How to hold back from my addiction

[AlwaysJoggin]

I’m extremely tempted to gambling right

I quit a while back and I’m suffering from extreme temptation but deep down I don’t want to do it but another part of me wants it. 

[Ananta]

14 minutes ago, AlwaysJoggin said:

I’m extremely tempted to gambling right

I quit a while back and I’m suffering from extreme temptation but deep down I don’t want to do it but another part of me wants it. 

If it will lead to regret and suffering then try to go do something else. Go see a movie, go bowling, call a friend.

My brother in law is a seriously addicted gambler. He lost his house and cars before. 

Just say NO.

[BornToBoil]

The most important thing that you need is determination. All the techniques and advice come second.

So when you doubt yourself and have a desire to go back to your addiction try to ground yourself again by asking yourself why do you want to quit. Writing it down helps a lot in my opinion. 

Stuff like meditation, mindfulness, observing your cravings, etc., can also be very helpful, but it is nothing without strong will to quit even if it means suffering a lot initially.

[Shiva99]

Self exclude from all websites and casinos. It will help a lot. It's only because the option to gamble is available to you. In my country i have an online form on governmental website that we can fill in, and it automatically blocks you from all websited and landbased casinos, so maybe you can do something like that. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Shiva99

[Farnaby]

@AlwaysJoggin explore what the gambling does for you. Does it make you feel alive? Does it make you feel joyful, excited, powerful? 

We use to only focus on the detrimental consequences of addictions, but the key to overcoming them is knowing what they do for you. You already know you can lose everything you have by gambling, but what it does for you in the short term seems to be more attractive. Actually, focusing too much on the "negatives" usually makes you want to indulge in your addiction even more to feel relief from the guilt, etc. 

When you know what it helps you achieve, you can start to look for "healthier" ways to feel those things and also be mindful of how you're preventing yourself from feeling those things in your "sober" life. 

 

[Jacko]

I've sought help from online services for addictive behaviours. I do SMART meetings online and found they can help

[AdamDiC]

Gambling just seems kind of pointless. Yes you can win some money, but then what. You spend it. Then you gamble again. Then you lose a lot. Then you feel bad. Then you gamble to cover losses. Then you lose again. Or maybe win. But the cycle continues.

Either way it goes down, it's just pointless and dumb. Realize your potential as a human being can be much greater than pressing buttons. Think of all the good you can do for the Earth, how many people you can help, how many lives you can change. What you can learn, who you can become. Beauty, Honesty, Authenticity, Love. Focus on this.

Get your mind outta the gutter.

[Mu_]

@AlwaysJoggin   I gave similar advice to someone in another thread.

This may sound like weird advice, and it may not work, but its worth a try.  When your feeling the craving or need.  Pause a moment and tune into the feeling, then once you got a good grasp and mental picture of the experience, recreate it in your minds eye and then in your body.  Yes, you read that right, recreate the craving experience your already having in your minds eye and in your body exactly as your experiencing it, in the exact locations your experiencing it.  This may take practice and it will feel weird, but it just may clear the craving in its tracks.

If this sounds weird, or your asking how you would do it, imagine this and try it now.  If your feeling say neutral now, think about something that is pleasant and notice how it slighty changes your emotions.  Now while this is happening, focus your attention on the pleasant feeling.  Notice how it increases the experience.  Now try and feel that experience in your hand or foot or stomach, and see if you can feel that experience in those locations.

So, if you can do this, its basically the same thing, but instead of thinking about something pleasant, your thinking about the exact experience your already going through (make sure its as close to exact as is actually occurring) and recreating it in your body and minds eye. 

When you do this it doesnt need to be sustained for more then 5-20 seconds.  It should shift the experience if your doing as accurately as possible.

[AlwaysJoggin]

@Mu_ i will try it thank you mu and everyone i read it all very helpfull now I have to do my part 

Edited December 11, 2020 by AlwaysJoggin