Gambling can take place anywhere, from race tracks, casinos, family room poker games to online slot machines. With so many options available, compulsive gamblers are never far away from temptation which can lead to addiction. It’s a very real issue, one that affects people of all backgrounds and temperaments. No matter what the stage, if you, a family member, or a friend are dealing with a gambling addiction, it’s important to address the root cause as soon as possible. Maui Recovery meets many families struggling to get help for their troubled loved ones. Several refuse to disclose where they’ve been or where their money goes. We can help you dig out the shame and deep pain hiding under the surface and put you on the road to recovery. The need to place the next bet, throw the next chip, or hit the “win” can be a distant memory.
What Is Gambling Addiction Exactly?
Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling, is a type of impulse-control disorder that affects more and more people each year. Individuals with a gambling or gaming addiction have little to no control of the impulse to gamble. Gambling is the focus for those addicted, even when they know their gambling is hurting themselves or their loved ones. Gambling is all an addicted individual can think about and want to do, no matter the consequences. Those with gambling addiction keep the game going and stakes high whether they’re up or down, pennyless or flush, extremely happy or depressed. No matter if the odds are against them, even if they cannot afford to lose, people with a gambling addiction play all the way. With the stakes that high, there is nothing to lose by restoring yourself at a gambling rehab facility. Taking the first step by seeking someone personally or professionally to help with gambling addiction is imperative to winning your life back.
How To Tell If Someone Has A Gambling Addiction
Those affected by gambling addiction tend to ignore their own self responsibilities as well as responsibilities to family, friends, and work. Chances are, that if you tend to be preoccupied with gambling then you risk your own life slowly coming apart. Behaviors such as throwing tremendous money into bets or games, chasing losses, or gambling despite serious consequences, reveal that you may have a gambling problem. Still not sure? Here are some symptoms that you may need to restore yourself at a gambling rehab facility:
- Feel the need to be very discrete and secretive about your gambling behavior. You feel others won’t understand you or will be quick to judge. So you gamble in secret or out of sight and hope to surprise them with the next big win or avoid them after a devastating loss.
- Have trouble controlling your gambling. Once you start gambling, you find it very hard to just stop and walk away. You feel compelled to gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, upping your bets to chase lost money back.
- Use money that you don’t have to gamble, even other people’s money. A red flag is when you are getting more and more desperate to recoup your losses. You may gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar, and then move on to money you don’t have- money to pay bills, credit cards, or things for your children. You may feel pushed to borrow, sell, or even steal things for gambling money, leaving you in a vicious cycle. You may sincerely even believe that gambling more money is the ONLY way to win lost money back.
- Family and friends are worried about your health, finances, & well-being. Denial keeps gambling addiction going. When friends and family become worried, take that as a sign to re-evaluate your actions carefully.
Self-Treatment For Gambling Addiction Is A Great Start Toward Recovery
Self treatment, or at the very minimum self awareness, of a possible gambling addiction is a great first step toward the recovery process. One way to stop yourself from compulsive gambling is to find the source, or root cause. Analyzing what is needed for gambling to occur, and then removing those elements from your life is essential. Learning to replace them with healthier choices can be a proactive way to keep an addicted individual distracted from gambling habits. The next four elements outlined are in fact needed for gambling addiction to continue:
- The Decision: Before gambling occurs, the decision to gamble has been made. If you have an urge to gamble, stop what you are doing and call someone! Then think about the consequences to your actions, how it affects your loved ones and your personal life. Keep yourself from thinking about gambling by having a distraction, or find something else to do immediately.
- Money: Gambling cannot occur without monetary objects or money. Get rid of your credit cards if you have to! Or let someone else be in charge of your money, such as the bank to make automatic payments for you. Keeping a limited amount of cash on you at all times is also a good idea.
- Time: Gambling cannot occur if you don’t have or make the time. Schedule enjoyable recreational time for yourself that has nothing to do with gambling. Such as time for relaxation, rest, or even planned outings with your family.
- A game: Without a game or activity to bet on, there is no opportunity to gamble. Don’t put yourself in tempting environments or locations that invite gambling behavior. Communicating to gambling establishments you frequent that you have a gambling problem is one way. And even further, you can ask them to restrict you from betting at their casinos and establishments. Another great way to deter home gambling addiction is to block online gambling sites on your computer.
Restore Yourself At A Gambling Rehab Facility In Maui
At Maui Recovery, we welcome, nurture, and care for individuals and families through their journey of recovery by empowering their restoration & healing from addiction. We provide dynamic programs that address the “Whole Self” or the person as a whole. Therefore, transforming a shame core to a love core, and cultivating meaningful human connection, intimacy, and purposeful living. The Hawaiian word Ohana, “coming from the same root,” refers to an inclusive and extended family. It expresses the very heart of Maui Recovery, the best place to restore yourself at a gambling rehab facility in Maui. At Maui Recovery we’re certain the process is real. And that reversing the breakdown of mind, body, and spirit that gambling addiction has created is possible. Our staff has seen countless people recover from what often appears as a hopeless condition.
If you are looking for a place to restore yourself at a gambling rehab facility in Maui, then our secret paradise is the place for you. At Maui Recovery, we look forward to facilitating a path of healing and recovery for you or a loved one struggling with gambling addiction. We offer unique and proven successful recovery therapies that are not found anywhere else.
Nature Immersion And Adventure Therapy Options
At Maui Recovery, we try to create a variety of Nature Immersion/Adventure Therapy opportunities where clients can also experience just such a potentially life-saving “shift”. Such Adventure Therapy options include: Snorkeling, Hiking, Outrigger Canoeing, and even Agricultural Farming within the community. We take a different approach to therapy by removing the clinical setting and focusing on experiencing change in a more natural setting.
Nature Immersion Therapy can be even more powerful and transformative when the struggling person begins to understand the deeper significance of certain experiences. In Jungian psychology, eminent psychiatrist Carl Jung pointed out that there are certain universal myths and archetypes that help us to not only better understand our lives, but also the universe around us. These myths and archetypes–often found in nature–can imbue our lives and our experiences with unimaginable power and meaning.
So often, the struggling gambling addict feels lost and devoid of a healthy sense of self or of a sense of purpose in their lives. But when they can finally begin to re-frame their experiences using the intrinsic power of archetypes such as the “hero’s journey”, they can then begin to understand and re-frame their addiction. Thus, the person suffering from gambling addiction can now begin to see the adversity of their addiction as an opportunity to be the archetype of “the hero”. When that occurs, unimaginable magic and self healing can happen!
At Maui Recovery we are the world’s only addiction recovery program that uses Myth, Archetype, and “the Hero’s journey” as an intrinsic part of our recovery program. We also employ master-level clinicians that are trained to help guide each client through this “Hero’s Journey”–all while using the magical, mythical island of Maui as an essential element and ingredient in this transformative experience. What better place to immerse yourself in nature, then Maui, HI!
Surf Therapy Option
A very recent development is psychotherapy treatment, Surf Therapy has proven to be quite a successful option for some overcoming addiction. It is widely used for veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat stress, depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other life-threatening injuries. Today, addiction psychiatrists find relevant uses for Surf Therapy programs to treat substance abuse, gambling addiction, and other mental health issues and concerns.
The physical challenges of surfing parallel the emotional and mental processes that each client has long avoided. For those who are removing themselves from gambling addiction, surfing is a metaphor for balance. Therefore, allowing clients to think outside the box as they learn how to balance their internal processes.
Think of a trip to Maui as a sacred journey. The reason why so many healers choose Maui for retreats is because of its unique energy. The energetic nature of surfing creates such an impact, that it’s a way to hit the body’s reset button. Visitors can create a new vibration for their energetic system. Experiencing our Surf Therapy plan is a way to experience and restore yourself at a gambling rehab facility in Maui.
Equine Therapy Option
Horses may not be able to speak verbally like humans, but their ability to sense the feelings and emotions to those around them make them wonderful examples of communicators. Years of untreated gambling addiction can cause addicted individuals to become emotionally distant and anxious during social situations. Equine Therapy benefits an addicted individual by creating a better understanding of your communication patterns and how they can be improved. Horses also serve as an emotional mirror, if you approach them with fear, they will inevitably become frightened. While on the other hand, greeting a horse with confidence and love will instantly put them at ease.
Those seeking a way to restore yourself at a gambling rehab facility usually live a lifestyle not conducive for their self-esteem and pride. The individual in recovery will likely struggle with feelings of worthlessness and shame. But, equine therapy gives an addicted individual the opportunity to remind them of their own self worth. By caring for and building trust with horses, our clients can reaffirm within themselves that they can have a positive influence on others. Hence why Maui Recovery offers this type of therapy as a unique solution to addiction recovery.
Equine Therapy also helps a gambling addicted individual learn about the importance of boundary setting. Horses are not shy when it comes to letting someone know when their personal boundaries have been crossed. If you approach a horse with aggression, they will communicate with you instantly that your behavior is not acceptable. Also, if you are too emotionally detached, communication with the horse will become a struggle. Gambling addicted individuals in recovery may struggle to set healthy boundaries at first, but Equine Therapy allows Maui Recovery clients to practice this skill-set. While there is no replacement for counseling, this type of therapy can be a wonderful addition to any comprehensive treatment center.
Contact Maui Recovery today! We know first hand the pain and suffering that comes from addiction, and we here to help you restore yourself at a gambling rehab facility in Maui!
