Help for Your Gambling Addiction San Diego
When do you need therapy for your gambling addiction?
You are so worried. One minute you are looking forward to the casino - the lights, the sounds, the scurry and the hustle of it all. It's where your friends are, where they greet you by name, and where you feel like you belong. The next minute you end up with the credit card maxed out and the bank accounts overdrawn.
Sometimes you wonder if you could just leave, disappear or run from it all. It has you furious that you are back in this place. When you win, you really win and it's amazing. You go back hoping it can happen again and again.
Gambling Addiction California has You Overwhelmed
You are so tired of this fight. You are in a constant state of worry and fear. You carry the shame and guilt from all the lies to avoid people from really knowing what is happening, especially your family and friends, especially them! You see the looks, the disappointment, even find yourself snapping at the people who love you the most.
You just know you’re tired, frustrated, and even thought about just ending it all when it gets really bad. You fight. You struggle to do better. You try to not go as often, leave sooner, not go to the ATM again, or play “just more more game.” But then a friend will call or you get bored; or you see a postcard, watch something online, get an email offering you points, or some other “free” gimmick. It's just so damn tempting. You are in so deep, you don't know how to get out of it. The cycle begins yet again….
Your Gambling Therapist for Online Gambling Therapy for Gambling Addiction
I'm Tammy, a state authorized provider for California Gambling Education and Treatment Services (CalGETS) which offers free gambling addiction therapy those struggling with problem gambling addiction, including therapy for their loved ones affected by problem gambling addiction. Contact me to learn more how you can begin that path to recovery or managing feelings related to online gambling addiction help / online help for gambling addiction.
How it works - Free Gambling Addiction Therapy
Most people qualify for the free eight 1-hour sessions. Our first session will be considered an “intake session.” This session can take up to two hours or we can break into two 1-hour sessions depending on your schedule. From there, you are allotted six more sessions to learn some of the basic techniques and the general strategies needed to control your gambling and deal with the consequences that were caused by it.
As you begin this online help or an in-person counseling session for gambling addiction, I will help connect you to resources that support your recovery from gambling addiction or managing feelings related to a loved one struggling with problem gambling. We will explore underlying cause and your best hopes for therapy. We can discuss if other people close to you could benefit attending a session with you or even begin their own sessions.
Most people find best success by building that supportive network. I also find that people enjoy the accountability that gambling therapy provides, breaking them from that habit of gambling, freeing them to do things more enjoyed, and to know that they are not alone. Or, for loved ones with someone close in their life struggling with problem gambling that those angry feelings or frustration is “normal.” I look forward being your gambling therapist for online gambling addiction help.
GAMBLING THERAPY NEAR ME
Ready to reclaim your life from gambling addiction? Schedule your online therapy or a face-to-face in-person visit California counseling session today to start your journey towards a healthier, happier future. Visit online with easy access from anywhere in California or book an in-person therapy visit at the office conveniently located in Mission Valley on Camino del Rio South with easy freeway access; I am here to help with problem gambling addiction for yourself or for those coping with a loved one struggling with gambling addiction.
Free In-Person Problem Gambling Support Group is coming soon - contact me here to join the waiting list.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gambling Addiction Online
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Individuals with gambling addiction report a “high” from their addictive behaviors. Research has shown that gambling activates similar pleasure reward pathways in the brain, which was one of the reasons that gambling disorder was moved to the addictive disorders section of DSM-5 from its former classification as an impulse control disorder in DSM-IV-TR.
Furthermore, neuroscience studies suggest dysfunction involving similar brain regions are associated with problem gambling. These deficits, sometimes referred to as executive dysfunction, can include problems paying attention, remembering information, multi-tasking, planning, organizing, goal-directed action, self-monitoring, regulating emotions, delaying gratification.
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Gambling addiction can dramatically affect mood and overall sense of well-being. There are many emotions that gamblers face but depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation are some of the most serious. In fact, gamblers are at a higher risk for depression, as well as alcohol and drug abuse. Gamblers often report characteristics of shame, impulsivity, interpersonal sensitivity, distrust, loneliness, stress proneness, excitement-seeking, and boredom.
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Part of clinical work with problem gamblers is to help them restore balance in their life. Severe gambling addiction takes away from one’s personal growth, money/finances, career/work, health/fitness, fun/recreation, community, family/friends, romance/love, and spirituality. By incorporating recovery tools, building social supports, among other strategies to restore this balance, a person can begin to train their brain to stop gambling.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.