Gambling is recognized as one of the oldest human activities in history of living. Most people misunderstand gambling and consider it as a fun activity or a moral vice.
At the beginning, you might not notice that gambling is a problem, but the reality hits after the addiction. The consequences are so clear and failure to seek help can completely affect your life.
Most people who have become addicted to gambling try to overcome the problem but the journey is not easy, especially if there is no one is there to hold your hand.
Gambling addiction is different in every person and each requires a unique treatment. That is why we are here to help you know different types of gambling treatments.
Available Treatments for Gambling Addiction
Therapy/Counseling
This is the most known gambling treatment that involves professional therapists with knowledge in gambling addiction. Gambling counselors have different qualifications depending on the specific area they deal with. They offer personalized helps to different needs of patients.
Gambling therapy can be offered in different settings such as group therapy, individual settings, and online counseling platforms. Therapists use different counseling approaches from motivational interviewing to cognitive behavioral therapy to self-guided interventions.
Peer Support
This type of treatment aims at encouraging the current gamblers by providing them with experience of people who have successfully quit gambling. Former gambling fellows guide those who are struggling with gambling and help them to navigate their recovery journey.
They give them ideas of what to do, what to avoid and how to withstand the urge to gamble based on their experience. This method helps a lot in encourage gamblers since they can see how the lives of their peers have changed. The fact that someone else was able to stop, they get encouraged that they will also manage to quit.
Outpatient Treatment Programs
The aim of outpatient treatment is to offer help to gamblers without interfering with their life. They don’t have to quit work or school, or stop their life for a moment in order to get help. They continue living their live normally as they receive help. People attend scheduled counseling sessions and continue with their lives.
Outpatient gambling program is suitable for people whose gambling problem is not severe. In most cases, these programs offer about 10 hours of structured programing every week. There are also other less intensive options that provide flexibility to allow patients to get treatment and still handle their daily responsibilities.
Inpatient Treatment Programs
It is a type of gambling addiction treatment that involves holding patients in a hospital setting. Patients receive complete guidance and monitoring for 24 hours 7 days a week. These programs aim at providing close coordination services and treatments to individuals.
The objective is to offer a protective environment with support, medical stabilization, and treatments for the disorder. The patients are not exposed to the outside world and places that could trigger their urge to gamble.
The Way to Recovery from Gambling Addiction
Gambling might seem fun at the beginning, but the reality of the problem hits you when you get addicted and start seeing the consequences. But all is not lost since there are gambling addiction treatments that can help deal with your problem. Select the right treatment depending on your unique problem to receive adequate healing. In some cases, it is right use more than two treatment methods for better results.