Support groups bring together people who genuinely understand what you’re going through in a live setting (in-person or virtual). 

• For the person who gambles, Gamblers Anonymous and SMART Recovery offer two different approaches with in-person and virtual meetings every week. There are also community meetings that don’t adhere to a specific approach, but might fit with their faith and beliefs. They can find meetings through the Evive Community as well.  

• For families and loved ones, Gam-Anon is specifically designed for you — not to fix the person who gambles, but to support you. It’s free, ongoing, and meetings are available in person and online. Many families describe it as the thing that helped them feel less alone. 

• Parents Standing Together is another outstanding community resource. Built specifically for parents navigating a child’s gambling problem (by parents who’ve been there before), it offers peer support, education, and a space where this specific set of worries are deeply understood.

Peer support (1:1) connects you with trained people who have lived experience with gambling harms. It’s helpful for gamblers and for loved ones experiencing harms because of someone else’s gambling. Sometimes this looks like a certified peer recovery coach, and sometimes it is someone who has experience but not a specific certification. 

• The Evive Community is a safe, online community for people whose gambling is causing them harm.

• Evive Family & Friends gives you access to this kind of peer connection whenever you need it. It’s a space where you can ask questions, share what’s happening, and hear from others who’ve been in your position.

Therapy and professional counseling can address both the gambling behavior and whatever is driving it. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most evidence-based approaches for gambling problems. 

• If you’re looking to find a therapist for your loved one, it’s important to look for a provider with specific gambling experience. Not all mental health professionals are equally equipped for this. You can find professionals in your state who understand gambling harms through the Evive app.

• Family and couples therapy can help repair the trust and communication that gambling harms often corrode, and individual therapy can help you make sense of the problems that you’re facing due to your loved one’s gambling.

Medical care matters when co-occurring conditions are in the picture. Depression, anxiety, ADHD, and substance use frequently overlap with gambling problems. Some medications generate compulsive behavior.

• A family doctor can assess overall health impacts, provide referrals, and help make sense of what’s happening physically and mentally. 

Financial counseling is often overlooked but critical. Gambling harms almost always have a financial dimension, and that dimension has a way of compounding stress and blocking recovery. 

• GamFin is a specialized financial counseling service for people affected by gambling, and it’s worth knowing about. GamFin counselors understand gambling-related debt from the inside out, and they work directly alongside mental health support to address the behavior and the financial fallout together. Gamblers and their families can find support through GamFin.

Formal treatment programs are available for more serious situations. From outpatient sessions a few times per week, to intensive outpatient (IOP), to residential inpatient programs, options are available when gambling has progressed beyond control. Many take insurance and/or are subsidized by states. 

• Browse options here. If your loved one is considering a formal treatment program, it’s worth confirming that the facility has licensed counselors with a specific gambling program, rather than a general addiction track.

Digital resources are available without needing to talk to anyone.  

• For the person gambling: The Evive app, a resource for people who want to stop or manage their gambling; bet blocking technology like BetBlocker, podcasts

• For loved ones: podcasts, online communities, information

You don’t have to choose just one. Most people benefit from a combination — start where you can, and build from there.