How to Stop Gambling On Slots, Fruit Machines and Pokies

If you want to stop gambling on slots, fruit machines, and pokies, read on. This form of gambling is known as the "crack cocaine" of gambling addiction, and this is why it is so hard to break the habit. Playing slots, fruit machines, and pokies has a way of hypnotizing you into a trance. You may think you are forgetting your problems, but you can really develop a compulsive gambling addiction when playing these gaming machines.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A desire and willingess to stop gambling on slots, fruit machines, pokies, or video lottery terminals.

1. Make a deliberate decision to quit gambling on slots, fruit machines, pokies, and video lottery terminals. Make a commitment to yourself that you do not want to continue wasting money on this bad habit.

2. Call all local gambling casinos and tell them that you want yourself taken off their mailing lists so you do not get offers in the mail to go the casino and gamble away your hard-earned money.

3. If you really have a compulsive gambling addiction and want to stop for good, consider putting yourself on the casino self-exclusion list. When you do this, you have a choice of how long you would like to self-exclude

4. Consider joining Gamblers Anonymous or another support group to help you stop your slots habit. You will see many compulsive gamblers at these meetings that also have an addiction to slots, fruit machines, pokies, and video lottery terminals.

5. Seek professional counseling of your slot machine addiction is very severe and you are suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts.

6. This step is an intellectual one. Remember the odds are truly stacked against you when you play the slots, pokies, fruit machines, or video lottery terminals. You will lose valuable money and valuable time, and continue losing time and time again. The casinos make most of their revenue from these money taking machines.

7. Fill your time with other activities to fill the void that your slots habit filled. Make new friends and re-engage in activities that you once took part in but stopped because of your gambling habit.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not give up after several attempts at trying to stop slots, fruit machines, or VLT's.
• Remember that it takes time to break bad habits and develop new ones.
• If you are in serious debt, please see a financial counselor to ease your financial pressures. Make sure this is a non-profit one.

Resources

• Stop Gambling Addiction From Destroying Your Life