Problem Gambling Females and Places to Get Help

In the past gambling was considered to be exclusively reserved for men. It was simply unimaginable to even think of women as gamblers. In most societies even today, the woman is considered to be the pillar of the family and therefore is unthinkable that you would see a woman hitting the slots on the casino floor. But in reality, things are much different. A recent study showed that over 48% of all players across online casinos are in fact, women. So, we can freely say that when it comes to gambling, we can go head to head with the stronger sex. Even at brick-and-mortar casinos today you can see a lot of women at the tables or playing the slots, chasing the progressive jackpots. In general, gambling is a lot of fun. You can spend hours playing the games, winning and losing, but in the end, that’s all it is pure entertainment. But as many of us already know, what starts as harmless fun can easily turn into a world of problems. In gambling, there’s a very thin line between having fun and getting addicted to playing the games. In this article, we will try to raise awareness of gambling addiction and help you cope with these kinds of problems.

Signs of problematic gambling

The first thing you need to be aware of is that both men and women equally can get addicted to gambling. The only difference is that it’s more of a taboo for you, simply because you’re a woman. There are many obvious signs that you will surely notice, to recognize that you have a problem with gambling. Here are some of the most obvious ones. Gambling is all you think about. Gambling addiction can get to a point where gambling is all you think about. You’re at work doing your job, while in the back of your mind you can’t wait to go home, make a deposit and start playing. You get to a point where you pretty much isolate yourself from your friends or relatives, even your spouse. This can easily have a devastating effect on your social life. If all you want to do is gamble instead of spending time with your loved ones you can be certain that you have a problem and it’s time to do something about it. You make money to spend money at the casinos. Gambling addiction can have a devastating effect on your finances. A lot of gamblers find themselves working only so they have enough money to play at the casinos. You can’t wait to get your paycheck and start playing at the casinos. This can easily get you in trouble since you don’t have any money left to pay your rent, your utilities, or even buy food. As ridiculous as this may sound to some people, yes, gambling addiction can literally leave you with no food on the table, despite having a well-paid job. You hide your gambling habit from your close ones. If you start hiding your gambling from your family and close friends something is not right. We live in a modern society and everyone can understand playing at casinos for fun. But once you start hiding the fact that you’re gambling you know that it’s much more than fun. This is a sure sign of addiction as you become embarrassed about what you’re doing. At this point the chances are that you are also having money and social problems as explained above, so the addiction is already running deep. You gamble with money you can’t afford to lose. When you start borrowing money to play at the casinos or play with money you absolutely can’t afford to lose you can be 100% certain that you are addicted to gambling. Some gamblers can even reach a point where they sell or pawn their personal belongings just to scrape enough money to play at the casinos. This is equal to drug addicts selling their stuff or even stealing just to make enough money for the next hit. If you do this you are in over your head and it’s about time to seek help before things get even worse. Suicidal thoughts. You’ve come to a point in life where you’ve isolated yourself, gambled away all that you can, are in debt with all of your friends or even loan sharks, and simply have no way out. At this point, you need to know that you are not alone and that it’s not too late. By now you already know that you are neck-deep into gambling addiction and you may start to think of ending it all. This is exactly the point where you must reach out for help and get your life back on track. Don’t worry, we will help you get through this, and hopefully, you can get your life back on track.

Overcoming addiction

There are several steps that you can take to overcome gambling addiction. As with any other addiction, it takes a strong will and a firm decision to stop, but you will also need the support of your close ones. The most important thing to do is to embrace the fact that you have a problem and to be firmly determined to overcome it. Willpower. As we mentioned earlier, the most important step to overcoming your addiction is willpower. You need to be determined to stop for good and focus on other things in life. If you get the urge to gamble lured by big payouts, stop and think about what kind of effect it can actually have on you. Remember the times when you felt down, the thoughts you had, and how they affected your close ones. Never lie to yourself that you will try it one more time and then stop. Once you go down that road again it can be even harder to stop once again. Finances. You can’t gamble if you don’t have any money. The best thing for you to do at this point is to let someone else manage your finances. If you’re married the perfect choice for this is your spouse. He will surely be supportive and will try to help you in any way he can. If you’re not married you can ask a close family member like your siblings or even parents to manage your finances until you get back on your feet. Responsible gambling tools. Today every online casino has some set of responsible gambling tools in stock. These tools can help you control the time you spend playing at the casinos and the number of your deposits. But for you, the best option is to simply close your account due to problematic gambling. The best way for this is to contact support directly and tell them that you have a problem. In most cases, they will close your account with a note for problematic gambling and never open it again. Disable all payment methods. Even though the responsible gambling tools are great, they will only work for that specific casino. You can easily create an account at another one and start playing again. This is why it’s best to disable altogether the payment methods that you use for gambling. You can give your credit cards to your spouse, keep only a small amount of cash on you, and simply don’t have the means to deposit at the casinos. Other ways to fill up your time. When you stop gambling it can be a challenge to stop thinking about playing at the casinos. The best way to do this is to fill up your time with some other activities. You can go for walks, watch TV shows or even take up a hobby. You need to do everything you can to be preoccupied with other things and not think about gambling. When you manage to do this after some time the urge to play will stop coming to you altogether.  

Places to get help with gambling problems:

Gambling Therapy is a free, and global place to get help online GamTalk connect with other people that has has gambling problems Gamblers Anonymous  help around the world and locale meetings

Call a Helpline

All Toll Free Gambling Help Phone Numbers Canada

  • Alberta Problem Gambling 1-866-461-1259
  • British Columbia help 1-888-795-6111
  • Quebec Gambling: Help 1-800-461-0140
  • Manitoba Addictions Help Line – Problem Gambling 1-800-463-1554
  • Newfoundland Problem Gambling 1-888-899-4357
  • New Brunswick Gambling Information 1-800-461-1234
  • Northwest Territories General Help 1-800-661-0844
  • Nova Scotia Problem Gambling Help 1-888-347-8888
  • Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help 1-800-265-3333
  • Ontario Connex Help 1-866-531-2600
  • Prince Edward Island Problem Gambling Help Line 1-855-255-4255
  • Saskatchewan Problem Gambling Helpline 1-800-306-6789
  • Yukon Mental Wellnes also Gambling Problems 1-866-456-3838

World:

Gambling Addiction If gambling has taken control of your life, there are places to seek help. Here are some international online resources where you can find real solutions if you feel that gambling is a problem for you. Australia - Australian Gaming Council  New Zealand - Gambling Problem Helpline  UK - Gamblers Anonymous USA - National Council on Problem Gambling If you are feeling desperate or hopeless about your problem and are thinking of suicide either call emergency services or talk to someone at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK. Begambleaware.org

Conclusion

Gambling addiction is a modern disease that affects a big number of people yearly, male and female. You can easily find a lot of support groups and talk to the members or even go to meetings. It can mean a lot to know that you are not alone in this ordeal and to share your thoughts with people who have already been through this. Gambling addiction is not easy to overcome, nor is any other type of addiction. The most important step you need to take is to admit that you have a problem and seek help. You can do that with the steps we explained above and with the help of your close ones. You just need to be determined to stop gambling altogether and focus on getting your life back together. Remember, you are not alone in this and you can always count on your loved ones for help. No matter how low you feel at the moment, it’s not the end of the world. Everything can be fixed and you can get back to living your life with full lungs once again.