As you get pulled into gambling, your thinking changes.  Your mind finds ways of convincing you to keep gambling, even when there are signs to stop.  To an outsider, ideas such as "a win is just around the corner" or "I have a system that's guaranteed to win" seem irrational.  But when you're in it, it feels real and true. In this episode, I'm joined by John Woods.  After struggling with gambling for over thirty years, he placed his last bet in January 2017 and went on to write a book called Gambling Addiction Explained: How to Stop Gambling and Regain Control of Your Life. Listen in and learn about: Five common mind traps of problem gambling How to recognize and resist gambling's mind traps Why seeking help and guidance can free your mind from problem gambling To find out more about problem gambling's mind traps, read the blog for this episode at www.problemgamblinghelp.ca.  You can also download John's free report on Mind Traps at www.gamblingaddictionexplained.com.  Purchase his book Gambling Addiction Explained on Amazon or through his website.   If you live in British Columbia and would like help for gambling concerns, reach out to our free, confidential counselling and outreach services.  Connect with us online at Gambling Support BC or call 1-888-795-6111. To connect with gambling problem help outside of British Columbia: Canada:  click here United States:  National Council on Problem Gambling United Kingdom:  GamCare Australia:  Gamblers' Help If you live outside of these areas, search online for "Gambling Problem Help" in your country.  If you would like to connect with online groups and supports, here's some options: Gamblers Anonymous Gam-Anon GamTalk (online chat forum) Recovery Road Online Gamblers in Recovery The Broke Girl Society To connect with Fold em through Facebook or Instagram, find us at Foldem Podcast.  You can also reach out through [email protected].  We welcome feedback and topics for upcoming episodes. Fold em is funded by Gambling Support BC.