All About Gambling Addiction & How To Overcome it with CBT, Therapy & Counselling in Wolverhampton & West Midlands

What is a Gambling Addiction?

Gambling Addiction is fast becoming a significant problem in our society and the NHS estimates that as many as 250,000 people in the UK are addicted to gambling, spending a combined total of £7 billion every year.

Paradixically, only about 5% (approx 12,000 people) of gambling addicts actually seek help for their problem which would seem to indicate that most don’t regard it as a ‘real’ problem at all.

There are a variety of options available for those suffering with a gambling addiction and psychotherapy is an increasingly popular option.

Psychology and psychotherapy aim to tackle both the addiction itself and any underlying problems that may have triggered the addiction (such as trauma, stress, low self confidence or depression), in an attempt ease the addict out of the ‘need’ to gamble.

Why Do People Gamble in the First Place?

It seems clear that gambling is something that appeals to the human mind, as it has done so for thousands of years.

So why do we do it when it is common knowledge that ‘the house always wins’?

This means that betting shops and casinos calculate the odds so as to make a profit from losing gamblers.

The bottom line therefore is that gamblers are more likely to lose than to win.

However, gamblers tend to believe that they are MORE likely to win following a run of losing bets whereas in reality, the number of times that you lose has absolutely zero bearing on the likelihood of winning.

Do YOU Have a Gambling Addiction?

There is a big difference between a person who enjoys an occasional bet at the races a few times a year, and a person who can’t get through the day without betting on something.

This has been made much easier, of course, by the de-regulation of on-line gambling and casinos.

Signs of a Gambling Addiction

There are a number of signs to look out for if you think you may be developing an addiction to gambling, including:

• self-deception
• finding it difficult to stop gambling
• spending too much money – often more than you have
• increasingly argumentative or defensive about money
• becoming increasingly reclusive
• losing interest in socialising
• always thinking about gambling
• lying or hiding habits from other people
• gambling to get out of financial trouble
• borrowing money, selling items or ignoring bills to fund gambling
• needing to risk larger amounts of money to get enough of a ‘buzz’
• neglecting relationships or responsibilities

Psychotherapy and psychological treatments can be effective in treating gambling addiction.

By digging deeper into a client’s underlying belief systems we can explore certain behavioural patterns and, by using cognitive therapies, help the client to break out of these patterns.

By altering thought processes and learning to channel emotions in different ways, an addict can learn to overcome their gambling addiction and also learn techniques to keep them going even when their therapy sessions are over.

CBT for Gambling Addiction

If you’re committed to overcoming your gambling problems then we highly recommend following our Tranceformental CBT 10 session programme.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand the psychological aspects of your problem.

It can also help you to identify any unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs that might be reinforcing the issue.

The programme is also available as an online self-help CBT programme. if you prefer not to consult a therapist directly.

CBT is an empirically supported approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Free Initial Consultations for Gambling Addictions

We offer all prospective clients free initial consultations to discuss your Gambling Addiction prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At TranceForm Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss our change programmes BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.