The passion for gambling machines and gambling in psychology is called gambling addiction or gambling. Doctors consider this addiction a serious disease and put it on a par with nicotine and alcohol addiction. Gambling addiction is a disease that professionals must treat. At the same time, a lot depends on the behavior of loved ones in this situation.
Instructions
Step 1
Check yourself: do you realize that gambling addiction is a disease that arose in a loved one as a result of a large complex of reasons? You must clearly understand that the person is sick and needs to be treated. He is not to blame for his illness. Solving the problem with the help of conflicts, tantrums and threats is pointless, you can further worsen an already difficult situation.
Step 2
Check that the person close to you is aware that they are sick. If there is such an awareness, convince the person to consult a psychologist. At least not for the purpose of getting help, but just for advice. The best option would be a joint visit to a specialist. But the successful outcome of treatment ultimately depends on the patient's goodwill to get rid of the addiction. It is impossible to cure addiction without the desire of the patient. If there is no such desire … In this case, perhaps you yourself will need to go to a psychologist to develop a strategy to induce such a desire.
Step 3
Analyze the reasons that have caused gambling addiction in a loved one. Solace in games is usually sought by people suffering from feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction with social status. The emergence of addiction is also facilitated by impulsiveness of character, turning into excitement. The data from your preliminary analysis can seriously help the psychologist in treatment. The same data will become a program of action for you and your loved ones. Ask yourself a question: what can I do so that the person close to me does not feel lonely?
Step 4
Control all financial flows and do not keep large amounts of cash at home. Slot machines and gambling require free finances. If large sums of money are not in sight, then there is no motivation to spend them in the hope of an accidental win.
Step 5
Take time to help the sick person find new hobbies. Spend as much time as possible spending time together. For a teenager, the best alternative to gambling can be active sports, for an adult - any hobbies from childhood and adolescence. Whether it's guessing crossword puzzles, playing the harmonica, or building model airplanes, all of these activities are much more rewarding than wasting time gambling with slot machines.
