Slip versus relapse

A slip is a bet. A relapse is a return to the pattern: chasing, hiding, borrowing. The difference is usually decided in the first day. Tell someone the same day, put the barrier back that came down, and the slip stays a slip.

Why relapse happens

• Access returned. A new app, a reinstalled account, a card that was supposed to be locked.
• Money returned. A bonus, tax refund or inheritance without a plan for it.
• A trigger you did not plan for. Playoffs, a fight, a layoff, boredom on a long weekend.
• The "I can handle it now" thought. Also known as "just one bet." This one is the disorder itself.
• Untreated depression, anxiety or ADHD. The gambling was managing something. If that something was never treated, it comes back.

The first 24 hours

1. Stop. Do not chase the loss.
2. Tell your support person, sponsor or counselor today, not next week.
3. Close the access point you used. Then add one more barrier.
4. Write down what happened in the hours before. That is your next trigger to plan for.
5. Go to a meeting or a session this week.

When a relapse means stepping up care

If you have relapsed more than once from outpatient care or from GA alone, that is information, not failure. It usually means the environment is stronger than the plan. Residential treatment removes the environment long enough to build a stronger one. A confidential consultation is the fastest way to find out what level makes sense.

For families

A relapse is not the time to bail out debt or to cut off all support. It is the time to hold the boundaries you set and to insist on the next step in treatment. See when your partner has a gambling problem.

Frequently asked questions