Lesson 3: Emotional Triggers and Avoidance

🎯 Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, participants will be able to:

• Identify emotional states that increase vulnerability to gambling.
• Understand the connection between emotional avoidance and compulsive behavior.
• Begin creating a trigger-awareness map for prevention.
• Learn healthy tools to process emotions instead of escaping them.

🧠 Quote

“Gambling wasn’t the problem—it was my escape from the problem.”

📖 Scripture

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

🎬 Behind the Bet

Andre didn’t gamble because he loved the game. He gambled when he felt invisible at work, criticized at home, or worthless about his past. Placing a bet was a rush—it numbed the pain and gave him something to control. But when the high faded, the emotions were still there, stronger and darker than before.

🧠 The Emotional Avoidance Trap

Compulsive gambling is rarely about greed or thrill alone. More often, it’s about emotional escape. Instead of facing:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Loneliness
• Insecurity
• Shame
  …we distract ourselves with something that feels rewarding—temporarily.

But we stay stuck in the cycle when we avoid emotions instead of processing them.

Gambling becomes a bandage for a wound that needs surgery.

🔎 Trigger Awareness Map

Take your journal and draw a large circle in the middle of the page. Write “Gamble” in the center. Now, around the circle, list the emotional states, situations, or people that tend to lead to gambling urges.

Some common triggers:

• After a conflict
• Payday
• When you feel rejected
• Boredom or downtime
• Seeing others succeed financially
• After failure or criticism

🎯 Awareness is power. Naming your triggers is the first step to mastering them.

🛠 Recovery Skill: Emotional Labeling

When a trigger hits, pause and ask:

“What am I really feeling right now?”

Try using the Feelings Wheel to identify and name the emotion beneath the urge. Labeling your emotion allows your brain to re-route before acting on impulse.

✍️ Journaling Prompts

• What do I usually feel right before I want to gamble?
• When I’m tempted, what emotion am I trying to avoid?
• What healthier action could I take instead?

🙏 Prayer for Emotional Strength

“God, help me recognize the feelings I’ve buried with gambling. Teach me not to run from sadness, anger, or fear. Show me how to face pain with You by my side. When I feel triggered, remind me I have a choice. Let peace be my anchor. Amen.”

✅ Action Challenge

This week, commit to naming one emotion a day. Even if you feel tempted, don’t numb it—name it. Then journal what you would’ve done in the past and what you chose instead.