Gambling in Singapore is a big issue and it is cropping up like anything with more and more people getting addicted to it. In fact, while surveys indicate that gambling addiction has gone down significantly, there are also anecdotal evidence from social services that contradict this, citing more addicts seeking help in the past few years. Some people may think gambling is an easy way to get rich. But, it is one of the easiest ways to create a mountain of debt that will ruin you and your family. If you are having trouble controlling your gambling addiction, here are few steps you should take immediately.
Take help from Enlisted Helplines of Counseling Services
Friends and family have your best interest at heart, but they may not lack the professional experience or expertise to help you overcome your problem. If your gambling problem is severe, we would recommend you to seek out help of professional organizations that have dealt with many gambling addicts over a long period of time.
This is actually a fairly common practice with about 20,000 helpline calls and webchats received by the National Council on Problem Gambling each year.
If you are seeking professional help, there are many such services listed on the the National Council on Problem Gambling website, some of which we list below.
Hotline for Gambling Addiction Help
The National Problem Gambling Helpline: 1800-6668-668
National Addictions Management Service: 6732-6837
Likeside Family Services: 6265-6522
Gambling Therapy: 1800-7867-669
Blessed Grace Social Services: 8428-6377
The Cabin Singapore: 3158-9949
Seek alternative to Sketchy loans
If you have a gambling problem, you more than likely have already incurred some debt from loan sharks and moneylenders. This is an extremely dangerous financial move. These these lenders charge astronomical interest rates on your loans, your loan can, your loan can grow out of proportion extremely quickly if you don’t pay them off immediately. Once the loan grows to an amount you can’t repay, you and your family could even face various harassments and threats from the lenders. To avoid such a situation, you should get a personal loan from a bank to immediately pay off your other “sketchy” debt. Bank personal loans cost a fraction of a loan from a loan shark, and can be used for any purposes ranging from vacations to paying off your casino debt. Not only that, banks typically only require you to make S$30,000 or more of annual income to qualify.
Personal loans will still cost you, but they are going to be your best option to secure a large amount of funding quickly to pay off your dangerous debtors.
Refrain yourself from gambling of all forms
Every habit has an identical 3-step pattern: reminder, routine and reward. Each time we encounter a stimulus, we take an action in order to get a reward we crave. In case of gambling, this could be hearing about an opportunity (reminder), making a bet (routine) and getting the dopamine rush as you wait for the result or even win (reward). Therefore, to stop gambling, you must delete everything that reminds you of gambling from your life. If you have friends that gamble with you, stop all communications with them. If you make bets on sports, stop watching sports. Gambling addiction is an extreme and dire problem that requires extreme solutions.
Keep yourself busy and build a good habit
Studies have also shown that habits can’t be deleted; they can only be replaced. Quitting gambling is a long-term lifestyle change that requires a lot of effort. Taking up another healthy habit like exercising that can satisfy your brain’s needs for endorphin and dopamine could drastically increase your chance of success greatly. If done properly, investing your money with a rigorous research process and a thoughtful strategy could also be a good alternative to gambling.
