When working on your gambling addiction, it is important to identify what your risks and what triggers are:
- Triggers can be things such as certain sights such as casino billboards, casino mail-outs/posters, or sounds such as ringing bells, or even someone depositing all of their coins at the bank, or your normal route home after work where you drive past the casino
- Identify when you are most likely to experience urges. Examples: paydays, after a night out with friends, after a stressful day of work, after an argument or
- Disagreement with a family member or a loved one
- It is helpful to make a list of your triggers, risky situations and urges to help you find ways around them so that you can be prepared when they rise
- Beforehand, identify things you can do to help the time pass, or changes you can make to manage your triggers urges and high-risk situations
- It is important to make a list and plan ahead of time so that you have a plan when things get tough.
Examples of working through urges and triggers and helpful activities:
- Call a friend
- Go for a walk
- Work on a puzzle or a crossword search or word search
- Make a list of the benefits of not gambling
- Go to a local meeting
- If you have children, play a game with them
For more helpful hints, resources and education, visit our website at www.problemgamblinghelp.ca
You can also call the Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-800-306-6789
