A Healthier Relationship with Gambling

Ready to make some changes? Interested in quitting, reducing, or just playing safer?

Oregonians get a FREE 1-year subscription to the new EVIVE App ($150 value):

  • Track your gambling
  • Create a custom toolkit
  • Join a private community
  • Find education and resources

Learn more!

Make a Change

By visiting this page, you taken an important first step towards changing your relationship with gambling. You recognize that you have the power to make positive choices about how you want to manage your time, your dollars and your well-being.  This page offers options to help you make those choices and make them stick. Whether you just want to cut down, take a break for a while, quit all together or simply be more mindful about how you gamble, we have tactics and tools, a supportive community, and resources to help you make a plan that works for you and your goals.

Understand Your Relationship with Gambling

To make any change successful, you’ll want to know where you’re starting from. Often called a baseline, understanding how much of your time and money goes into gambling now will help you decide on attainable goals and adjustments you can make to get where you want to be.

The good news is, there are many tools available that make it easy for you to track your wins, losses and time spent on gambling. Even if you don’t change anything at all, understanding how often and how much you currently play helps create a more mindful relationship with gambling.

Follow the link below to download a variety of worksheets that you can print out and complete. These worksheets are an excellent tool to help you understand your relationship with gambling and were developed by Gamcare for their workbook “Changing your Relationship with Gambling”. Gamcare is the leading UK provider of information, advice, and support for anyone affected by gambling harms.

 

GamCare Workbook

Budgeting Tools

While not specifically built for gambling, you can try one of these free budgeting apps to help you track your expenses and learn powerful insights about your spending habits.

When you think of the past 12 months, have you bet more than you could really afford to lose?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Still thinking about the last 12 months, have you needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

When you gambled, did you go back another day to try to win back the money you lost?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Have you felt that you might have a problem with gambling?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Has gambling caused you any health problems, including stress or anxiety?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Have people criticized your betting or told you that you had a gambling problem, regardless of whether or not you thought it was true?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

Have you felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?

Almost always Most of the time Sometimes Never

High Risk

Your score indicates problematic gambling with serious negative consequences. We encourage you to explore this site for options to help. Whether you just want to chat with a professional, get more information, or be referred for counseling, you’ll be connected to the resources that are right for you. We can help you make changes your way. (It’s free and confidential).

Moderate Risk

Your score indicates that you are experiencing negative consequences with gambling and may want to explore making changes. Explore options for cutting back, taking a break, or even quitting. Reach out to us on this site to speak to a professional who gets it and can help you make changes your way. (It’s free and confidential).

Low Risk

Your score indicates that you have experienced one or two minor problems with gambling but have not had any serious negative consequences related to gambling. This might be a good time to think about your relationship with gambling and develop safer play strategies.

Strategies to lower gambling risk – including tools for budgeting and tracking.

Safer Play

Your score indicates you are using safer play strategies and have a healthy relationship with gambling. We want to help you keep it that way.

Find tools and resources – including budgeting and tracking tools.

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Take the Gambling Risk Quiz

Perspective is another strong tool to help you decide which changes will be most impactful for you. Just answer a few quick questions to help you see how your gambling behaviors compare to others and better understand the level of risk you are taking.

Set Your Change Goals

It can be really powerful to decide on a goal. You may be familiar with “Dry January” where participants step away from drinking alcoholic beverages for a predefined time, or “Sober Curious” where people explore different ways to see what life is like without alcohol. What if you applied those same ideas to gambling?

Studies show that making small changes can lead to significant improvements. Many people find success in taking a break, cutting down or following scientifically backed guidelines for moderation. What’s most important is to focus on now what will work for you right now. Set any goal you think might help you – the possibilities are endless so long as you make a change in a healthier direction.

Take a Break
Try some time away from gambling and you might learn that a more balanced lifestyle leaves you with improved finances, lower anxiety, more time for family and friends and an overall better outlook. If you find the idea of an extended period of time overwhelming, set a smaller goal like three days in a row – hit that, and make your goals tougher as you achieve them.

Cut Down
If you’re gambling more or more often than you want to, consider cutting down:

  • If you’re currently gambling most days, pick a few days off.
  • Replace one hour of gambling with one hour of exercise or exploring the outdoors three times per week.
  • If you tend to drink when you gamble, consider gambling only when you are not drinking.

Follow Moderation Guidelines
The Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines are the result of an intensive research effort and provide data-informed advice for people who gamble to do so in a way that lowers their risk of experiencing harm from gambling.

  • Gamble no more than 1% of your household income before tax per month.
  • Gamble no more than four days per month.
  • Avoid regularly gambling at more than two types of games.

Track Your Progress and Create New Habits

Now that you’ve set some goals it’s important to keep track of them and review periodically to help you stay accountable and identify any patterns that need adjustment. This is also a great time to get in the habit of engaging in some new activities you genuinely enjoy and that align with your interests. If you’re transitioning away from gambling, you may want to explore activities which not only provide a dopamine rush but also contribute to your overall well-being. Activities that fill the void constructively and promote a healthier lifestyle.

Tracking Your Goals & Habits
There are so many resources available to help you manage positive change in your life. They don’t need to be specific to gambling to help you cut back either. The most important thing is that you have a tool or system to track your progress and navigate your adjustments. Maybe one of these will work for you.

Creating New Habits
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure reward and you can engage in various healthy and enjoyable non-gambling activities that trigger its release. The key is to find activities you genuinely enjoy and that align with your interests.

Support Your Change

Always remember that you never have to do any of this alone. Resources and support exist for everything from software that blocks gambling content, online communities, places to just talk with people navigating changes in their gambling and professional support including counseling.

Bet Blocker
BetBlocker is a free tool that enables you to set restrictions on your gambling on any personal device you choose. It is a powerful, flexible tool that covers thousands of gaming sites. You and your personal data are always totally anonymous with BetBlocker.

Communities
It’s easy to connect with communities of people exploring ways to adjust their gambling behaviors. Places like Reddit and Gamtalk can provide valuable insights and encouragement by connecting you to people who understand the changes you’re trying to make. Your family and friends might be a good resource as well. Not only will a friend, partner or community help your morale as you navigate your change journey, but studies show that accountability (especially to someone you know) is one of the strongest ways to create lasting change.

Professional Support
Whether it’s just to talk it out or explore some counseling, you are on the website that can get you connected to someone that can help. Just scroll up for all the links to chat, text or call. There’s no pressure or judgement to commit to anything, just real people who can listen and get you connected with a support program to help you cut back or stop gambling when you’re ready.