something else.
3. Wash your car
If you have a car in front of your door, it could probably use a wash. By cleaning your car (or something else, such as a refrigerator or a bicycle) with care and attention, you not only shift your focus, but when you are done you have also done something with a concrete result that you can be happy with. to be.
4. Walking the dog
If you have a dog, you can treat it to an extra long walk. A happy dog is much nicer than giving in to your addiction resulting in financial problems and a bad feeling, right? If you don't have a dog yourself, you may be able to borrow a dog from a family member or one of your neighbors.
5. Visiting family/friends
When you have a gambling addiction, you often end up in social isolation. This will make you feel even worse than you already did. So it can be a good idea to visit a loved one when you feel the urge to gamble. Not only do you not give in to your urges, but you also work on your social isolation right away.
6. Shower
Taking a long shower can be nice to find distraction and to rinse off the urges and worries. The warm water also helps you relax. Who knows, you might even have a bath to relax in while listening to your favorite music.
7. Shopping
The weekly groceries, the groceries for tonight, or a snack for work or school; there is always a message to get. A good reason to leave the house for a while.
8. Go to the gym
Maybe you already have a subscription to the gym and you can just grab your bag and go there. In that case, it is a good idea to have your sports bag with stuff ready as standard. So when you get the urge to gamble, you can immediately grab your bag and go to the gym.
9. Make something
Go outside with a camera and shoot beautiful pictures of buildings, nature or crazy things you see. Or get out a sewing machine, drawing or writing pad and get to work. It doesn't have to be pretty or good, but it does give you something else to focus your attention on. And it can be a very satisfying feeling to have created something that wasn't there before.
Maybe you can think of other things to do as an alternative to gambling. It is important to remember that it is best to do things that do not require a phone or computer. This is not recommended, especially if you often gamble online, because by using your phone or computer you may be tempted to gamble anyway.