The highs and lows of gambling can be quite a fix. One minute you’re up and the next minute you’re down. The rush you feel when you get that big hit is exhilarating! You think you have a winning machine so you raise the bet. The first couple of hits you lose, but you’re sure the next one will be the big one. You keep hitting that button – wishing for that big hit. Now you’re down. It feels depressing. You’re not ahead anymore. You lose all the money you came with but you want to keep playing. You’re sure this machine will pay out soon so you go to the nearest ATM machine. Now you’re spending your bill money but you’re sure you will win it back….and more. Does this sound familiar? This is an indication that you probably have a gambling addiction.

Once you have realized that you do indeed have a gambling addiction you need to admit – at least to yourself. Now what do you do about it? How can you rid yourself of this burning desire to run to the slots every time you have money? As a former gambling addict I found the answer. The need to gamble was buried deep within my soul. I had voids that I was trying to fill. Gambling will allow you to fill those voids temporarily. It is only while in the act of gambling that you may feel that those voids are being filled. Gambling will only provide you with a false sense of completeness. You need to dig deep to determine why you have these voids, and then learn how to fill them with good things. The more satisfying you create your life, the less will be your need for this addiction.

So, how do you create a satisfying life? How do you get there? From my experience, you get there one day at a time. You have do good things for yourself every day. You have to give yourself credit when you pay a bill instead of blowing the money on gambling. Following are 4 things I incorporated into my life on a regular basis that allowed me to become whole, completely content and gambling-free:

1. Positive affirmations
2. Journaling
3. Visualization
4. Hypnotherapy

These 4 things allowed me to fill the voids in my life. They allowed me to no longer be stuck on the slots. What an exhilarating feeling it was to finally feel the freedom of no longer having to fight the urge to gamble. You too can have this exhilarating feeling. You can quit too! If I did it, so can you!