Gambling (Gently Overcoming It)

Hello guys,

It's Reuben here.

And so in terms of gambling,

Chasing a feeling,

Chasing that feeling and not knowing exactly when it's going to come,

So similar to any other addiction,

Whether it involves substances or not,

But this one,

Chasing a feeling and not quite knowing exactly when it's going to come is why it's so,

So enticing to continue.

You're not failing because you keep going back.

You're in a loop.

This is not your fault that you keep going back.

Your brain has been wired and these,

This wiring has got thicker and thicker and thicker.

And as a result of that,

It's just the default.

It's the default.

That's why I said that word enticing,

It just pulls you in.

You might even have the experience of even having the thoughts of don't do it,

Don't do it,

Don't do it.

And you just feel the pull,

Right?

You just feel the pull.

So it's not your fault,

But it's your responsibility.

If you choose to do something with it,

These loops can change.

These loops can change.

So what's really interesting is that dopamine peaks just before you've had a bet.

So there's this anticipation just before you've had a bet.

And it's actually that where the,

Where the,

Where the significant peak is.

And because of this,

There needs to be a bigger risk more and more and more over time.

So it can feel like,

Man,

I need more.

Obviously at times it's like I need more money,

Right?

But you're not,

It's not about chasing money.

You're chasing a feeling.

You're chasing a feeling.

And so there's the loop.

It's like the anticipation with huge dopamine hit.

Then you have the bet.

Then there's the thrill.

If you win.

And then after this one,

After this loop,

It's like,

Oh,

And you'll be able to relate to this,

Right?

The times when you have won,

The likelihood of you having another bet has been really strong.

But most of the time you've got the loop.

You've got the anticipation,

Which again,

The dopamine is insanely high.

You put the bet on.

And then you have that just the moment of just before knowing there's that thrill of come on,

Come on,

Come on.

And then there's the loss.

Next time,

Next time,

Next time.

That's dopamine.

That's what happens.

The more you can let the anticipation rise and fall.

And I know it's easy for me to say this.

But I promise you,

People get over this.

People do get over this.

If they're willing to take the steps on their journey,

They can get over this.

The brain is running that loop.

But it doesn't have to be.

This is it.

This is a prediction,

Right?

This is the prediction.

And this is how it's always going to be.

By recognizing this is a loop and I want to do something about this.

You are you are halfway there just by recognizing this.

So I hope you find some resources here on Insight Timer that can help you with this.

And just know that every single time you can surf that urge.

Allowing it to peak and then letting it go without succumbing to gambling.

You are growing and you are not just getting the benefits in that moment of not spending the money.

You'll benefit in your future self.

And this all pulls back into what I was saying about the brain,

Right?

Because this is classic neuroscience.

This is classic neuroscience.

And when we start to do something a little different,

It feels strange.

It feels a bit off.

It feels overwhelming,

Uncomfortable,

Whatever.

But the more you can.

Again,

Surf those urges and not succumb to it.

Every time you do it,

Just from time to time,

It's a win.

I don't want to say to you,

You need to do this 100% of the time because I know that that's just not fair.

Robots can be programmed to do something 100% of the time.

But you're not a robot.

We're not robots.

Life's hard.

You might not have had much sleep.

You might have stress levels.

You might have financial problems.

You might have difficult neighbors.

You might have physical health problems,

Mental health problems,

Etc,

Right?

We're bombarded with so much stuff.

So what this is about is recognizing,

Hey,

Just now and again,

What might it be like for me to work on this?

And then see what happens in that flexible mindset of coming back again,

Even when you have slipped up,

Coming back again.

That's a win.

That's making a win out of the so-called loss of succumbing to the bet,

Right?

Spending the money.

It's like,

OK,

I've done it now.

Can I get back on track again?

Meaning,

Can I get back on track again without having a bet today,

Even though there's that pull?

It's super hard because of those massive spikes of dopamine,

But you can do it.

You can do it with gentle persistence.

I hope this video has helped you.