Are there any natural remedies that help break a gambling addiction?

I recently found out a family member struggles with this. He's going to gambler's anonymous, but he's still having lots of set backs. I don't know if there's any depression or bipolar disorder on his side of the family, but I've read that this sort of addiction can be chemical, something to do with norepinephrine.

This is not just a bad habit. It's an addiction. He trembles when he talks about it. He and his family are low income, no insurance. It's mostly lottery-type gambling.

Anyone have any good resources or success in helping people kick the habit? Is there an herbal equivalent of the prescription drug to curb gambling?

I have a brother that is a gambling addict. Gamblers anoynomous did not help him. Unfortunately, all the talk of gambling at the meets made him want to gamble more. He felt a need to gamble to have something to talk about at the next meeting. He signed up for self exclusion at the casinos and that did not work either. He gambled tens and tens of thousands of dollars while on their banned list. The bank just kept on giving him more and more credit. One one one counselling seemed to help the most, but he stopped going. I only found out my brother was gambling when he emptied a joint account we co-owned. My brother is not into drugs, does not have any other mental illnesses, works full time and goes to church almost every week. Yet, he is sick and will lie to my face so well and swear on my mom's dead grave that he has stopped. It is an addiction. My advice is to to take over that person's finaces and give him a weekly salary. They will only stop when they go bankrupt otherwise. It effects the whole family. I suggest you all go for counselling. Good luck. I'm sorry. I don't have an answer. I moved out and really don't know if my brother still gambles. It was making me physically and mentally sick and giving me an eating disorder watching him throw away his inheritance.

Sheer Will Power

Yea it's called Gamblers Anonymous. It is the only known treatment for addiction. I am not a big gambler but I know that N,A. & A.A. saved my life from drug addiction.

Set backs are common in recovery. I've been in recovery since 2001 and I have relapsed several times, don't let it get you or him down. A relapse is not failure it is part of the desiese. They don't last long and get fewer and farther between as time goes on. The import thing is that he admits he has a problem and never quits quitting.

sometimes replacing one addiction with another could help maybe

He is a sure remedy. STOP DOING IT.Addictions are for weak people. If they want to really stop then they can do it without medicine or anything.

I wouldn't bet on it. There are some prescription medications that may be used for impulse control, but gambling is a behavior not easily treated by a pill, natural or synthetic.

There is no chemical imbalance or **** like that.That just throws people off so they can buy psychiatric medications,which helps maintain the problem but will never cure it.What this person needs is a paper where writes down his addiction and what it does to him and the people around him.He should sign it.If he feels like gambling he shouldlook at the paper,take a deep breath and put the paper back.Tell him to do something fun other than gambling,exercise,or read.HE SHOULD NEVER TOUCH ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH GAMBLING.Helphim he needs friends and family to get through this.

Valerian is good for anxiety, and St John's Wort is good for mild depression, both of which he may have. But he is making himself feel good with the high of the gambling. When he feels bad, he wants to feel good; he gambles, loses, and then feels shame..he feels bad, wants to feel good, and gambles. The only one that can help him break the cycle is HIM. Begging, nagging, and every thing else only makes it worse. His family needs to attend meetings, even if he doesn't. They need to learn how to set boundaries, and follow them. Just like a small child, an addict is dependent on others to keep them addicted. He is a small child in an adult body, and that fools people around him.
He may have lots of set backs, but if he continues to go to meetings, he eventually will learn how to help himself. If he is stubborn and doesn't want help, then the wife must take measures to protect her share of the money, however small. He will beg, threaten, cajole whine, etc to "play one more time". If the wife is the enabler, this will NOT go away. He cannot use other people's money, by borrowing, stealing or whatever to get his way. Only consequences turns some addicts around. Some never get better. But those with boundaries do not go down with an addict.

Well, the first step is always awareness. Does he know that he has a problem? You'll have to make him aware of it in a salient way.

Gambling is a purely psychological addiction. There is no magic herbal remedy to make it go away. What happens is this: Someone makes a small gamble and it pays off. This is a reward. So, the person who gambled is likely to do so again, and get infrequently rewarded for it, but a person is more likely to remember the times when he was rewarded, because of the sheer emotional impact.

Perhaps try having your family member keep a journal of his gambling experiences. Write down what he "invested" each time and what he "won", and this might help give him a more accurate picture of the effects on his gambling.

Also, encouraging your family member to get a new hobby that he will enjoy just as much will also help.

There no natural remedies but it take a lot of will power and strengh, lots of family and friend support, patience and sometimes someone else needs to take control of his finance so that he can't gamble, i had the same problem not to the extent but i eventually had to borrow money in my sisters name and she checks up on me all the time, it might be that he needs someone to take the responsibility for now, and it he really wants help than he will accept the fact that you or family will control ALL of his money. Its hard to do that to someone you care about but as the saying goes sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind, also contact gamcare they might be offer some assistance too.
Good Luck