Books that help
A short shelf of books that people in recovery keep coming back to. None of them replace a meeting, a counselor, or a helpline, but they can keep you company between those.
Bet On Yourself
A practical guide to stopping gambling and living with purpose, from someone who has placed the same bets and found a better way.
Gamblers Anonymous literature
The Combo Book
Gamblers Anonymous
The core GA reading in one place, and the book you will hear quoted in meetings.
GA literature storeA Day at a Time
Gamblers Anonymous
A short reading for every day of the year. Good for mornings when the urge shows up early.
View on AmazonMindfulness and self-help
The Untethered Soul
Michael A. Singer
Helps you notice the noisy voice in your head without obeying it, which is half the battle with urges.
View on AmazonWherever You Go, There You Are
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Gentle, practical mindfulness you can start today, even if you have never meditated.
View on AmazonMindfulness in Plain English
Bhante Gunaratana
A clear, no-fuss guide to sitting with discomfort instead of running from it.
View on AmazonAtomic Habits
James Clear
Small changes that add up. Useful for building the new routines that fill the space betting used to take.
View on AmazonThe Daily Stoic
Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
One page a day on focusing on what you can control. A steady companion for rough days.
View on AmazonRecovery 2.0
Tommy Rosen
A whole-life take on recovery that mixes the 12 steps with breathing, movement, and better sleep and food.
View on AmazonJournals
The Five Minute Journal
Intelligent Change
Five minutes, morning and night. A simple way to notice what is going right.
View on AmazonMy Six Minute Diary
Brighter Future Books
Short daily prompts for gratitude and good habits, with room to track how you are doing.
View on AmazonMore on gambling
The Easy Way to Stop Gambling
Allen Carr
Takes apart the reasons we keep betting, so quitting feels less like losing something.
View on AmazonDon't Leave It to Chance
Edward J. Federman, Charles E. Drebing and Christopher Krebs
Written for families and gamblers alike, with plain steps for getting money and trust back on track. Often easiest to find used.
View on AmazonAddiction by Design
Natasha Dow Schüll
A close look at how machines are built to keep you playing. Reading it can take a lot of the shame away.
View on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links on this page are affiliate links. Only the Combo Book links to the GA store, with no affiliate tag.