How I Kicked My Gambling Addiction
If I did it, so can you
Neither booze nor drugs ever successfully seduced me. Tobacco came close, but soon enough, I realized that it was nothing more than just a social lubricant. That said, there was one activity that became a ball and chain for me. Welcome to the world of slot machines.
Jackpots and how they got me
A million different factors made me particularly susceptible to gambling. But, there was one outlier. As someone who had suffered from binge eating, I was also a victim of instant gratification. There aren’t many things apart from slot machines that can give you a shot of dopamine in seconds.
The same high that people get from going to McDonald’s, I got from spinning the reels. Eating healthy on a long-term basis requires delayed gratification. Just like saying no to a donut won’t make you instantly fit, refusing to gamble once won’t make you automatically rich. Frankly, life’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Another problem that almost all gamblers have is the propensity to experience boredom. Unlike most activities, gambling never gets boring. It delivers intermittent reinforcements and the constant possibility of increasing the stakes. While you could try to find other, pocket-friendly avenues that are just as exciting, this may not be the best approach.
What I did about it
Before successfully “fixing” my gambling impulses, there was a lot of trial and error. Reading about other problem gamblers, researching human psychology, and doing an insane amount of self-analysis was part of the process. Although I didn’t get all the answers that I was looking for, I got enough to help myself and the people closest to me.
The biggest takeaway has certainly been to befriend boredom. While I did try to find other, less demoralizing, competitive hobbies, none of them could replace the slot machines. From learning meditation to appreciating the sunrise, all of it has allowed me to be content with what I have.
What is more, a random pursuit of fasting 20 hours before eating my first meal has also done wonders in terms of delayed gratification. If I can survive without food for this long, I can surely survive without gambling.
Good luck!
