Activities to do instead of gambling!

[blastoise (facilitator)]

Hi Spendthrift,

Thanks for posting such a varied list, especially with the Bunnings workshops, I never knew they existed! I have just signed up for one in the next week.

Thanks again!

Regards
Blastoise

[JinxyWolf]

I've only just started here so I've been thinking about other activities to occupy my mind. I see some fantastic ideas here which is great.
I'm partial to drawing myself. it is a passion I've had since I was a kid. However with all my spare time taken up with gambling or thinking about gambling it has something that I have not been able to focus on. I look forward to rediscovering this passion once again.
I also find a round of golf very relaxing if not somewhat frustrating..LOL...

[Earth]

its really hard to know what is good. when im depressed from losses nothing ill work for me.

[Jerry (facilitator)]

Hi Earth,

It's really hard to feel passionate about something after a big loss. I think it is easier to find alternatives to gambling first. Often this takes planning. A lot of people don't think about what they are going to do instead of gambling until they have a urge. It works much better to identify your high risk times and to plan activities for them in advance.

Know you will be tempted to gamble on payday? Organise dinner with a friend that day, or buy tickets to a show (Cheaper than gambling).

It's by planning ahead that we can beat cravings.

What do you think you can do to beat your next craving?

[Pat23]

Hey guys I have plenty of things to keep me busy eg 2year old border Collie Gardening business my problem is my thoughts and feelings that come with them I use gambling to escape my mind and feelings or stress any suggestions?

[blastoise (facilitator)]

Hi Pat23,

You raise a really good point actually, and something that often needs to be explored before one can know how to effectively manage urges! I would consider two parts when answering you:

1. What is my motivation to gamble - you mentioned stress...is it a way to escape these other things that consume a lot of your time?

2. What do you think are your urges to gamble? - I often ask people to separate them into two groups:

Internal - what are the thoughts and feelings that trigger you to gamble? - Thoughts are things like "I deserve it", "Just one game" etc, the things you tell yourself, even though they may sound ridiculous! The second part is feelings - what emotions do you find that trigger your gambling? Feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, boredom, happiness etc?

External - what are the things that occur in the environment around you that may lead you to gamble? Some examples are: certain people, payday etc

Write down some ideas, and see what you have. Your answers will help you to know what triggers you need to work on (with some help of course!)
Feel free to inbox/PM me if you need to, there are some telephone counselling services depending on what state you live in.

Good luck and keep us posted!


Regards,
Blastoise

[jimi68]

just been reading through some of these posts.
so many good ideas...
I used to play pokies as a substitute for going out .
I thought I was socializing.
A way for an introvert to feel like there out there.
After reading here I decided to break it into 2 categories

1.things to do instead when I'm by myself (which is most of the time)

2.things I can add to get me out there involved with others.

ill probably have more ones than twos
but that's ok.

right now my playstation is king.

[jimi68]

Maybe volunteer for the RSPCA, or The Salvos,
or something like that.

[Shirley (facilitator)]

Excellent ideas everyone!

Don't forget to carve out some time in your day for self care too. Even 20 minutes where you might read a book, listen to relaxing music, take a hot bath / shower, colour in, go for a walk, make a nice meal, paint, draw, dance, create, knit, walk the dog, pet the cat, get your hair done - there are so many ideas and the point is we all need to make ourselves a priority.

Regards,

Shirley

[Maro]

Im finding it really hard to remember what i enjoy doing it feels like i haven't donw anything else for ages I need to remember what I love