Building Your Relapse Prevention Plan: 7 Steps to Stay in Control
SaveA relapse prevention plan is a written document you create during recovery that maps out your triggers, your warning signs and exactly what you will do when the urge to gamble returns. It is personal, practical and designed to be read in the moment when you need it most. By the end of this guide, you will know how to build one that fits your life and keeps it somewhere you can reach it quickly. Classic Motor walks you through the process step by step.
Understanding what a relapse prevention plan does for you
The plan acts as your instruction manual for the difficult moments. When an urge arrives, your thinking narrows and decisions feel overwhelming. A plan written in advance removes that load. It tells you what to do, who to call and where to go without requiring you to work it out under pressure.
The act of writing it down also makes triggers concrete. Instead of a vague sense that certain situations feel risky, you name them. That clarity makes them easier to spot early and easier to avoid or manage. The plan is not a promise that relapse will never happen; it is a tool that reduces the likelihood and shortens the duration if it does.
Identifying the triggers you need to plan around
Triggers are the situations, feelings or events that make you want to gamble. Recognising your gambling triggers is the foundation of any prevention plan. Some are external: walking past a betting shop, seeing an advert, getting paid. Others are internal: boredom, loneliness, shame about money, the need to escape a feeling.
Write down every trigger you can remember from the last time you gambled and from any time before that. Be specific. Instead of "stress", write "argument with my partner" or "unpaid bill arriving". Instead of "free time", write "Sunday afternoon with nothing planned". The more detail you capture, the better the plan will serve you.
Group them into patterns. Do most of your triggers involve being alone? Do they spike at a certain time of day or week? Do they follow conflict or good news? Patterns show you where to concentrate your prevention work and where your plan needs the most detail.
Listing your early warning signs
Warning signs are the changes in your thinking or behaviour that show up before you gamble. They are easier to act on than a full urge because they give you more time. Common ones include checking how much money you have available, thinking about a win you once had, justifying why this time would be different, withdrawing from people who would notice or challenge you, and feeling restless without knowing why.
Ask someone close to you what they noticed before your last relapse. Their perspective often catches things you miss. Write their observations into the plan alongside your own. When you spot a warning sign in real time, you can move straight to the actions in your plan without waiting for the urge to build.
Writing down your emergency contacts
Your plan should carry the phone numbers and names of people you can reach when an urge hits. Choose people who know about your gambling, who will not judge you for calling and who can respond quickly. At least one should be available outside working hours.
Include professional support as well as personal contacts. The National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is free, confidential and open around the clock. GamCare offers live chat and email support if speaking on the phone feels difficult. Gamblers Anonymous meetings give you access to people who understand exactly what you are facing.
Write the numbers in full and test them before you need them. Save them in your phone under names you will recognise in a crisis. Some people add a note next to each contact explaining what that person is good for: "Call Sarah for distraction", "Call Mark when I need to admit I am struggling".
Planning your immediate actions when an urge arrives
This section is the centre of your plan. It lists the specific things you will do, in order, the moment you notice an urge or a warning sign. The actions need to be quick, concrete and require no forward planning to execute.
- Leave the location. If you are near a place where you can gamble, get out. Walk in the opposite direction, get on a bus, go into a shop you would never gamble in. Physical distance weakens the urge.
- Call or message your first contact. Use the list you wrote. If they do not answer, move to the next name. Keep trying until someone responds.
- Open your plan and read the section on why you stopped. Remind yourself of the harm gambling caused, written in your own words from a moment when you were clear-headed.
- Do something with your hands. Make tea, wash dishes, take a shower, go for a walk. The urge peaks and fades; keeping your hands busy helps you ride it out.
- Check your blocks are still active. If you are using Gamban or BetBlocker, confirm they are running. If you are registered with GamStop, remind yourself that access is blocked and will stay blocked for the period you chose.
- Write down what happened. Keeping a gambling diary helps you see patterns over time and shows you which parts of your plan work and which need adjustment.
- Stay with someone for the next few hours. Urges rarely last beyond an evening. Arrange to meet a friend, visit family or go somewhere public until the feeling passes.
The order matters. Leaving the location comes first because proximity is the strongest amplifier of urges. Contacting someone comes next because isolation makes urges harder to resist. Each action buys you time and moves you further from the point of gambling.
Including longer-term strategies in your plan
Beyond the immediate actions, your plan should outline the routines and boundaries that reduce the frequency of urges over weeks and months. These are the strategies that address the conditions that make gambling appealing in the first place.
Financial boundaries come first. Hand control of your money to someone you trust, set up automated bill payments so gambling cannot create arrears, remove access to credit and close accounts you used for gambling. The plan should name who holds your bank card, which accounts are closed and who checks your statements.
Routine fills the gaps that boredom and unstructured time create. Write down what you will do on the days and at the times you used to gamble. Sunday afternoon becomes a specific activity: visiting a friend, going to the gym, working on a project. Evening after work becomes a walk, a meal you cook, a meeting you attend. The plan is not aspirational; it lists real commitments you have already made.
Social connection protects against relapse more reliably than willpower. Your plan should include regular contact with people who support your recovery. Weekly attendance at a support group, a standing arrangement to call a friend, a shared hobby that gets you out of the house. Loneliness is a powerful trigger; the plan interrupts it before it builds.
Deciding where to keep your plan and how to review it
The plan is only useful if you can reach it when you need it. Keep a physical copy in your wallet or bag, a digital copy on your phone and a third copy with someone who supports you. Some people take a photo of it and set it as their phone wallpaper. Others pin it inside a cupboard door or keep it next to their bed.
Review the plan every few weeks, especially in the first months of recovery. Triggers change as your circumstances change. Warning signs you missed the first time become clear after you have lived with them. Contacts move or become unavailable; new people enter your support network. Set a reminder to read through the plan and update anything that no longer fits.
After a close call or a relapse, rewrite the sections that failed. If you could not reach anyone on your contact list, add more names. If leaving the location did not happen because you were at home, add actions that work indoors. The plan is not fixed; it improves each time you test it.
Comparing written plans, apps and verbal agreements
| Method | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Written plan on paper | Always accessible, no technology required, can be shared easily | Easily lost, may feel formal or intimidating to write |
| Digital note or document | Easy to update, searchable, can include links and reminders | Requires a charged device, may be ignored alongside other notifications |
| Verbal agreement with a supporter | Feels natural, strengthens accountability, flexible | Relies on memory under pressure, harder to refer back to specifics |
| Recovery app with plan feature | Prompts for regular review, tracks progress, integrates with other tools | Adds complexity, may require subscription, depends on app quality |
Most people find that combining methods works better than relying on one. A written plan in your wallet backed up by a digital version and discussed regularly with a supporter gives you coverage in different situations.
Knowing when to ask for more support
A relapse prevention plan is a personal tool, not a replacement for professional help. If urges are constant, if you have relapsed multiple times despite following your plan, or if gambling has caused harm you cannot manage on your own, reach out to the organisations that specialise in gambling support.
GamCare provides free treatment through counselling and support groups. The National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is open every hour of every day and connects you with advisers who understand gambling harm. BeGambleAware offers information on where to find local services and how to access them. For those who need more intensive support, Gordon Moody provides residential and online treatment programmes.
You can also find online support for gambling problems through forums, peer groups and structured programmes that work alongside your plan. Support strengthens the plan; the plan structures the support. Together, they give you the best chance of staying in control. Gambling is for people aged 18 and over.
#Triggers #Support groups #Coping strategies
Download PDF: Your Relapse Prevention Plan Checklist PDF, 28 KB
Frequently asked questions
How do I start writing a relapse prevention plan if I have never made one before?
Start by listing every situation, feeling or event that made you want to gamble in the past. Write down who you can call when an urge arrives, then describe in simple steps what you will do the moment you notice a trigger. Keep it short at first and add detail as you test it.
What should I include in my plan to stop myself gambling again after a setback?
Include your specific triggers, early warning signs, emergency contact numbers, immediate actions like leaving the location and calling someone, and longer-term strategies such as financial boundaries and routine. Write down why you stopped gambling, in your own words, so you can read it back when your thinking narrows.
Can a relapse prevention plan work if I live alone and do not have close friends to call?
Yes. Your plan should include professional support numbers such as the National Gambling Helpline and online options like chat or email support from GamCare. Attending a support group gives you regular contact with people who understand, and you can add their numbers to your plan over time.
Classic Motor Editorial Team