Gambling trigger worksheet
Triggers are situations, feelings or contexts that reliably increase your urge to gamble. They are personal. Writing them down — and naming a specific action for each — is one of the most effective things you can do in early recovery.
Common categories of trigger
- Time — payday, weekends, late evenings, sports fixtures.
- Money — having cash, a bonus, an unexpected refund.
- Feeling — boredom, stress, loneliness, conflict, relief, hype.
- Place — bookmaker on the way home, certain pubs, the bedroom at night.
- People — particular friends or contexts where you used to gamble together.
- Stimulus — adverts, notifications, group chats, social-media posts.
For each top trigger, write down
- What the trigger is.
- Where and when it usually fires.
- What it feels like — the body cue or the thought cue.
- The specific action I will take in the next five minutes when it fires.
- Who I will tell if the urge stays for longer than 30 minutes.
Action ideas
- Leave the location.
- Phone or message my sponsor / partner / trusted contact.
- Open the bank app and check the gambling block is still on.
- Do a 10-minute walk outside.
- Switch the phone to grayscale or hand it to someone.
- Go to a meeting (in-person or online).