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Understanding How People Change

Research has shown that most people involved with an addictive behaviour go through a change spiral. This varies from person to person – some people may quit for good from their first try, others may quit following a number of attempts – gaining in skills and understanding each time.

Stage I  Precontemplation

A person at this stage would deny they have a problem. The may react in a puzzled way when someone tells them they have a problem, or they may even become angry and abusive . A problem gambler at this stage will be ignoring things that others say, and mounting debt. They may find the whole situation unreal or feel in a type of trance when they gamble. 

How we can help

We don’t see many 'precontemplators'  because basically they do not think they have a problem. They are therefore unlikely to contact a counselling agency.

However their partner may have reached a stage of threatening to end the marriage or relationship unless they seek help. Sometimes we see people who come because their partner or employer insisted they seek help.

Stage II Contemplation

A contemplator is a person beginning to wonder if they do have a problem. If someone were to tell them that  they do have problem some contemplators will  react defensively and perhaps deny it.  However some will agree that they too have their concerns.

The contemplator likes to get information to help them decide about gambling – they may do internet searches ( it may be why you are reading this page), call help lines, and read leaflets or books.
 

On a deeper level they may also be assessing what their options are if they do conclude they have a problem and want to do something about it. They may also begin to wonder  what their actual goals might be if they do decide to change.
 

How we can help contemplators

We provide resources like this website, booklets and, more importantly nonjudgemental counselling which can help the contemplator assess the pros and cons of what they are doing. 

A contemplator  may be surprised that we will be interested in things they find good about gambling ( or at least did when they started) as well as their concerns. After listening and deepening our understanding, we may provide the contemplator with information,  based on research and our experiences in helping people change.

Stage III Preparation to Change 

A person in the preparation to change stage does something practical toward their change goal. If their ultimate goal is to stop playing the pokies entirely , at this preparation to change stage, they may play less frequently, play with a budget, or play smaller denomination machines.  An observor would be able to recognize that they had made a start toward the fuller goal of stopping gambling entirely.

How we can help people preparing to change

With a person at this stage of the change we can both witness their achievement in cutting down and then help prepare them to move to the next  stage of change.

Stage IV Action

Many people believe this is when they should seek help – when they are clear they have a problem and that they want to do something about it. However, as you are now aware we are happy to work with people at whatever their stage of the change spiral happens to be. 

An Actioner is basically a person who has decided they do have a problem, have formulated a solution to that problem and are taking action based on that solution.

How we can help a person at the action stage

We can help a person at the Action stage by providing a range of tools to help them achieve their aims. Simply being heard can be important for an actioner – however counselors and therapists can draw on a range of modalities to assist with the change process. These include cognitve behavioural therapy, solution focused approaches, interventions modeled on the work of Milton Erickson, body focus work etc. We can also make appropriate referrals to other health professionals or work in partnership with your current doctor, psychiatrist or other mental health professional.
 

Stage V Maintenance

The stage which follows Action is called “Maintenance”. The Action Stage is one in which the actioner can feel very positive about their achievements. They feel good about themselves, and others, such as their partner or family, also may feel very positive and complement them on what they have done.. 

Eventually the new behaviour becomes the norm rather than something to be acclaimed.

A person has to learn to cope with the world without “the high” of a new accomplishment and without the old gambling solution.
 

How we can help a person at the maintenance stage

We can help by helping the person anticipate this stage and helping them to develop new strategies to cope with stressors or remember strategies they already have. Sometimes people at this stage may feel like gambling – this has usually been the result of a trigger and a build up of internal stress. Having been free of the urge to gamble the person at this stage may feel shocked by its reappearance..
 

We can help people at his stage by assisting them to realize the normality of this and providing strategies to deal with any urges to gamble. They can realize that in the past gambling may have served to distract them from internal stress or concern, so it will be important to reinforce learnings about new tools to achieve the same aims. 

The Learning Spiral ( Lapse and Relapse)

People may lapse ( gamble once and stop ) or relapse (begin to gamble again and continue to gamble). This will situate them in one of the stages of change again.

On one hand the consequences of a lapse or relapse may be very serious in terms of loss of income or even employment or relationship, on the other people do not lose what they have learnt, so they can regain their position as an actioner or maintainer rapidly.

If you feel like lapsing - that is if you are fantasizing about gambling and feeling excited – please do a complete lapse in your imagination… most people  only imagine the initial good feelings which are their initial reaction to gambling. However it is very important to continue to fantasize what would happen based on past experience – after 1, hour, 2 hour, 8 hours, the next day , the next week, …the next month. Inevitably you will feel miserable - fantasize this misery when you think about lapsing! The nature of gambling is you will  lose if you keep gambling – those losses will result in more problems – financially, emotionally, with your spouse or partner and family. A full lapse will result in more bad feelings and difficulties – very different to the initial rush involved in thinking about it.

We do not advise people to experiment with “controlled gambling” particularly in the first 12 months of treatment – generally this compounds the problems they are already been dealing with. Most people we see have experienced loss of control in their gambling and gambling venues are cue( sounds, lights, “atmosphere”) rich environments which it is better for a person who has had a gambling problem to avoid.

The Beyond Stage

Maintenance may continue as a stage virtually for the rest of the life of a person who has had a gambling. They may always need to maintain healthy habits of dealing with stress, good patterns of communication and clarity about their life goals. Of course these are generally healthy practices which are beneficial to anyone.

 
Some people may move beyond maintenance to a stage of indifference to gambling, this is particularly true, in our experience, for those who become involved later in life and are clear about how gambling became a solution for them. However it is wise to maintain the strategies learnt in the maintenance phase.

R. Quinlan 2005
Adapted from: Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., & Norcross, J. C. (1992). In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behavior. American Psychologist, 47, 1102-1114.