Now imagine that this gambling expert is you. What arguments will you give? What will you tell the patient about?
This can be quite difficult without the use of any pharmacology.
Addiction is most likely caused by some mental disorder that disrupts the balance of satisfaction in the brain. Most likely, the dopamine and adrenaline that the gambler feels hungers him causing him to look for it consistently. I do mostly think that the use of pharmacology is essential and mandatory- at least for this aspect.
Please note that the patient will resist to the last. He will give counterarguments. For example, that he will get rich in the future, he’s just not lucky yet.
What other arguments do you think the patient will give? How do you respond to these arguments of his?
Given the task at hand, it is definitely recommended to explain the fundamentals and basics. It is also essential that the gambler must know statistics of gamblers who have profited vs who have lost that costed them their lives and their families.
With that as the foundation of my argument, the next step would be to recommend other activities that may stimulate the brain without the need to do any sort of gambling. I will recommend doing other extra-curricular activities (e.g. jogging, working out, etc.) in order to at least help them to be busy.