Gambling addiction recovery benefits from guidance, whether through practical exercises, personal stories, or evidence-based strategies. Books about gambling addiction can help provide that guidance.
Reading is a powerful technique. The mindfulness benefits of reading are well documented, and the activity can be part of your recovery from problem gambling.
Below is a comprehensive list of highly-rated books addressing personal recovery for those struggling with compulsive gambling, as well as resources for supporting loved ones affected by someone else’s gambling.
The selections range from 12-step guides and workbooks to memoirs and clinical approaches, all in traditional book format. Some of the books may be available as an audiobook.
Gambling Books for Personal Recovery & Self-Help
A Day at a Time (Gamblers Anonymous)
This classic Gamblers Anonymous book provides 365 days of reflections tailored to people in recovery from gambling.
Each daily entry addresses common fears and issues faced by recovering gamblers, offering hope and spiritual support one day at a time.
As a daily devotional, it helps individuals remember they are not alone and stay committed to sobriety from gambling.
The Easy Way to Stop Gambling (Allen Carr)
Allen Carr, famous for his stop-smoking method, applies his “easyway” approach to gambling in this book. He explains how gamblers fall into the “trap” and why they keep betting even when it harms them.
By exposing the illusions of gambling, Carr aims to remove the psychological desire to gamble so that quitting doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.
Readers learn to break free of cravings and regain control without willpower struggles or fear of missing out.
Hooked: Why We Are Addicted and How to Break Free (Talitha Fosh)
Written by a psychotherapist, Hooked is an approachable guide that reframes addiction through a scientific lens.
Aimed primarily at millennials and Gen Z, it combines the author’s own story of addiction with research-backed techniques to break unhealthy behavior cycles.
Fosh helps readers dismantle the stereotype of the “addict,” identify their addictive triggers, and develop healthier coping strategies.
The book also features practical exercises and journaling prompts for self-reflection. While it addresses all forms of addiction (from gambling and shopping to substances), problem gamblers will find valuable tools for recovery in its blend of psychology and personal experience.
The Gambling Addiction Recovery Workbook (C.W. V. Straaten)
Authored by a gambler in recovery, this workbook offers a structured five-step plan to overcome gambling addiction.
It includes real-life experiences and testimonies from fellow recovering gamblers.
Through exercises and reflections, readers create an effective recovery plan that helps them understand their gambling triggers, cope with urges, and heal the underlying emotional pain driving the addiction.
The Girl Gambler: A Young Woman’s Story of Her Escape from Gambling Addiction (Stacey Goodwin)
Stacey Goodwin’s memoir offers a unique perspective in a field often focused on men. Targeted toward teens and young adults, it candidly recounts her descent into compulsive gambling and her journey out.
Goodwin shares the guilt and shame she felt in the throes of addiction and how she realized that it’s not “normal” for anyone – including young women – to live controlled by betting.
Her story illustrates how she came to accept her problem and the tools she used to break free.
This book is both an eye-opener about the reality of gambling addiction and an inspiration that recovery is possible.
Gambling Addiction: The Complete Guide to Survival, Treatment, and Recovery (Kurt Dahl)
Praised by experts and recovery communities, Kurt Dahl’s book is a thorough guide to understanding and battling gambling addiction.
Dahl – himself in recovery – shares a compelling personal story intended to help prevent the devastating consequences of problem gambling (including the risk of impulsive suicide).
He then provides guidance for the fragile early days of recovery and a comprehensive overview of available treatment options, from counseling approaches (CBT, DBT, etc.) to practical financial controls.
Readers find the content insightful and relatable, as it explains therapeutic strategies in easily understood terms and offers many actionable tips for one’s recovery plan.
Therapists often recommend this book as an accessible, up-to-date resource for quitting gambling and rebuilding one’s life.
The Gambling Disorder Treatment Handbook (Jody Bechtold & Alyssa Wilkins)
Written by clinicians, this handbook takes a biopsychosocial approach to gambling disorder, examining the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to compulsive gambling.
It presents evidence-based theories and interventions from the latest research, translating clinical strategies into tools for the reader’s healing journey.
Unlike more general self-help books, it reads like a therapy roadmap – teaching the reader to use self-awareness as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in recovery.
While intended for professionals and serious recovery work, motivated individuals (and their therapists) can use this resource to design a multidimensional treatment plan.
Taking Back Your Life: Women and Problem Gambling (Diane Rae Davis, Ph.D.)
Dr. Diane Rae Davis, an addiction expert, focuses on the specific challenges women face in gambling addiction. This book offers up-to-date support and strategies to help women regain control of their lives.
It draws on current research and treatment methods, covering critical topics like relapse prevention, finding support networks, and healing relationships impacted by gambling.
Davis helps readers identify what makes them vulnerable to gambling, recognize the costs and consequences of the behavior, understand the experience of “hitting bottom,” and assemble a toolbox of techniques to begin and sustain recovery.
Each section also highlights real success stories of women who have overcome gambling problems, making it a relatable and empowering resource.
All Bets Are Off: Losers, Liars, and Recovery from Gambling Addiction (Arnie & Sheila Wexler)
Arnie Wexler, a well-known figure in the recovery community, shares his gripping life story in this memoir.
He traces his journey from youth – flipping cards on the streets of Brooklyn and obsessively chasing bets – to the point where his compulsive gambling spiraled out of control and life came crashing down.
The narrative vividly shows the “dungeon” of a gambler’s world — endlessly chasing the big win and inevitably coming up empty.
What sets this book apart is that it also includes perspective from his wife, Sheila, illustrating how his addiction pushed their marriage to the brink.
With the help of others, Arnie found a way out in 1968, and he and Sheila devoted themselves to helping other families affected by gambling. Their combined insights provide both a cautionary tale and a message of hope.
Gambling Addiction Books for Supporting Loved Ones
When a person is addicted to gambling, their family and friends often suffer alongside them. Many marriages end because of gambling.
The following books are recommended for spouses, partners, and family members seeking understanding, guidance, and healing.
These resources focus on coping with a loved one’s gambling problem, setting healthy boundaries, and supporting recovery without enabling the addiction.
Behind the 8-Ball: A Recovery Guide for the Families of Gamblers (Linda Berman & Mary-Ellen Siegel)
Considered a classic in the field, Behind the 8-Ball is a must-have guide for anyone close to a problem gambler.
It helps spouses, parents, children, and friends understand why some people lose control of gambling and how the gambler’s behavior impacts loved ones financially, legally, and emotionally.
Importantly, it teaches family members that they cannot control the gambler’s actions. Still, they can take back control of their own lives – from encouraging the gambler to seek help, setting boundaries and recovering from the trauma of someone else’s addiction.
This supportive book delivers tools and motivation to rebuild one’s life after the chaos of a loved one’s gambling. Experts in the field laud it as “essential” reading, noting it remains “the standard reference for family members of gamblers.”
Know When to Hold’ Em: A Guide for Spouses of Problem Gamblers (Damon Dye, Ed.D.)
Written by a counselor, this resource zeroes in on the experience of spouses living with a compulsive gambler.
Gambling addiction often leaves partners feeling betrayed, anxious, and helpless. “Know When to Hold’ Em” acknowledges that trauma – the deception, loss of security, and broken trust – and offers healing techniques specifically for the spouse and the couple.
Dr. Damon Dye explains the common chain reactions families face (depression, anxiety, fractured relationships) and emphasizes that treating the gambler is not enough – the spouse also needs guidance and support.
This book helps spouses understand the symptoms of gambling addiction through a trauma lens and provides tools for rebuilding finances, protecting children from the fallout, restoring trust, and deciding the relationship’s future.
It’s a valuable roadmap for spouses to find hope, whether or not the gambler is in recovery.
Lost and Found: Help for Families Harmed by Problem Gambling (Judith Sugg & Renee Siegel)
Authored by two experienced counselors, Lost and Found is a compassionate guide for family members “sucked into the gambling storm” of a loved one’s addiction.
It validates that spouses, children, parents, and close friends all suffer when gambling turns destructive.
The book introduces the authors’ framework of Awareness, Balance, and Connection (the “ABCs”) to understand why some families heal while others remain stuck in dysfunction.
Through probing questions and real stories from the authors’ practice, readers learn to regain life balance and re-establish healthy connections despite the chaos caused by gambling.
This resource ultimately aims to guide families from the confusion and pain – helping them “find their way” back to stability and emotional health.
Winning Back Your Family: A Guide for Loved Ones of Problem Gamblers (Sabrina Haverly)
A newer addition to family-support literature, this book is a compassionate and empowering resource for families impacted by a gambling problem.
Written by a psychologist, it offers practical tools and evidence-based strategies to navigate the challenges that spouses, children, and relatives face during a loved one’s recovery.
Haverly addresses the emotional rollercoaster family members go through – anger, betrayal, fear, helplessness – and provides a safe space to process these feelings while reducing stigma and isolation.
Key topics include rebuilding trust after deceit, regaining financial stability, setting healthy boundaries without guilt, and communicating effectively to support recovery without enabling the person with an addiction.
By following the actionable steps outlined (for example, how to have difficult conversations), loved ones can work on healing the family unit and “winning back” a healthy life together.
Just One Tool in Gambling Recovery Toolbox
The aforementioned books for gambling addiction are available in traditional print format and many as audiobooks.
Many of the books are highly regarded by therapists and in recovery communities for their track record in helping individuals and families affected by gambling addiction.
While self-help books can be powerful starting points, they are often most effective when used alongside professional help.
If you or your loved one is struggling with problem gambling, consider reaching out to a therapist or support group in addition to reading these resources.
Each book above offers its own specific approach – be it daily reflection, psychological techniques, step-by-step exercises, personal testimony, or family guidance – so you can choose the style that resonates best with your needs on the journey to recovery.
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