Let me give my 2 (and a half) cents why it is difficult to stop but it can be done as that's exactly what I did! For how long we shall see but I'm extremely determined!
First we can't stop because of the nature of the addiction. It creates monsters of us! We become something we are not. We think and act foolishly and irrationally. We want just 1 more bet or spin to recoup our losses and the more we want to win the more we get sucked into and can't stop! We keep losing, losing, losing, then we win but it's not enough as we've lost more then we want to win again and keep going until we lose everything. The saddest reason why someone can't stop is when it's not about money anymore but about the action and the rush to never end. Eventually it ends and this person runs to the ATM to get more money and feed the already drugged brain which is completely blocked out of rational thinking. In such situations someone needs to beat the hell out of that person in order to prevent him from gambling. It's extreme I know but as long as flight or fight response isn't initiated the brain will remain dead when it comes to rational thinking in that particular moment. If we could just watch a videotape of ourselves how desperate and stupid we look when we go to ATM to get money then return to casino or bookie then we should start thinking "Wtf I was doing how can I be so stupid?"
The same is valid for online gambling. We should look at our credit card statements and learn the painful truth how much money we've gambled away!!!
There are a ton of ways to stop gambling for good. All it takes is good will and determination to end the pact with the devil once and for all! Easier said than done I ######6 know it! Self-exclusion from all online gambling sites, installing software which blocks gambling websites, excluding from casino and bookmakers in real life. This is step 1. Step 2 would be to face reality and feel the pain! Let the anger, depression, sadness come and go away! Break furniture if you need to vent, cry, scream but don't gamble! The feelings must be lived and well remembered! Let we face what we've done to ourselves and those around us and ask ourselves if we want to continue like this. If we return to gambling to avoid reality we will show how weak we are and still need to work on ourselves! Escaping reality or the consequences from escaping reality is impossible. The soon this lesson is learned the better! Step 3 is accepting the reality, realizing what's been done can't be undone, letting go of losses and starting to rebuild our life. 1 day at a time is the key! There are no shortcuts for anything in life including recovering from gambling! As long as we keep moving forward we will reach our goal. As long as we stay gambling free things will get better, we will start to feel better and will never want to return to our darkest moments in life when we were gambling like lunatics. Step 4 is to never ever again challenge any form of gambling or try to have fun through gambling with a promise this time it will be all different. No it won't. It will always always always end the same! When urges will appear call or tell someone, do a reality check, ask yourself do you really want to go through hell all over again. Write down list of things what you lose when you gamble or how bad you've felt the last time and every time you gambled. Keep this list in your pocket or nearby. Read it every time you have urge. Watch a movie. Go to the gym. Do everything to keep yourself busy until rational part of the brain wins the battle! Step 5 is to be thankful for every GF day and remind yourself how beautiful is life without gambling. Tell yourself gambling does no good to anyone. Forgive yourself, love yourself, realize it was addiction that made you gamble and that is not who you are. Demotivate yourself when it comes to gambling. Say yourself "I will never ever ever ever ever make money on gambling no matter what I do". Don't ever try to challenge this statement! If it was profitable there wouldn't be casinos and bookmakers on every corner. Step 6: reward yourself to keep the dopamine level high.
Celebrate every anniversary of being GF. Go on a trip, buy yourself something, enjoy life and keep reminding yourself this is how you like to live the rest of your life. Don't think too much about gambling but in the back of your mind remind yourself that you don't want this good life taken away from you! Lucky step 7: congratulations you've successfully beaten the gambling addiction. You have suppressed it to the level it's not affecting your life anymore in any way but always beware that it's a longlife disease (I don't want to believe in this). It is still there waiting to attack you at your weakest point. Fight hard until the last day of your life to remain GF and prove to yourself you've lived the life of your dreams and you were in control of everything and not some stupid manageable disease!
Basically that's it more or less. Whether it is 7 or 70 steps go as many steps as you need to quit! Don't just stop because you will return again. Quit! Yes stopping is the first step, but quitting is the ultimate goal! Invest your money in some business idea, start something, put money in bank account where you can't touch them in the next 10 years no matter what - make such agreement with the bank if possible! The only thing you'll want to keep yourself demotivated in life is when it comes to gambling!!! Do whatever it takes to demotivate your brain from tricking you into gambling . - the more gambling we give him the more he wants. Once we stop giving him gamble he starts crying, whining and eventually gives up. I prefer to be winner in life, not in gambling! I highly suggest everyone picks this option because trust me... you will never regret this choice!!!