I have a real gambling problem... Will registering for a self-exclusion ban help?

Question

I have a real gambling problem. I am thinking about registering for a self exclusion ban that would make it illegal for me to gambling in any casino in the state. I am kind of scared to do it even though I know it is the right thing to do. You can choose to ban yourself for a year or for 5 years or forever. Should I choose a year to start with to try it out? These bans are not reversible and a year would be a big step for me and maybe I could get myself sorted out a bit by then. I have just finished losing my child support payment money for this month, which is the same thing that happened last month. I would have already gambled the rent money away but for I live with my mom again so I don’t have to pay it.

Donna Hunter · Accepted Answer

Signing up to ban yourself does not change you. It only puts you a stop further from your addiction. While that can be good for the short run, it does not solve the physical, mental emotional and spiritual crisis you are experiencing. With gambling- there is no amount of money that solves this problem. You could have millions and you would still gamble it away.

So the question is what are you going to do to - as you say -"get myself sorted out a bit". You have children who depend on you. You are not independent yourself. You mention that you don't pay rent because you live with mom. You know that to live with mom it does cost her to support you.

In my opinion you need the support of Gamblers Anonymous or another program of recovery. you can't do this yourself. Folks who try to do it themselves generally are still unhappy, have switched addictions or relapse.

So do you ban yourself- if you believe it would help... it certainly won't hurt. But ultimately you will have to make a complete change in your life to recover.

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