As you might have heard the famous saying, Prevention is better than cure. Gambling, once you get addicted to it, is extremely difficult to cure. It leads to several destructive behaviors and harms not only the gambler but also the ones around them. But if you can be careful from the beginning and try to prevent it, that will save you the trouble. So how to prevent a gambling addiction? This article will tell you some of the ways you can control your gambling habits and try to prevent getting addicted to the best of your abilities.
Set a lower limit and an upper limit
This is the best way to prevent a gambling addiction if you can get yourself used to it. No other way might be as effective as this one. Every time you choose to play a slot game, or any other gambling game, start by setting a lower limit and upper limit according to the game. A lower limit is the minimum amount of money you can afford to lose. As in, after you’ve lost that amount of money, you will stop playing immediately. On the other hand, a higher limit is the maximum amount of money you are planning to win for a particular gaming session. Once you’ve won that money, stop playing immediately.
It’s important to set these limits in a logical and reasonable way. If you’re playing a slot game with a maximum win of x100, a low RTP, and high variance, but you choose a higher limit of $1000, that’s unrealistic. Even if you are lucky enough to win that amount, either the chances are low, or it will take a long time. Instead, choose an amount that is humble that you will feel confident chasing. It will also improve your gaming experience.
Moreover, merely setting these limits isn’t enough. You also have to follow them strictly. Otherwise, it’s pointless. If you feel like you won’t be able to follow it when it’s time and lose yourself to greed, the best advice for you is to practice with free games first. Set an upper and lower limit for the demo coins there and play as many times as you can before you feel like you’ve trained your mind well enough to follow the limits strictly.
Select a specific number of spins for every session
This is another great way to prevent yourself from addiction. Suppose you’re playing slot games. In a slot game, you can spin an average of 10 times in a single minute. Which means 600 spins in an hour. Within 600 spins, you can either become fairly rich or more broke than you already were. Moreover, an hour of gambling at a stretch is also not healthy. According to experts, the best spins to take for a single session is around 200-300, making a single session about 30 minutes. So you can play two or three times a day for only thirty minutes each and have a fairly decent bankroll if luck is on your side. Moreover, if you do end up losing money, you won’t lose too much within only 300 spins. And, of course, there is the avoidance of addiction. Addiction happens when you play too long at a stretch. It also happens when you end up losing a lot of money and get the urge to play more to win it back. It also happens when you get some good wins and get the urge to keep playing to fatten your bankroll further. Through this system, you’ll avoid all of those.
Set a reward and punishment system
You might think that reward systems and punishment systems are only for kids who need to be disciplined or pets who need to be trained. But it can also work really well if you want to control your gambling addiction. So you have set an upper limit and lower limit, or a specific number of spins. From the money you have won from here, give yourself a reward for successfully following the limits you set for yourself. You can make some money from there and go eat at a restaurant you like, or you can use it to buy something nice for yourself. This is the reward system to motivate yourself.
On the other hand, if you fail to follow those limits, find a way to punish yourself. Healthy punishment, of course. Maybe you can punish yourself by not playing completely for the next two days. Or, if you hate physical exercise, you can punish yourself by going to the gym for a session. Now when it comes to rewards, we like to reward ourselves and feel good. But it’s not the same for punishments. So if you think you won’t end up following the punishment system, hand it over to someone else- someone who lives close to you, someone who cares about you. Let them be the ones to monitor your limits and reward and punish you accordingly.
If you get the urge to play, distract yourself with another activity
So you have already surpassed the limits for a day. You aren’t too high on money right now, but you repeatedly get the uncontrollable urge to gamble more. So instead of indulging the demon inside you pushing you to your misery, what you should do is search for distractions.
This distraction can be calling a friend and going out to spend time with them. Or you can spend time with your family, play with your kids and such. Maybe you can read a book or watch a series. Or you can go outside for a jog, or do other sports like rowing, soccer, basketball, cycling, and such. You can also do yoga. These will not only distract you but also activate your feel-good chemicals and lift your mood.
See gambling as entertainment, not a source of income
This is so important. People who are low on income start gambling to get some money easily, but at some point, they start treating it like a job instead of something that should only be done during leisure time. But here is the truth, gambling is not a reliable source of income.
Gambling is based purely on luck, and not much of it depends on your skills. You can win money one moment and lose it all the next. You can go from a millionaire to a beggar within the blink of an eye. That’s why gambling is so dangerous, and that’s also why many people get addicted to it. But if you see it as a form of entertainment, like how you would sometimes play mobile games to pass your free time, or watch a movie, then it will put it into a different perspective. You will only play when you feel like you need some entertainment. And you’ll look for other, stable jobs to make your main source of income.
And now you know how to prevent yourself from getting addicted to gambling. A little care and caution can save you from a lifetime of regrets, so do keep all of these in mind when you play with EpicWin. Nevertheless, please do always bear in mind to safeguard your earnings as well as your winnings. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy life!
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