Help with gambling addiction please.?

Question

my ex girlfriend, whom i still have feelings for, has a mother who has a gambling addiction. for 4 years, her family has tried to stop her but it hasnt. my ex has been very mentally and physically damged from this ordeal. lately, the problem has been so bad that they have to move across the country to live near relatives and away from casinos in an attempt to stop the gambling addiction. i know it is selfish of me to want her to stay, but moving to an area where she knows noone will be harmful to her. and plus i still really like her =\ . we live in garden grove, california, im wondering if anyone out there has any idea to help me. dont post ie "go here. . ..." and whatnot. any good suggestions please this really means alot to me. thanks for your time.

Answer 1

I'm sorry about your situation.

It's almost impossible for someone to make another person stop gambling, drinking, stealing, overeating, etc.

The Mother will stop when she's had enough.  

Okay, so where does that leave her family? Well, they need to stop enabling her. If her behavior is ruining the family, the Dad needs to step in and cut her off financially and threaten to kick her out of the house and divorce her.

She needs an intervention with consequences.

Your ex girlfriend sounds like she is under 18 and still under the umbrella of the family and therefore has to move wherever they decide.

For your Ex, I suggest she get a therapist to talk to about this. She shouldn't try to stop her Mother from gambling because it isn't going to work, but she can learn to set healthy boundaries from her Mother.

Your Ex would also benefit from Al-Anon meetings. I know that Al-Anon is for relatives of alcoholics, but what she will learn there could be applied to her gambling-addicted Mother.

Peace to you and your Ex.

Yam King

Answer 2

I did get addicted to Casinos, but I learned the hard way Quitting, You CANT WIN.

The person whos gambling at the moment feels NOTHING other than WAITING FOR THE BIG WIN.

TAKE it from a gambler himself.

moving far away wont help infact make it twice as worse because they will plan the journeys in their head and will at any expense go to it, they wont be put of be the travelling.

I did wish my partner come with me and come and see what its all about,  sometime when they are not betting and the mood in the casino is not good the gambler can be tempted to pop out for a break- take time a try to get them away, dont let them know what your doing.

I wish my parner on many occasions to come with me to the Casino insted of all the greif I had, and i dont blame her,  but thats life.

Try to get in there shoes and live it from their side, but the danger is you may like it, what then?

i know your strong but the gambler is NOT up there, the lure of the LIMELIGHT is working.

   maybe do a surprise visit, i did it to get my dad home although they came out, at a later day i wanted to find out what the buzz was, so maybe this one wont work.

A real shock to them is when the see someone the know gambling , return the comment "your doing it so im i'  it a bodyshock and lowers anyone,  plus thell see more of an image of themselves rather than a mirror.

maybe go in yourself gamble only one and make sure a few hundred ans dont go back, this will LEAVE A PRINT Iin their mind, but again what can we do, IF YOU CANT BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM.,or just dont do ought,  be prepered for the day when they had enogh iF ever, thats when you WIN!

Answer 3

www.gamblersanonymous.org is a worldwide organization that aims to help people with gambling problems.

If you are not sure whether you have a problem, you can check out these 20 questions:

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/20quest...

Answer 4

the person has to want to stop on their own..

saying things like "Dont gamble" wont work..

here is why

http://www.socyberty.com/Psychology/You-...

this is  something few people realize..

you need to never say "dont gamble" as explained in the link

she needs to be kept so busy she doesnt have time to think of it.. and needs to overcome it on her own,

read the link so you dont encourage gambling by your good intentions