Gambling Addiction Treatment

What is a gambling addiction

A gambling addiction, sometimes referred to as 'compulsive gambling' or 'problem gambling’, is characterised by having a continuous urge to gamble, despite the negative effects that it can have on your life. It is believed that gambling may reflect a diagnosis of impulse control disorder, where trouble regulating your emotions and behaviour can make it difficult to manage the urge to gamble and seek out the associated adrenaline rush.

Compulsive gambling can cause difficulties in relationships and at work, whilst the cost of funding it can become a huge financial burden. While it is possible to get lucky from time to time, particularly if you feel that you are knowledgeable about the sport or card game in which you are betting, it is important to remember that betting odds of any kind are always in favour of what is ultimately a lucrative industry for a reason.

Gambling addiction can affect anybody at any time, and differentiates from an occasional ‘flutter’ for fun, or even a gambling problem that isn’t out of control, in that it can consume all aspects of your life. While traditional gambling prior to the digital age consisted of having to physically place bets at horse racing venues or bookmakers on the high street, modern day gambling involves 24/7 access to casino and sports bets at the touch of a screen or click of a button.

While it can feel impossible to stop gambling, specialist gambling addiction treatment at Priory, aims to alleviate the destructive effects of compulsive gambling behaviours. At Priory’s specialist addiction centres, behavioural therapies are used to help you to understand the reasons why you find it difficult to stop gambling, enabling you to learn techniques to channel these urges into more healthy pursuits.

Gambling addiction treatment at Priory

Treatment for gambling addiction can take place as part of our 28-day Addiction Treatment Programme, with the length and type of treatment that you receive, dependent on your unique condition and the severity of your addiction.

However your gambling habits are conducted, gambling addiction becomes apparent when it begins to negatively affect your relationships, finances, or interferes with your job, and it is a habit that can quickly get out of control. Gambling addiction can be completely out of character, with increasingly mounting debt, and behaviour that you would previously have deemed irrational.

The amount of money that you spend on betting will often amount to much more than other people would be prepared to lose, and even if you win a large amount on a bet, you will likely feel the urge to place that money into more bets in the hope of increasing your total winnings.

Treatment for gambling addiction

Gambling addiction can make you feel as though you are losing control. The main approach to gambling therapy is by using some form of psychological support or intervention. This may involve getting gambling addiction treatment from professionals at Priory and joining a self-help group such as GamCare or Gamblers Anonymous; these groups offer local, telephone and online support.

We offer several forms of treatment for problem gambling. However, the first step is to try to understand why the addiction developed, and what other stresses or problems you may be trying to avoid. This may be explored through individual or support group therapy at one of our specialist gambling addiction centres.

Behavioural talking therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), has shown to be effective in the treatment of gambling addiction and can help you to understand what triggers your gambling behaviours, and the ways in which you may change this behaviour.