If someone is a problem gambler and has repeatedly relapsed to problematic behavior related to gambling, I have come to the conclusion that it's best to quit cold turkey.
With other things it can sometimes be recommended that the addict slowly winds down their consumption of the addictive activity or substance, but that doesn't sound very realistic with gambling, does it?
Quitting cold turkey, contemplating on your mistakes and talking about it with a group and some experts sounds like the best path. What are your thoughts? Could a problem gambler quit slowly and expect realistic improvements?
Addiction cannot be stopped suddenly but must be driven by a strong impulse from within themselves and done slowly by reducing activities little by little, reducing expenses little by little, limiting the time spent gambling. It may seem easy, but this is very difficult for an addict to do, but if within themselves they have realized their mistake and have started to think clearly then they can do it, namely stop their addiction and the most important thing is their intention and determination to stop excessive gambling.
If someone does it slowly, I'm sure they can stop someday, even though it takes a little longer, but with family support, it might speed up their recovery. Active smokers can stop when they are sick and forced to stop, while someone addicted to gambling will stop when they experience it big losses and forcing him to improve his gambling so he doesn't make continuous mistakes, so in my opinion gambling addiction can still be stopped slowly but surely.
