Breaking Free
How To Stop Gambling

A self-help workbook for people with a gambling problem and their loved ones, featuring practical exercises and worksheets.

Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE (Edited by), Venetia Leonidaki (Edited by)

9781911623922, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 June 2022

158 pages
25.4 x 17.8 x 0.8 cm, 0.35 kg

'The book is engaging and properly conveys its goal of attaining abstinence from the addiction. It is hope-filled and provides numerous opportunities for journaling and considering the dangers of gambling and its impact on the brain. Overall, this book is a good read and an even better workbook to help problem gamblers find their way out of addiction.' Charla S. Waxman, Doody's Reviews

Have you ever lied about your gambling habits to anyone, or tried to conceal the fact you've gambled? Have you ever bet more than you could afford to lose, or gone back the next day to try and win back the money you've lost? Your gambling may be becoming problematic and it's time to seek help. Breaking Free: How to Stop Gambling is a self-help workbook, packed full of practical exercises, worksheets and questionnaires, designed to help you assess the extent of your gambling problem, and develop strategies to combat it. The materials use a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach to guide you through practical steps and techniques that can help you take back control of your habit. All of the materials have been developed by leading experts in the field and are evidence-based interventions, and are designed to help you to break free from your gambling problem.

Preface Henrietta Bowden-Jones
1. Introduction Venetia Leonidaki
2. How do I know if I have a gambling problem? Andre Geel
3. I should quit but I don't want to”: increasing motivation Dolors Manuel-Riu
4. “Buying Time”: limiting access to money and gambling Zoe Delaneyer
5. How gambling hijacks your brain Amanda Roberts & Steve Sharman
6. Retraining the brain: Rewarding yourself Georgina Luck
7. Coping with cravings and urges Antony Malvasi
8. “Catching” and limiting triggers early Dolors Manuel-Riu
9. Things to do when you don't gamble Venetia Leonidaki
10. The thinking traps driving gambling Venetia Leonidaki
11. Challenging gambling thinking and beliefs Frank Ryan
12. How to get back on track after a slip Annika Lindberg
13. Don't “switch on” the auto-pilot: future planning Ryan Kemp
14. How important others can help Jenny Cousins & Becky Harris
15. Final Remarks Venetia Leonidaki & Henrietta Bowden-Jones
Appendix Emmert Roberts.

Subject Areas: Gambling: theories & methods [WDP], Self-help & personal development [VS], Coping with personal problems [VFJ], Clinical psychology [MMJ], Psychiatry [MMH], Mental health services [MBPK]