I Gambled My Rent Money, What Now?

December 10, 2024 | By Kindbridge

The financial consequence that you just sustained may either have come from a singular event or series of losses. In either case, gambling beyond one’s means is a symptom of problem gambling. So to respond to your Google search entry of “I gambled my rent money” it’s important to address what likely led to this point while also providing a practical yet effective path forward. Without further ado, please read ahead.

4 Immediate Steps to Take After Having Gambled Away Next Month’s Rent Money

Step 1. Breathe Deep and Calm Your Feelings

Don’t let anxiety and panicked feelings get the best of you. You can’t think clearly if you do. We know it’s tough, but find solace in the fact that you’ve made a smart choice by seeking help and reading this article which will help you attain a sense of calm and move forward in a calculated manner.

How is one to remain calm amidst the turmoil of having gambling away essential expenses?

Slow diaphragmatic breathing is calming exercise used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that will serve you well right now. While a professional trained in CBT will help you prefect the technique, you’re not online with one at the moment (more on this in Step 4 below). For the time being – proceed to do the following:

Sit or lie-down in a comfortable space and close your eyes.
Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdomen.
Inhale through your nose for approximately 4-seconds as you feel your abdomen expand.
Hold your breath for 2-seconds, then exhale slowly and steadily through your mouth for about 6-seconds.
Repeat the process from anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. Your mind and body will let you know when you have calmed down sufficiently to move on to the next step.

Step 2. Close All Casino Gaming and Sports Betting Accounts

Now that you’ve temporarily calmed your mind, take the necessary step to close all of your casino gaming and sports betting accounts. Why is this necessary? To keep you from chasing the losses that resulted in the loss of your rent money in the first place.

Chasing losses is an expression used to describe when a gambler tries to win back the money they’ve lost by gambling more. It’s a “defense mechanism” that the brain (spurred on by dopamine) employs to trick a compulsive or habitual gambler into thinking that it’s the only way out of a financial hole. It’s a fallacy, and one that is refuted by the Gambler’s Ruin formula which shows that the end result is even more debt.

To avoid the risk of returning to the activity that caused you to lose your rent money, close every single gambling account you have a membership with, delete your browsing history, and remove all gambling apps from your digital devices. While you’re at it, unfollow and block all social media accounts that reference gambling. By removing these triggers from your periphery you’re ready to take the next step.

Step 3. Open-Up to a Loved One

If you’ve lost your rent money and have no other personal financial resources (savings, etc.) to tap into, you may have little choice but to reach out to a close friend or family member for help. Honesty is the only policy at this point, and we have provided guides for how to open up about your struggles to those who care about you:

If this isn’t the first time that you’ve gone to loved ones for financial help due to problem gambling, they will likely be wary this time around. Prove to them that you are serious about abstaining. They not only may be willing to help, they may serve as an important part of your support system moving forward. Show them, and more importantly yourself, that you’re serious about ending your problematic relationship with gambling by moving forward with the next step.

Step 4. Call a Care Coordinator

Kindbridge Behavioral Health provides powerful virtual treatment for problem gambling. Our recent treatment outcomes report (view here) validates the effectiveness of our strategy to alleviate the symptoms of problem gambling and cooccurring mental health concerns.

While there is a small investment in attaining freedom from problem gambling, it pales in comparison to the average rental rate for a 1 BDR in the United States (about $1800/m). Although, you may qualify for direct billing if enrolled in insurance coverage with any of the providers detailed below. In addition to individual one-on-one counseling, you also have the option to get treatment with lower-cost group therapy and/or family therapy (as per Step 3 above).

Simply stated, Kindbridge provides flexible options to get you the help needed to recover mentally, emotionally, and financially from unhealthy gambling behavior.