For Better or For Worse
Are you married to a gambling addict? Has this gambling addiction got into the way of your marriage? Then here are the things you may want to avoid if you have gambling addict for a husband or wife.
First and foremost, you should never think that you can control his or her gambling addiction by yourself. Surely, the environment has a lot to do in changing a problem gambler, and undeniably, the home is the main environment here.
As a wife or a husband, you can help in curing problem gambling by hiding away your partner's gambling books or magazines, and any other materials in your home that are related to gambling. However, this is not enough. Even if you fight with your partner, shout at him or her just to stop him or her gambling addiction, it would not be a guarantee that he or she will stop.
What must be done is that the addicted gambler must realize that he has this gambling addiction and needs to be treated. If you continually nag your gambling-addicted husband or wife, but he or she denies the addiction, he or she would just believe that you do not want him or her to be happy, and will resent you. He or she will begin hiding things from you, primarily his gambling actions, and seriously, you do not want that to happen.
Also, you should never join the problem gambler in his denial, and make up excuses for him. This is a false sense of loyalty, for you are only tolerating, or even worsening your partner's addiction to gambling. You should help him or her by inventing stories just so to hide his addiction from others.
Another form of tolerance which you should not do is to join your addicted husband or wife in gambling. You will just give him or her, this feeling that what he or she does is right. You should establish that there is a difference between problem gambling and casual gambling, and you cannot teach him or her that while he or she is still addicted. By joining him or her in gambling, your partner will be convinced that there is nothing wrong in his or her gambling practices because if there had been, then you should not be there with him or her, but you are.
What you need to do is seek help from professionals or organizations which are experienced with handling cases of gambling addiction. You will learn from them what you and your partner need to do to be able to get rid of this addiction to gambling. 
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