Five years ago, I was betting on sports daily. 

Now, I can’t remember the last time I bet on sports.

Here’s how I stopped…

There’s this idea out there that people are always the same no matter what. And it couldn’t be further from the truth.

My sports betting habit wasn’t an instant awakening. There was moment after moment where I was forced to sit with myself.

By looking at the pattern, understanding it, and expressing myself when I wanted to gamble… I changed that reality.

One of the biggest moments of growth happened when I told my parents that I had been hiding this from them for years. I cried and cried and cried. I didn’t understand it, I didn’t know why this had such a grip on me, and I didn’t know what to do about it. They were incredibly supportive.

Telling them didn’t stop me from gambling in the future though.

I went back to gambling. I’m not sure exactly why. Boredom. Or maybe to attempt to make money. Or maybe because it became legal.

But I created evidence that gambling wasn’t serving me. Looking at the reason became increasingly important: what do I hope to get from this? 

One thing that really helped me was seeing the root:

I was betting on sports because I was scared to bet on myself.

Realizing this didn’t stop me from betting in the future, but it helped me see an important truth. I wasn’t betting on myself, my dreams… so I wanted to bet on someone else’s.

Every time sports betting has come back in my life, it’s been because of this truth.

I’m watching a NFL game right now. And I have no desire to bet. I am living my dream.

There was a moment last year I desired to bet on sports. So I opened up the Voice Memos on my phone. And I just spoke out what I was feeling. When I did this, I no longer desired to bet. You can journal, take a video of yourself.

Ultimately, we take actions because we aim to fulfill a need. Sometimes, we don’t need to take an action. We just need to be acknowledged. And often that person to acknowledge us can be… ourselves.

There’s also another way to stop a habit: simply decide. You are a person who doesn’t do X anymore. I am not a bettor. I a bettor bets and I am not betting.

And I think back to me watching the same game with the desire to bet on it. It’s a fundamentally different human.

I write all this because I know there is someone out there who is hurting from a habit that is taking over their life.

If that is you, ask yourself…

1. How can you use the support of the people who care about you?

2. What’s the root?

3. How do I express myself the moment this desire takes over my body?

4. Can I simply decide I’m not a person who does this habit anymore?