INTRODUCTION
The irrepressible drive to continue gambling despite the negative effects it has on your life is known as compulsive gambling, often known as gambling disorder. When you gamble, you’re putting something you value at risk in the hopes of winning something even more valuable.
Like alcohol or narcotics, gambling may cause the brain’s reward system to become overstimulated, which can result in addiction. If you have a compulsive gambling issue, you can keep chasing wagers that end in losses, deplete your funds, and put you in debt. To feed your addiction, you can disguise your conduct or even start stealing or engaging in fraud.
Gambling addiction is a dangerous disorder that may ruin lives. Despite the difficulty of treating compulsive gambling, many patients have found relief from their symptoms via professional therapy.
Gambling addiction may be present if you:
- gambling debt that exceeds your means.
- If you’re supposed to be working or spending time with your family, you gamble.
- a gambling-related sense of dread or tension.
- to cope with issues or negative emotions, you gamble.
- deny your gambling habits to loved ones and friends.
- borrowing or stealing.
WHAT IS GAMBLING ADDICTION?
Anyone from any background can develop gambling issues. Your gaming transitions from an enjoyable, risk-free distraction to an obsessive fixation with negative effects. A gambling habit may damage your relationships, interfere with your job, and cause financial ruin whether you wager on sports, scratch cards, roulette, poker, or slots at a casino, at a racetrack, or online. You could even take on massive debts or even steal money to gamble—things you never dreamed you’d do.
Gambling addiction is an impulse-control illness, often known as pathological gambling, compulsive gambling, or gambling disorder.
Gambling compulsively means that you are unable to control your urges, even when doing so hurts you or others you care about. Even when you are aware that the chances are against you or that you cannot afford to lose money, you will continue to gamble whether you are winning or losing, wealthy or poor, regardless of the consequences.
Of course, it’s possible to have a gambling issue without going completely overboard. Any gambling activity that interferes with your life is a problem. You have a gambling issue if you are obsessed with it, spend an increasing amount of time and money on it, chase losses, or gamble despite negative effects on your life.
It’s common for other behavioral or emotional issues to coexist with a gambling addiction or problem. Many problem gamblers also struggle with drug or alcohol addiction, untreated ADHD, stress, anxiety, depression, or bipolar illness. You’ll also need to deal with these and any other underlying factors if you want to overcome your gambling issues.
Because it lacks the outward physical manifestations of drug or alcohol addiction, gambling addiction is frequently referred to as a “hidden sickness.” Gamblers with a problem generally downplay or deny the issue, even to themselves.
BUT YOU COULD HAVE A GAMBLING ISSUE IF YOU ARE:
Feeling the desire to keep your gaming activities under wraps.
Because you think people won’t understand or that you’ll shock them with a large victory, you could gamble in private or tell lies about how much you bet.
Having problems with self-control when gambling.
Can you stop gambling once you get started? Or are you forced to gamble till you have lost every last dollar, increasing your stakes to recover lost funds?
Playing the game even if you lack the necessary funds.
You could gamble until you’ve lost every last dollar, and then you might go on to spending money you don’t have to buy items for your kids or pay your bills or your credit cards. To get gambling money, you can feel the pressure to steal, sell, or even borrow items.
Having your loved ones concerned about you.
Gambling addiction is maintained by denial. Pay close attention to your friends and family’s concerns. To ask for assistance is not a show of weakness. If their children have lost their inheritance due to gambling, many elders are hesitant to reach out to them, but it’s never too late to turn things around.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ROOTS OF GAMBLING ADDICTION
At its core, a misconception of how the mind functions are what causes gambling addiction. It’s a way to “blow off steam” since when we unintentionally imagine our reality, it appears frightening, depressing, and unfulfilling.
When the urge to avoid unpleasant feelings becomes intolerable, turning to casinos as a coping mechanism becomes the only option. Consider how the body repairs itself. Finger cuts heal on their own. The cut’s visible symptoms quickly vanish, and eventually, it seems as though there was never an injury. The mind operates similarly, yet most people are unaware of this.
Gambling serves as a steam release valve to prevent overstimulation. It is not the reason; rather, it is a coping strategy. Many people who struggle with addiction may find that after a time of sobriety, they still return to gambling since the issue was only handled at its most severe symptom or with a temporary solution.
A greater comprehension of how humans function must be the key to the gambling problem.
Your treatment should address the reasons behind the gambling, how it became out of control, and what started the cycle of dependency. You should also learn a new way to live in the present, free from worry, tension, and overthinking.
There are thousands of individuals in recovery across the world who, despite having lost everything to gambling, have recovered, rebuilt their lives, and are now totally free without needing to continue their recovery activities. For them, it is neither an illness nor an incurable condition since they are free.
Because we are no longer causing our tension, worry, and uncomfortable sensations, we are free to be present in the world and enjoy life in a different way, which causes the urge to gamble to fade away and disappear. Self-destruction has finally lost its appeal.
THE IMPACT OF GAMBLING ADDICTION ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
A compulsive gambler wagers more money than is reasonable. Most often, this results in the individual losing a lot of money, which then fuels sadness. After suffering significant financial losses, the gambler either goes bankrupt or incurs debt. Serious mental and physical collapse can happen in the end.
Pathological gambling may develop when people begin to bet irresponsibly.
Pathological gambling, sometimes also referred to as compulsive gambling, is a disorder in which a gambler persists in playing even after experiencing negative effects from gaming.
When this goes on for a long period, it may cause chronic stress, which can have further health effects including hypertension, sleep deprivation, cardiovascular disease, and peptic ulcer disease.
Moreover, when gambling becomes a problem, the gambler may grow disinterested in keeping up interpersonal connections. The gambler separates himself from other people and develops a gambling-only obsession. Relationships become strained, and one feels cut off from others as a result.
Additionally, it could result in guilt or embarrassment, which finally might be too much for the gambler. This is due to the thought that the gambler may not be able to repay whatever loans he or she may have taken in the process. Until they entirely lose contact with other people, it keeps pushing them away from social interactions.
Gambling addiction causes a person to lose interest in other social activities.
Even when they are not playing games, gambling takes the place of their other interests in their mind. Some people could even imagine themselves gambling while they are asleep and then waking up thinking about their upcoming betting option.
Recent research has started to look at the effects of compulsive gambling on the body and brain, and these investigations have revealed altered neurological functions. Uncertainty still exists over whether these biological alterations are a result of gambling or whether they were there before the commencement of gaming.
However, because there are no neurotoxic drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine to confuse interpretations or explain aberrant behaviors, a study into the biological aspects of compulsive gambling will help us comprehend the process of addicted gamblers.
Overall, we have witnessed the effects of both responsible and compulsive gambling. It goes without saying that playing responsibly is the best approach to gambling. There is a fine line between these two, though. If one isn’t careful, it’s easy to go from healthy gambling to being addicted to it.
THE IMPACT OF GAMBLING ADDICTION ON RELATIONSHIPS AND FINANCIAL WELL-BEING
Despite the potential harm that gambling addiction can do to families and communities, compulsive gamblers still fall victim to the issue. Gambling problems may also influence members of the extended family, including parents, grandparents, and siblings, even if the majority of the gambling warnings focus on intimate partners and kids.
Here are the immediate impacts of gambling problems on families:
- Family dynamics and close friendships are impacted by gambling issues.
- Intimate partners, as well as other family members including kids, parents, siblings, and grandparents, are all impacted by gambling issues.
- Some of the most frequent effects of gambling problems on family members are damaged family connections, emotional issues, and financial challenges.
- Consistent data pointing to a link between gambling issues and domestic violence.
- Compared to children of parents who don’t gamble, children of problem gamblers have a substantially higher chance of having gambling issues.
Families with gambling issues are also characterized by:
- high levels of hostility and conflict
- low levels of effective and clear communication
- a lack of independence
- a lack of involvement in intellectual and cultural pursuits
- a lack of commitment and support
- a lack of direct emotional expression, and
- little involvement in social and recreational pursuits.
Moreover, a variety of family pressures, such as financial and emotional hardship, physical isolation, inconsistent punishment, parental abuse and rejection, poor role modeling, family strife, and diminished security and stability are also experienced by the kids of gamblers.
Typical gambling issues that family members describe include:
- the disappearance of personal or household funds;
- arguments;
- violence and rage;
- falsehoods and trickery;
- disregard towards family;
- relationships were badly impacted;
- a lack of communication
- family duties and obligations being unclear;
- the emergence of more addictions like gambling issues within the family.
Family members who seek out gambling counseling are the last source of information about how gambling problems affect families. The most frequent challenges that family members with gambling addiction experience are harmed family connections, emotional issues, and financial difficulties. These are followed by social issues, negative effects on physical health, and work troubles.
TREATMENT AND RECOVERY FROM GAMBLING ADDICTION
Gambling addiction is treatable with the appropriate care. You don’t require casino games to survive, unlike someone who is dependent on food. You just need to understand how to establish a positive and sensible relationship with money.
You must entirely stop gambling since even sporadic gambling might trigger a relapse. A rehabilitation program can assist you in learning impulse control. Gambling addiction is typically cured using techniques used to treat other addictions.
Inpatient rehabilitation program
Some patients discover that they need the structure provided by an inpatient program at a treatment facility to recover from a gambling addiction, even if this is not typically necessary. This kind of program could be especially useful if you can’t avoid casinos or other gambling establishments on your own. You will be required to stay at the treatment center for a certain time, which might range from 30 days to a whole year.
Outpatient rehabilitation program
People with gambling addictions tend to seek outpatient treatment programs more frequently. You’ll take lessons in this program and both individual and group treatment are available to you. You’ll carry on doing your everyday chores, going to work, and living at home.
Twelve-step programs
You could get support through groups like Gamblers Anonymous (GA) or another 12-step group to get over your addiction to gambling. If you are unable to pay for more intense rehabilitation choices, this kind of program could be extremely beneficial. It works along the same lines as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) by assisting you in creating a support system for other ex-gamblers. Members of the group may meet once a week or more frequently.
Psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy
One-on-one treatment may be helpful in addition to group counseling or support meetings. A gambling addiction may result from more serious emotional problems or concerns with negligence. To alter self-destructive tendencies, such as your addiction to gambling, you will need to address these underlying concerns. You may speak openly and discuss these issues in counseling.
Medication
You might occasionally require medicine to assist you to control your urge to gamble. Your gambling addiction might be brought on by a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder. To improve your impulse control in these situations, you must learn to address the underlying issue.
Lifestyle changes
Managing the financial fallout from gambling can occasionally be the most challenging step in the healing process. You might have to delegate financial duties to your partner or a close friend at the beginning. You might also want to stay away from places like casinos and athletic events that can make you feel the temptation to wager money.
CONCLUSION
Compulsive gambling may be hard to overcome, just like any other addiction. Since many people engage in social gambling without becoming dependent, you might feel it embarrassing to acknowledge that you have a problem.
A significant step toward rehabilitation is acceptance, beyond any feelings of shame or humiliation.
You might be able to beat your gambling addiction with the support of a rehabilitation program, one-on-one therapy, medication, and lifestyle modifications. If you don’t get help for your gambling addiction, it might cause major financial problems. Your relationships with family, friends, and others may also suffer as a result. You may escape these repercussions and heal your relationships via recovery with the aid of effective treatment.
Speak to your doctor or a mental health professional if you think you or someone you care about has a gambling addiction. They can assist you in locating the information and assistance you require. Additionally, several organizations offer details about gambling addiction and available therapies. They can assist in directing you to nearby or online assistance centers.
