Many of us have gambled by playing in a casino, buying lottery tickets, betting on the horses, dogs, or sports, or just by playing a friendly game of poker with friends or family. But a compulsive gambling addiction goes far beyond this; compulsive gambling is the inability to resist impulses to gamble that leads to severe personal or social consequences. For a compulsive gambler, gambling is meeting deep emotional needs, and treating deep unhealed emotional pain. When a gambler is gambling, they have, hope, power, and a sense of worth and freedom that they do not normally have when they are not gambling. With online gambling now, it is even more tempting to become a compulsive gambler because you don't even have to go anywhere to gamble, you can sit in your bathrobe and gamble all day at home if you want. This unfortunately can become a terrible trap that keeps the gambler pouring all his money into his computer like a slot machine until he is broke, and then he can't even afford to pay the rent for his home. In order to try to recover their losses, a compulsive gambler may beg, borrow, steal, cheat, or do whatever is necessary to get more money. They lose family, friends, spouses, children, jobs, freedom, health, self-respect, and even their very lives sometimes, just to be able to gamble. It is pure insanity, and a nightmare from which they cannot wake up from. The deck is always stacked against you with compulsive gambling, and you lose all in the end.

Are you a compulsive gambler or not? Here are some of the symptoms.

1. Occasional gambling becomes habitual

2. Loss of control over time spent gambling

3. Gambling continues, whether winning or losing, until all money is lost or the game is terminated 

4. Gambling until large debts are accumulated 

5. Lack of concern for society's expectations and laws 

6. Resorts to unlawful behavior to support the habit and pay debts

Many gamblers also use drugs and alcohol to deal with the emotional pain they are creating from their gambling. When all those that loved you have finally walked away, and the creditors are circling around you like a pack of wolves, then some gamblers contemplate suicide because they see no way out. But no matter how deep or terrible your gambling problem has become, or how much damage has been done to your life, there is help and hope for you my friend. The first step is just facing the truth that you will never win with this addiction, ever. You will never be able to gamble responsibly again like other people do so you need to see that and believe it from your heart. This is true acceptance. The second thing you must do is to let God take over your life and start helping you for real. He is the only one that can untangle the mess you've made, and put your life back together. Your surrender must be full and unconditional. God is not some floaty spirit hanging around the cosmos, He is your loving Father that knows everything about you, and exactly what needs to be done to help you. God will help you "as is", right where you are at.

Treatment may be necessary, but you don't need to wait for an intervention to go there. There are many places that you can start communicating with now to get into treatment. You may need to get away from the creditors and angry family members for a while anyway, to kind of get your emotional head above water long enough to begin to heal. Treatment can actually be a great blessing to you, and it is likely that you will be with others who are recovering from gambling as well, so you are on a level playing field with them. You can learn a lot from others who are recovering just like you are. Getting good counseling may also be necessary because gambling is meeting deep emotional needs, and treating more deep emotional pain from your past than you might think. You must heal to stop. You see, in order to change the diseased fruit being produced on a tree, you will have to get to the roots and heal them first. Has what you have done worked so far, or made things worse? Gambling is nothing more than "life cheating"; God needs us to obey the rules He has made so that He can help us. If you mean business with God, and those He has sent to help you, you will recover, and your life can be healed and made worth living again.

Here is a prayer to pray if you need it.

"Dear God, I ask your forgiveness for making an idol out of gambling and trying to find happiness and fulfillment in life through it, rather than you. I ask God that you would help me to stop gambling, and heal my heart from the pain that has been fueling my need and desire to gamble. I also ask for your forgiveness for everything that I have done that has hurt people while I have been gambling. Please help those I've hurt to forgive me as well. I surrender my will to you this day God, without reservation or condition, and I ask that you would show me what to do next to recover from this terrible addiction, and then help me to do it. I thank you for hearing my prayers this day oh God, and for helping me just because you love me. In Jesus name I pray, amen."

Some scriptures to help you.