Those which have never been addicted to anything may feel that such a posture is too extreme but it is precisely what it must be done, the desire to go back to their old ways is too strong for those which were addicted to something, and as such anything that resembles the activity may be more than enough to lead them to that path again, so it makes sense that the person that you know does everything he can to avoid putting himself in a position in which he could fall victim of his addiction again.
No doubt, that's the reality inside you. Once you came from that kind of addiction, the eagerness once being triggered again will flow. It's something that, unexplainable but the lust will continue to flow on you. It's better to stay away completely and never to think of any alternative that is still associated with your addictions.
It is a have to keep yourself busy doing other things instead of trying to play, even using a play money.
The system inside you will lead you to play back using real money. It's unavoidable.
What happens is that it become a habit and habits are incredibly difficult to overcome, since the moment someone gets used to do something then they have problems imagining what else to do with their time if they are not engaging in that habit, so once gambling becomes a part of your daily routine then it can be very difficult to stop it, as even without thinking about it a person may find themselves gambling when they had no intention to do so, and as you say the only way to avoid this is by actively occupying their minds so they do not think about it anymore.