Gambling addiction relapse is very common, especially during times of stress. There are many things that you can do to prevent yourself from a relapse from your gambling addiction. This list is far from complete, however, I believe that these are five strategies that have personally helped me from going back to the casino and pumping my heart-earned money back into a slot machine MEGAGAME. Pick up the phone and call a friend, family member, Gambling Hotline, or Gamblers Anonymous member when the urge hits. Usually when we have an urge to gamble we are really looking for some nurturing from those who love us. Sometimes just a conversation with someone who cares can help your gambling urge pass. Try to find something constructive to do such as taking a walk, creating a new recipe, or even going to the mall or bookstore. Try to do something fun and stimulating since this will be replacing the gambling activity that you are trying to stop yourself from engaging in. Fill the void.. with something to keep you busy.
Get out a pencil and paper and write down what it felt like when you were driving home from the casino broke, despondent, angry, and depressed. Describe these feelings in detail. You will start to feel those horrible feelings by just writing these down.
Visualize in your mind the drive back from the casino. After writing, use this power of visualization to really experience those feelings. Spend a minute or two doing this. After writing down your thoughts and feelings, and then visualizing these, you will truly experience the physiological feelings of the drive back from the casino or other gambling venue. You will not feel good.. trust me. Reward yourself for not gambling. Buy yourself a small gift or a book. Rent a movie and enjoy your time away from gambling. You will feel uplifted and proud of yourself for not giving into your gambling addiction impulse.
Michelle Tee is a self-help coach and author on the subject of gambling addiction [http://www.gamblingaddiction.tv] . If you are looking to stop gambling [http://www.gamblingaddiction.tv] and have not had success in the past, visit her site today.
I bet you’re wondering if its legal to gamble online in South Africa. If you are a poker player or regular casino player at an online casino you might be searching for answers as to your own position in all this. We will attempt to clarify this situation for you.
One Monday, Parliament passed the which seeks to regulate the remote gaming industry in South Africa. Its only waiting on President Mbeki’s signature to come into affect. But its a sure thing some political analysts say.
It basically sets out to define things that have never been present in SA gambling law until now. The Internet has expanded the South African markets reach into the unknown, and while many politicians have been debating on how to regulate it, the South African public have been exposed to various ‘poker school’ commercials while very much still being in the dark about the legality.
To put it simply, technically poker and for any casino operator to offer South African players wagers online. It been treated as a bit of a grey area for quite some time, with no-one in the industry really making moves as to what the ‘legal’ stance is. The poker rooms have been getting around this by placing ads on local TV stations in an attempt to draw attention to their properties as a ‘.Net’ ‘poker school’ – both of which are technically not illegal in SA as it is. I.e. if you go to the .net version of the site & register, you absolutely cannot wager with real cash, therefore no real cash wagering/gambling can take place, therefore there’s no breaking of current gambling law. Its unfortunate that South Africans might Google the place first and find the .net version (which incidentally isn’t searchable) and play for real on the .com version by conclusion. I bet the government has been watching these developments carefully