Do you want to learn more about lapses and relapse?
If you’ve successfully made the decision to change your gambling and are working towards your goal, remember that recovery is not always a straightforward path. There may be some obstacles and challenges along the way, and it’s important to be prepared for these potential setbacks.
One common challenge in the recovery process is experiencing a return to gambling. While this can be discouraging, try to understand that it is a common part of the recovery process, and doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve failed in your efforts to change your gambling.
The road to recovery is not always easy, but it is possible. By understanding the potential challenges and having a plan in place, you can get things back on track with your recovery and continue on a path towards lasting change.
Do you want to learn more about lapses and relapse?
If you have a family member or a friend who has made the decision to change their gambling and is working towards their goal, try to understand that recovery is not always a straightforward path. There may be some obstacles and challenges along the way, and it’s important for both of you to be prepared for these potential setbacks.
One common challenge in the recovery process is experiencing a return to gambling. While this can be discouraging for both of you, try to understand that it is a common part of the recovery process.
If your family member or friend does have this type of setback, you can be there for them. Let them know that it's normal to have setbacks and it doesn't mean they've failed. You can encourage them to get back on track with their recovery.
By understanding that recovery is not always easy and that there may be obstacles along the way, your family member or friend will be more likely to feel comfortable talking to you about their gambling. This will help them stay on track with their recovery and make lasting changes.
Do you want to learn more about lapses and relapse?
It’s important for professionals working with people who have made the decision to change their gambling and are working towards their goals that recovery is not always a straightforward path. The person you’re working with may face obstacles and challenges along the way, and you can help them prepare for these potential setbacks.
One common challenge in the recovery process is experiencing a return to gambling. While this can be discouraging for them, try to help them understand that it is a common part of the recovery process.
If they have this type of setback, you can offer support and encouragement. Let them know that it's normal to have setbacks and it doesn't mean they've failed. You can encourage them to get back on track with their recovery.
By understanding that recovery is not always easy and that there may be obstacles along the way, you can help them stay on track with their recovery and make lasting changes. Creating a supportive and understanding environment can help them feel comfortable talking to you about their gambling, which can ultimately support their recovery.
What are gambling lapses and relapses?
A lapse is a one-off slip, which involves a person gambling when they didn’t intend to. It’s normal for people to have lapses when they’re trying to change their gambling. Sometimes, people can quickly get back on track and go back to positive behaviours after a lapse. But sometimes, a lapse can turn into a relapse, which means a return to previous levels of gambling, which can last for days, weeks, or longer.
When people decide to change their gambling, they may feel very confident that they won’t gamble again. But sometimes, even after a long time has passed, people can fall back into old habits and gamble again. It’s important for people to stay positive and believe that they can stay on track, but it’s also smart to plan ahead for the future.
“It is not a surprise if there is a relapse or a slip up, or if someone ends up in a rough spot again, because that is just the nature of it,” Oscar, Peer Support Worker.
Why do lapses and relapses happen?
When someone experiences a lapse or relapse in their gambling, it doesn't come out of nowhere. There is usually a series of events that lead up to it.
Background factors, such as family history, social support, and mental health, can make some people more likely to have a relapse than others. If someone has more of these factors, they are more likely to relapse.
High-risk situations can trigger people to gamble, even when they hadn’t planned to. This is because when people gamble in specific situations, their brain associates those situations with gambling. So every time they find themselves in a similar situation, they have an urge to gamble. The more often the person gambles in response to these urges, the stronger, faster, and more automatic that pathway in the brain becomes. Even if they haven’t gambled in a while, being in these situations can trigger the urge to gamble. High-risk situations vary across people, but they can include negative emotions, conflict with others, feeling pressured to gamble by friends, testing whether they have control over their gambling, and urges. See Gambling Triggers for information on planning for high-risk situations in advance.
It can be small everyday decisions made that can bring a person closer to a high-risk situation which may tempt them to gamble. These are known as seemingly irrelevant decisions. These decisions can ‘set up’ people for an unplanned gambling episode. Many are easy to see, such as choosing to have lunch at a gaming venue or visiting a friend who gambles. Some are more subtle, like creating a lot of stress in our lives that makes us more likely to want to escape by gambling.
“I went there for a meal but this was just an excuse to go to the pokies and gamble once again.” - James
There are also a range of other factors that fluctuate over time that can influence if a person will lapse. These include their mood, confidence to resist gambling urges, readiness to change, expectations about the positive effects of gambling, and urges.
When someone has an urge to gamble, they may have unhelpful thoughts that can make the urge stronger and last longer. Urges often start at a low intensity, with thoughts that are not really about gambling but a high-risk situation, such as “It’s been such a long day, I need a break”. As the urge grows, their thoughts might turn to the possibility of gambling, such as “Maybe I could just pop in for a couple of minutes”. Then they may start to justify gambling, with thoughts such as “I deserve it. I’ll only spend $50”. They may argue with themselves for a while before giving themselves permission to gamble “just this once”.
“When I started my new job working next to the hotel it was easy to walk into the venue after work and convince myself I deserved to relax so I began to play the pokies again. When I started to have issues at work I found myself going to the hotel at lunch times to escape my work problems. Soon my gambling became out of control as I could not avoid the hotel next door.” - Michael
“I was going so well and then I found myself driving to a venue and going in. I told myself I would only gamble $50 because I deserved a treat, after all my hard work. I ended up emptying my bank account and leaving there 3 hours later in a state. Looking back there were lots of signs I was headed for a relapse – but I didn’t notice at the time.” - Eileen
How well a person copes with high-risk situations can also affect whether or not they will lapse. People with good coping strategies for their high-risk situations feel confident and less likely to lapse. People without coping strategies for high-risk situations may feel less confident and are likelier to lapse.
And finally, people who lapse often feel guilty, ashamed, or blame themselves. This can lead to a pattern of thinking, known as absolute willpower breakdown, in which they feel like they either have complete control or no control over their gambling. For example, if someone lapses, they may think that this one gambling episode means they have completely lost control. This type of all-or-nothing thinking can lead to more and more gambling until they become out of control. See Bouncing Back After a Lapse for some more helpful steps to take if a lapse occurs.
Do you want more help?
To learn more about lapses and relapse, you can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members or friends.
Do you want more help?
To learn more about lapses and relapse, you or your family member or friend can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members or friends like you. It’s not only the person who gambles that can be affected, but the people close to them too. It’s important to take care of yourself when you’re supporting someone else. Check out the family and friends section in our peer support community to connect with people who understand.
Do you want more help?
To learn more about lapses and relapse, you or the person you’re working with can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members, friends, and professionals like you. It can be hard for professionals to support people with gambling issues. To learn more about how you can help, go to our section on How Professionals Can Help.
