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Beating Gambling Addiction

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Most people try out gambling at some point in their lives; however, most people can keep it to the occasional night out. When it escalates past that, it can turn into gambling addiction. Unfortunately, gambling addiction can ruin lives; it is financially destructive and it can ruin families.

Part of the damage of gambling addiction comes from the odds that come with gambling. Casino games are set up to favor the dealer; otherwise, casinos wouldn’t be able to make any money! People who put hundreds and even thousands of dollars into casino games are likely to lose all of that money.

To properly overcome gambling addiction, gamblers have to realize that it is a serious addiction. Many people think that it is not “real” addiction like drugs or alcohol, so they think that they can overcome it with sheer willpower. However, gambling releases chemicals in the brain that trigger happy, calm feelings.

To beat gambling addiction, there must be a complete cessation of gambling. Like an alcoholic who thinks they can have “just one drink”, too many gambling addicts think that they can spend just $10 and get their fix. However, doing just one casino game can trigger that desire to gamble and make it impossible for an addict to stop.

It is also important for gambling addicts to seek therapy. There are counselors who specialize in addiction, and they can work with gambling addicts to find other ways of achieving happiness. By replacing that happiness that they get from gambling, addicts can learn to stop needing their gambling fix.

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Online Thrills: A New Wave in Gambling Addiction

 

Gambling comes in numerous forms—betting on sports, poker, or even making a wager with a friend over something trivial.  It is a popular form of entertainment that has been around for thousands of years.  However, due to changes in lawmaking and the expansion of gambling’s prosperous industry, it has become more widely available.  As a result, addiction to it has synchronously been on the rise, particularly in the realm of online gambling.
Whereas gambling was once limited to on-site games, it has taken advantage of technology’s ascendancy, allowing people to gamble online anywhere and at any time.  Like many other computer addictions, online gamblers do not realize just how much time they are spending gambling, and the fact that they are using their credit card rather than cash makes it easier to overspend.
Research has shown that although addiction to gambling is widespread and occurs often in casinos, the fact that casinos typically take physical cash makes it easier for gamblers to track the amount of money that they are losing.  However, those that gamble over the internet use their credit card information and because most websites only ask that they information be submitted once, they lose track of their wagers and don’t experience the sensation of handing over something tangible.
To counter the rise in gambling addiction, particularly on the internet, new help groups are emerging constantly, the majority of them regulated under The National Council on Problem Gambling, including Gamblers Anonymous, nationwide Gambling Clinics, and innumerable websites.

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Compulsive Gambling

Jerry King has a secret. He goes to lunch and doesn’t go back to the office. He tells his boss he is meeting clients, but he is really at a casino. He may be at a blackjack table, playing poker, or in the Sportsbook lounge betting on college or professional sports. His family doesn’t know he has emptied the kids’ college accounts and has borrowed money. Jerry is a compulsive gambler.

Most people can gamble without becoming addicted. A few risk family, friends, home, financial ruin, and their job to gamble. How do you know if you are a problem gambler? Do you lie about how much or how frequently you gamble? Once you start to gamble, can you stop before you have spent all the money you have? Do you risk money you know you shouldn’t spend, in hopes of winning big? You can be a compulsive gambler even if you do not gamble every day. The binge or periodic gambler – can still be out of control. Compulsive gambling seems to be a progressive condition and cannot be cured, only arrested. Once your gambling is under control, you cannot return to gambling.

There is help for compulsive gamblers. Gamblers Anonymous, based on Alcoholics Anonymous, is a 12-step self-help organization based on spiritual beliefs. Anyone can join and membership is strictly confidential.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy also works in treating compulsive gambling. This therapy uses a four-step program that helps the individual concentrate on a program that re-labels, reattributes, refocuses, and revalues their compulsions

No addiction happens in a vacuum. A compulsive gambler’s family is almost always harmed. Gam-anon offers support groups for gamblers’ partners. They help define the problem and help the person survive their partner’s addiction. Compulsive gambling is an emotional problem that endangers a gambler and his or her family. It can be treated, but like all addictions, the addict has to be willing to admit the addiction and follow through treatment.

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Signs You Have a Gambling Problem

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” isn’t necessarily true for a gambling addict. Gambling problems affect more than 15 million people in America, 20 percent of whose gambling problems are considered severe.

Problem gamblers, often known as addicts or pathological gamblers, frequently have problems with their relationships and responsibilities at home and work. These issues can lead to financial catastrophe and even doing things the gambler didn’t think possible such as stealing.

Gambling addiction is often thought of as a hidden illness because there are no obvious signs of a problem. Gamblers will frequently deny there is a problem and cover up their addiction. So, how do you know if someone you know or you yourself have a gambling problem?

Signs of a Gambling Problem

You or someone you know is secretive about gambling. If you lie about how much you gamble thinking others won’t understand or that you will surprise them when you win big.

You have trouble controlling your gambling. You feel compelled to keep gambling until you’ve spent all your money or you keep raising your bets trying to win back lost money.

You gamble when you don’t have the money. You gamble until you run out of money and move on to using money set aside to pay bills or buy things for your kids.

Your family and friends are concerned about you. If people are worried about you, take a good look at how gambling is impacting your life.

Getting Help

Gambling is an impulse-control disorder. Compulsive gamblers can’t stop themselves from gambling, even when they know they are hurting someone. People with gambling addictions need to get help. It’s important they understand that getting help isn’t a sign of weakness, it is actually a sign of strength.

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